Three Solutions to Bad Calls in Soccer

Bad calls by referees have caused substantial controversy at this year's World Cup soccer matches. Chuck Salter of Fast Company talked to Hank Adams, an expert on the subject. Adams proposes three technological solutions to the problem. One is to install tracking devices in all players and balls so that their precise location can be known at every point in a game:

There’s a new wave of instrumentation coming, with tiny RFID sensors embedded in balls, uniforms, and cleats, to track each athlete’s position on the field. Other leagues are experimenting. So should FIFA. “They have an under-17 series,” says Adams. “They should try things out there before introducing it at the World Cup level.”

Eventually, he says, the sensors will help referees identify off-sides violations, an incredibly hard call to make in real time with lightning fast athletes. A monitoring system could alert officials as soon as a ball is kicked that an offensive player is out of position. After a quick whistle, the game would resume, and any delay could be made up for in overage.

Link | Photo: US Department of Defense