Monday morning saw a seldom-used VAR technology in action at the FIFA World Cup, with cricket-style Snicko being used to award Sweden s fourth goal against Tunisia. In the 84th minute of the match, Swedish midfielder Mattias Svanberg thought he had scored from
Monday morning saw a seldom-used VAR technology in action at the FIFA World Cup, with cricket-style “Snicko” being used to award Sweden’s fourth goal against Tunisia.
In the 84th minute of the match, Swedish midfielder Mattias Svanberg thought he had scored from Yasin Ayari’s free-kick, but the goal was ruled out with the player adjudged to have been offside. Sweden, however, protested the decision, with captain Victor Lindelof and striker Alexander Isak demanding a VAR review. Isak was adamant that he had touched the ball before it had reached Svanberg, who would have therefore been onside.
A lack of clear visual evidence could have doomed Sweden’s hopes, but for a microchip inside the Adidas Trionda match ball, which detected the faintest of feather touches produced by Isak’s attempted flick. The chip is part of Adidas’ Connected Ball Technology, which captures ball positioning data at a rate of 500 times per second and relays it in real time to the Video Assistant Referee for more accurate decision-making.
For regular cricket followers, the Connected Ball Technology is similar to the “Snickometer” or “Ultra Edge” technology used by the Third Umpire in LBW and caught-behind decisions. Indeed, a waveform graph on the VAR screens revealed a clear spike when the ball passed Isak’s outstretched boot. VAR correctly overturned the on-field referee decision and awarded the goal, and Sweden had the joy of celebrating their goal again.
The Connected Ball Technology made its first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022, notably awarding a Bruno Fernandes goal that had initially been credited to a Cristiano Ronaldo header. Post-match data check revealed that the striker had not touched the midfielder’s goal-bound cross, and Ronaldo’s goal was subsequently re-awarded to Fernandes.
On Monday, real-time use allowed Svanberg’s goal to stand, giving Sweden a 4-1 lead in the game. The Blagult eventually ran out 5-1 winners. Yasin Ayari scored a brace, while star strikers Isak and Viktor Gyokeres scored a goal apiece to cap off a fine tournament opener evening for manager Graham Potter.
Svanberg, meanwhile, has gone into the history books as the second-fastest substitute goalscorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup. The 27-year-old midfielder entered the field at 83:19, as Sweden prepared to take a free-kick in the Tunisian final third. 18 seconds later, he had put the ball in the back of the net with his first touch.