‘Snicko’ to have last word on handballs
Microchip in ball to provide officials with real-time data TV viewers will be shown ‘touch detection’ graphic
Television viewers will be introduced to the football equivalent of cricket’s Snickometer during Euro 2024.
Broadcasters will be sent a “touch detection” graphic used by officials to make key decisions on handballs.
This European Championship will be the first to feature an advanced match ball with a microchip that sends precise data to referees in real time. The chip will allow officials to see exactly when contact was made with the ball, as with “Snicko” in cricket.
Such information could prove crucial in determining certain offside decisions, for example, as it will show whether an attacking player touched the ball on its way to a team-mate.
It could also be used for handball decisions when the referees are unclear where the ball struck a player. The hope is that the technology will reduce the time spent by the video assistant referee system in resolving such incidents.
If the “touch detection” system is used to inform VAR decisions, a graphic will be generated for television viewers to demonstrate the point of contact. This will then be broadcast during live coverage.
Similar technology was deployed during the World Cup in Qatar, but the relevant graphics were not shown to viewers.
In one example at the World Cup, ball manufacturer Adidas proved that Cristiano Ronaldo had not made contact with the ball for one of Portugal’s goals against Uruguay, with use of its Snickometer-equivalent technology. This was not broadcast live to viewers, however.
Meanwhile, players and coaches have been informed by Uefa’s officials that only the captain will be allowed to speak to the referee on the pitch. All other players will be booked if ignoring this rule, with Uefa’s refereeing chief warning that the officials will deal with such issues “firmly and strictly”.
As part of this new guidance, which is designed to prevent officials being mobbed by players, referees have been asked to have more open conversations with team captains and to explain in greater depth why decisions are taken.
Roberto Rosetti, Uefa’s managing director for refereeing, is keen to clamp down on dissent and said the new measures had been well received by players and coaches during pre-tournament briefings.
“They are happy about it,” he said. “This is not for the referees, this is for football. It is for young players, young referees, for the image of football.
“We want to give the players more information. We want to explain to the players what is going on. It is impossible to explain the refereeing decision to 10 and 12 players surrounding the referees. We need only one person, only the captain. This is the message.
“These sessions [with the teams] were very productive. All the players interacted in a very good way – they wanted to know how we wanted to apply this open dialogue with the captains and they were absolutely satisfied about this. I am sure it will be a fantastic example for the next era of football.”
Speaking in Munich, Rosetti also announced that explanations for VAR decisions would be shown on big screens during matches. Screens will show the same “technical explanation” sent to match commentators. As a glimpse of such explanations, Uefa provided the following example of what might be displayed on big screens following a handball decision: “Penalty, handball offence. Germany’s No9 touches the ball with his left arm which was in an unnatural position, above the shoulder and making his body bigger.”
Rosetti added: “These are the best referees in the world. The level is better than Euro 2020 and we are super happy about this. We followed only one criteria: quality.”