Chip-In-Ball Technology to Make Handball Decisions Easier

• 13 Dec 2023

Recently, Adidas has introduced a microchip in the official ball for Euro 2024 to aid referees in making handball decisions during the tournament.

• The microchip, which is rechargeable, can send precise ball data to video match officials in real-time, and will be used in conjunction with limb-tracking technology to help determine whether there has been a handball in the lead-up to a goal.
• The microchip installed in the 'Fussballliebe', the official match ball of the Euros, will work in tandem with limb-tracking technology to create real-time 3D visual representations of players’ skeletons.
• According to the law set by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), it’s a handball if a player “touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger.
• The technology will also be used to produce faster offside decisions, and will contribute to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)’s Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) decision-making process.
  • The VAR will use the data from the device to create an image that accurately establishes the point of contact of the ball with the body.
• The chip also allows the technology to determine the exact time the ball was kicked, which will provide an accurate result when it comes to offside decisions.

Read More: Semi-Automated Offside Technology