The football has made quite a journey from being a humble spherical leather object filled with air to a humble ball shaped gadget that gives real time information to referees on whats going on as chaps are kicking it around.
The Euro 2024 Adidas ball also has a first time innovation.It has a sensor that can detect handballs.
It was tested in the Belgium Slovakia game – when Openda touched the ball with his hand, the sensor’s “wave” spiked.
The sensor records any touch every 0.002 seconds, allowing referees to detect handballs and determine the exact time of the touch. Additionally, the ball is equipped with an artificial positioning sensor, enabling the creation of a 3D model to accurately determine whether the ball has left the field or crossed the goal line.
Maybe its only a matter of time when the ball itself will get so high tech that refs wont be needed to run around and exert themselves so much at all.They can sit on the sidelines and enjoy the game while having a cup of tea ( or something stronger).The ball will do all the work and send them a signal each time they need to blow the whistle,raise a flag,or brandish a red or yellow card.
