Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: Jumbie on September 15, 2005, 05:03:21 AM
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LIMA, Peru, Sept 14 (Reuters) - It looks just like any ordinary football but the Adidas 'smartball' that makes its official debut in the FIFA Under-17 world championship in Peru on Friday could change the face of soccer forever.
The smartball is fitted with a tiny microchip designed to help a referee decide whether the ball has crossed the line completely for a goal to be scored - and will also be used to determine whether the ball has gone out of play.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, traditionally a staunch opponent of technology, has given his blessing to the experiment in Peru and has said that if it is successful, it can be used in the World Cup finals in Germany next summer.
The ball was unveiled in Lima before the tournament starts on Friday and FIFA Secretary-General Urs Linsi told Reuters the 'smartball' and so-called goal-line technology, developed by Adidas with German company Cairos AG and the German Fraunhofer Institute - was in no way a substitute for the eyes and experience of the referee.
RADIO SIGNAL
'The referee is in charge, he's the boss on the pitch and that won't change. This is an aid to the referee,' he said.
The microchip - less than half an inch (15 millimeters) in size - sends out a radio signal when the ball crosses the touchline, as if it had touched an electric fence.
That signal is relayed by up to 12 antennae positioned in the corners of the pitch to a computer which then sends a message to a watch worn on the referee's wrist in less than one second, Guenter Pfau, Adidas' manager for relations with FIFA, told Reuters.
The message makes a virtually inaudible signal and the referee need never even use the technology, unless he is in doubt, Pfau said.
If so, a quick glance at the watch will reveal the word 'goal' or no message, indicating no goal. Any goal messages are stored in the watch's memory with the time logged.
FINAL SAY
Linsi said the referee would always have the final say and could ignore even a goal message from the smartball.
The 16-nation Under-17 championship kicks off on Friday with Uruguay playing Mexico in Lima and ends on Oct 2.
Matches will be played in five venues equipped with the latest artificial turf. The smartball will be used in all games except those played in the northern jungle city of Iquitos because the stadium was not ready in time, Pfau said.
The smartball's signal cannot be disturbed by radios or cellphones. 'It's encrypted, it can't be hacked into,' he added.
The smartball has been tested once, in February, at an unofficial friendly in Nuremberg, but Friday will be its first official outing.
BOARD GAMES
Members of the International Football Association Board -- soccer's ultimate law-making body -- will travel to Peru to see the experiment in some of this month's games.
A report will then be submitted to the next meeting of the Board in the spring and if the experiment has been deemed a success a decision will be taken on whether it will be used in the World Cup finals in Germany next summer.
Blatter told journalists in London earlier this month that there might be no need for the technology to determine a goal at all in Peru.
'There might not be one incident where there is a doubt,' he said, 'it could happen, but if it does, we can arrange a match outside the tournament using the technology and set up a situation to test it.'
Along with hosts Peru, the 15 other competing countries are China, Qatar, North Korea, Ghana, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Italy, Turkey, Netherlands, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia and Costa Rica.
Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=342630&cc=5901
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50 years from now, world cup final will see Japan vs India.
De players go be robots and de coachs will be seven year olds with gameboys !!!!!
:clown: :clown: :clown:
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How about GPS tracking in the boots of the players to track their position on the field. That way when a ref rules a player's goal null for offsides we can use Satellite technology to determine if the player was actually in an offside position beyond the last defender.
Since the game has already been stopped, someone is the 'booth' upstairs can quickly singnal the ref if his call was correct or not, and not slowdown the game at all.
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Wheeys, this is badnesss.. I love it.!!
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How about GPS tracking in the boots of the players to track their position on the field. That way when a ref rules a player's goal null for offsides we can use Satellite technology to determine if the player was actually in an offside position beyond the last defender.
Since the game has already been stopped, someone is the 'booth' upstairs can quickly singnal the ref if his call was correct or not, and not slowdown the game at all.
And when we cah see the game live we could watch a screen with yellow and red dots moving all over the place
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GPS dont have the resolution for such short distances.
it would require a localized satillite system to perform this task.
I think the beauty of football is that the poorest football team and the richest football team abide under the same rules.
if you start needing tv replay and thing the rules at different levels become different
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i think part of the game is controversy..e.g. maradona hand of god..etc....i dont know it becoming just like american sports, very structured and systematic.
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i think part of the game is controversy..e.g. maradona hand of god..etc....i dont know it becoming just like american sports, very structured and systematic.
This I agree with. It does make fuh good old talk ;D
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leave the game how it is nuh man lord have mercy .to chips in ball to USA soccer players getting contact lens to filter the sunlight what else!!!! >:(
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What will be the cost of this ball and technology and would FIFA make it mandatory in the future?
How would lesser developed football nations come to terms with this........Donations perhaps?
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The tournament is being shown live on Eurosport in Europe. They say if the technology is successful it will be used in Germany 2006. I think I'll watch the games just to see how it works....and IF it works. Now people will be watching games just to see if something dubious happens :-\
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What will be the cost of this ball and technology and would FIFA make it mandatory in the future?
How would lesser developed football nations come to terms with this........Donations perhaps?
I doubt that FIFA would make it mandatory, other than for FIFA sponsored competitions (World Cup, World Youth Cup, Olympics, etc). In terms of local leagues, it would be up to the league if they could afford the technology. Same goes for developing football nations. If they can afford the technology fine, otherwise stick with the existing method which works just fine for the most part.
My own opinion is that, while as a gadget freak I think the technology is cool, the situations where it would make a difference are really very few and far between and I doubt it worth the effort.
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leave de frigging game alone people just getting lazy. just naw linesman wouldnt run down de line again he go just look at he watch and throw up he flag. fregging scientists cyar come up with ah cure fuh aids yet but football getting microchip. :rotfl: :rotfl: :beermug:
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i think part of the game is controversy..e.g. maradona hand of god..etc....i dont know it becoming just like american sports, very structured and systematic.
I agree with you duscam, but what if we playing against uzbekestan for a place in de world cup and we draw 0-0 in trinidad. In de return leg we down 1-0 and in de 94th minute scott sealey had ah shot cleared off de line but replays showed the ball crossed the line hence denying us a place in Germany.
I am sure everyone would have wished they used that technology then!!
it is nice to say that we like controversy but everyone gets vex when lara get thief out!
bring de chips so that we could make things better for the referee cause de chip giving him an eye on de touch lines.
However, let de referee decide if he should give a penalty or if he should give ah foul or play de advantage, dat is he choice, but tings like if de ball cross de line should get all de technological help possible!
ah love it!!