From the 2010 World Cup to the 2018 hosted by Russia, every FIFA tournament has its own unique peculiarity that will forever stay in history of the sport. But in what is probably unprecedented, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar appears to have ushered in a brilliant romance between football and use of technology.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and goal line technology are some of the beautiful technology-inspired innovations in football. But the official Adidas-made match ball in Qatar tournament is doing more than justice to what could have been a long term controversy in soccer history.
During the game between Portugal and Uruguay, a 54th minute header by Cristiano Ronaldo had been ruled in for the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward.
But ten minutes after the goal had been scored, a tweet from the World Cup’s official account read: “The goal has officially been ruled as scored by Bruno Fernandes.”
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo believed that he had got the final touch when the team took a lead in the Group H match against Uruguay at the Lusail Iconic Stadium before his kinsman got the recognition.
Adidas, the official ball manufacturer for the FIFA World Cup, later came up with an explanation: They said:
“In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball Technology housed in adidas’s Al Rihla Official Match Ball, we are able to definitively show no contact on the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo for the opening goal in the game.
“No external force on the ball could be measured as shown by the lack of ‘heartbeat’ in our measurements and in the attached graphic. The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be highly accurate in our analysis.”
With this comment, the match ball, thanks to technology, has been helping match officials in making faster and more accurate decisions during the World Cup.
FIFA, the football regulatory body, on Sunday, December 11, announced the “Official Match Ball of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Finals.”
Here are some facts about it as sighted by Ikejabird on the FIFA official website:
1. The name
The name of the ball is Al Hilm which translates to “The Dream” in Arabic. FIFA said it follows on from the Official Match Ball of the group stages, Al Rihla, or “The Journey”.
2. The component and design
Al Hilm features a unique graphic design, setting it apart from the Al Rihla used throughout the tournament so far. The ball was also designed with the environment at its heart – all components have been carefully considered, and Al Hilm is the first FIFA World Cup semi-finals and final ball made using only water-based inks and glues.
The design is set on a textured gold base colour which features a subtle triangular pattern, drawing inspiration from the sparkling deserts of the region that surround the city of Doha, the colour of the FIFA World Cup trophy, and the pattern of the Qatar flag.
3. Bringing more ease to match
The innovation offers Video Match Officials instant data, to help optimize decision making for a seamless fan experience. By combining the ball data captured by IMU sensors within the ball and applying artificial intelligence.
Speaking on the importance of the ball, Nick Craggs, Football Adidas General Manager said the innovation will bring “light” to the tournament.
“Al Hilm represents a beacon of light on the power of sport and football to bring the world together. Millions will tune in from almost every country around the globe, united by their passion for the game. We wish all teams involved in the final stages of the tournament the best of luck as they compete on the largest stage that football has to offer.”
