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<p>Over the last few years, technology and Artificial Intelligence made serious advances in the world, including soccer and sport. Each month, articles and speculation arise regarding robots removing people from everyday jobs in the coming years.</p>
<p>Consequently, that trend leaks into the beautiful game. First, goal-line technology established itself in the sport around the world. Since then, Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, entered the fray for major competitions across the globe.</p>
<p>Recently, FIFA announced the debut of ‘semi-automated’ offside coming to <a href="https:\/\/www.fifa.com/technical/media-releases/semi-automated-offside-technology-to-be-used-at-fifa-world-cup-2022-tm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the World Cup in Qatar</a>. It is the first use of the technology in the sport, coming on the biggest stage possible. So, it appears robots enter mainstream use earlier than anticipated. FIFA expresses that these changes come to make the game better. Yet, does technology actually make the sport a better spectacle?</p>
<h3>Technology’s growth in soccer</h3>
<p>Now, there are some arguments that goal-line technology has had a positive impact. It measures something definite or binary. Simply put, the ball is completely across the line, or it is not.&nbsp; On the other hand, VAR adds another layer of scrutiny to a refereeing decision. In doing so, the technology in soccer is still subjective in this regard. The determining opinion comes from the man in the middle or the VAR booth.</p>
<p>Ahead of <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/">the 2022 World Cup</a>, FIFA introduced the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2022/02/09/fifa-backs-semi-automated-offside-system-to-boost-var/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">semi-automated offside</a> to the Club World Cup and the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2021/12/02/semi-automated-offside-debuts-at-2021-arab-cup/">Arab Cup</a>. On both occasions, FIFA claimed the technology worked well.</p>
<p>For the uninitiated, the new system combines a sensor inside the ball to measure when a pass is played. That sensor sends a signal 500 times per second, so a kick isn’t missed. Then, 12 multi-tracking and synchronizes cameras can alert the referee to an offside decision. It makes it binary. Well, the words of arguably the best referee of the past 30 years, Pierluigi Collina, who backs the new technology in soccer, suggested some shade. “<a href="https:\/\/www.news24.com/citypress/sport/fifa-figures-out-new-technology-to-speed-up-offside-decisions-20220701" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Technology works most of the time</a>,” he said.</p>
<h5>Most of the time*</h5>
<p>Implementing this allows the VAR officials to come to a conclusion quicker. They no longer rewind the video of the forward pass to suspect an offside decision. Yet, soccer fans rely on technology that works ‘most’ of the time. What happens if it fails in the World Cup Final? Who is to blame then? These are constantly moving aspects of the game. The ball, the passer, the pass recipient and the defense.</p>
<p>With goal-line technology, it’s a moving ball and a static goalpost. It’s far easier to monitor and determine an outcome. It is churlish to suggest the technology is not advanced enough to deal with the multiple facets involved in offside decisions. Still, the computational brains behind VAR do not often help when the person interpreting the imagery still get it wrong.</p>
<p>Leeds United had a goal disallowed for offside when the VAR officials made a questionable decision. Patrick Bamford, whose body, head and legs were all onside, <a href="https:\/\/talksport.com/football/785820/var-patrick-bamford-goal-offside-crystal-palace-leeds/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">pointed where he wanted the ball played</a>. His hand extended beyond the last defender, and VAR ruled the play offside. Could he score with his hand? No. Does a pointing motion give him an added advantage regarding his ability to run? No. It was ridiculous.</p>
<p>In the same season, Fulham suffered a loss at the hands of Spurs. A <a href="https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/breaking-law-change-var-football-23614479" rel="noopener" target="_blank">handball decision against Mario Lemina</a>‘s arm took away a potential crucial point. Lemina’s arm rested by his side, and it was clear that it was not a handball. That one point could have proved pivotal in Fulham’s bid for survival, which came up short.</p>
<h5>The classic game</h5>
<p>The debate around refereeing decisions has one which the fans love to get involved with. But, it is something done over a beer before or after a game. The top referees earn that designation because they excel at their job. Collina serves as the perfect example. He garnered respect because he got things right to go with his fearsome <a href="https:\/\/mobile.twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1539246766754869250" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Hills have Eyes</a> look!? He didn’t get there by metrics, or the ability to interpret a badly drawn line on a video screen.</p>
<p>Soccer is not something requiring perfection and cleanliness. Technology is not the key to overhaul the sport. It can complement the game, but there are far too many ways in which tech will turn soccer into a more monotonous, almost predictable, and arguably dull sport. And before we know it, will that then signal the point when the T3000 will replace footballers on the pitch too? No, thank you.</p>
<p><em>PHOTO: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images</em></p>


Technology is making an increased push in soccer via the semi-automated offside at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Is it perhaps overextending?

Why soccer needs better referees, not more technology - World Soccer Talk

Why soccer needs better referees, not more technology

<div id="attachment_680" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-680" class="wp-caption-text">Ferguson: A Harsh Sacking?</p></div>
<p>Even though Peterborough are currently <a href="http:\/\/www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11764_5685514,00.html">remaining silent</a> on reports while I write this, the man who lead the Posh from the bottom division of the football league to the Championship has apparently been relieved of his duties. Chairman Darragh MacAnthony appears to have taken the decision after Peterborough’s poor start to the season; the Posh currently sit bottom of the table with only two wins to their name. But any football fan must ask, where is the justice in this for Ferguson? I personally find it a shame that McAnthony has taken this decision and i’m sure many fans of the club will feel the same.</p>
<p>Peterborough has been quite a colourful club in recent years. Whether it be inviting disgraced TV pundit Ron Atkinson and a bunch of sky TV cameras into their club to “sort things out” or engaging in a legal dispute with Victoria Beckham over the naming rights of the clubs nickname ‘the Posh’, many English fans will be well acquainted with the name. Sky Sports favourite and director of football Barry Fry will also be familiar face to football fans, being one of those larger than life characters within the game.</p>
<p>This latest bit of news from Eastern English side though confuses me some what. How can any chairman justify sacking a manager who has won back-to-back promotions for your team and also shown great commitment throughout, notably rejecting the chance to manage Reading this summer – instead preferring to sign a new four year contract with Peterborough. The club is bottom of the table and on poor form, but you should expect that if you’re going up into a new league; Ferguson hasn’t even been given the opportunity to turn things around in any manner.</p>
<p>As mentioned above, Barry Fry is a recognisable figure from the club. A former manager and chairman who has always had the clubs best interests at heart. A meeting on Monday 9th November was scheduled after the club suffered another defeat to top of the table Newcastle United; a team they were hardly expected to beat. I wonder what Fry himself makes of this decision and how much of a say he had in it; he’s a man who’s whole life has revolved around football and surely he would realise Peterborough have a brilliant thing in Ferguson.</p>
<p>Maybe I could be wrong here but that scheduled meeting for Monday maybe have started out as a review of the clubs form and possibly gone a bit far and ended up with the worst possible scenario. Even then, to let Ferguson go suggests that the board’s ambitions for the club are currently set too high. They have shown little faith in one of the brightest young British managers and once again we see another reason why clubs look to hire foreign coaches; the Brit’s just aren’t given a chance to develop.</p>
<p>There are still 30 games left to play this season! 30! With all due respect, the Posh are not one of the big hitters in this league – nor are they expected to be. Any team that gets promoted to a higher league needs to prepare for the battles of relegation and build from there. Although some considerable investment has been made into the club, they have a lot of players that still need to adapt to the Championship. I can’t imagine any of the players are too happy about the decision, it’s clear that if he won two promotions then he obviously had a good rapport with his players.</p>
<p>It’ll be interesting to see who is brought in to replace Ferguson, I can’t think of many managers that could turn things around for the club. Ferguson is young so he is still developing, but at the same time has shown magnificent maturity in what he has accomplished. Any club that decides to snap him up will have a gem of a manager – I have already seen that Brighton fans are hopefull of the Scot filling their vacant managerial post after Russell Slade was given the axe. All I can see for Ferguson is success in the future and I hope he is back in management sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>It’s also quite ironic that Ferguson’s last game in charge came against another club whose chairman makes a few questionable decisions – Newcastle United. Anybody fancy getting the rumour mill going regarding a bit of Mike Ashley advice to MacAnothony?</p>


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Why soccer needs better referees, not more technology

Leagues: Championship

Darren Ferguson sacked by Peterborough?