Technology in football: An overview of five prominent advancements

The game has evolved substantially in recent years, supported by the modern technical enhancements.

The game of football, not unlike everything that surrounds it, has been a subject to growth and advancements in technology. In recent years a number of major additions to the game have been introduced sparking debates and division throughout the footballing fraternity. We at Khel Now bring you five of the most significant technological advancements to the football world, since 2010.

5. Vanishing Spray

The spray, when it first appearing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, seemed to be nothing more than a gimmick to appease the massive crowds. However, the vanishing technology has proven immensely effective in maintaining the distance between the attacking player and the defensive wall in offensive free kicks. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Stealing a couple of yards is now a thing of the past.

4. Smart Match Balls

Yet another innovation that was brought into play at a World Cup, the introduction of Smart Ball. The introduction of the technology first took place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia in the Adidas Telstar ball. Every 'smart' match ball includes a microchip that provides information about the ball itself. Adidas also undertook the launch of the Smart Ball, which can provide information about the curl of the ball, the point of contact and other such metrics, making it a coach’s dream.

3. Goal Line Technology

Frank Lampard will probably wish that this technology was around in football when he rattled the ball into Manuel Neuer’s net, only for the goal to be erroneously ruled out. Goal line technology allows the on-field referee to definitively judge whether a shot crosses the goal line or if a part of it was yet to do so, a task that has proven notoriously difficult for the average linesman. It works on a system of cameras, set up at vantage points around the stadium and for use at the highest level, the world over.

2. EPTS – Electronic Performance and Tracking System

The EPTS uses a combination of a number of Physiological and Technological parameters to provide coaches and medical staff with real time information about players, during matches as well as on the training ground. Footballers wear devices with Gyroscopes, accelerometers and the like during matches to allow monitor their heartrate, distance covered, top speed and a number of other parameters. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] Aside from the advantages in football that this technology brings to the table, the medical information it provides could prove crucial, should a player suffer fatal medical emergencies while on the pitch.

1. Video Assistant Referee (VAR)

Love it or hate it, VAR is here to stay. The controversial technology has fans of leagues around the football world torn. While VAR has shown its good side time and again, the Hyde to its Jekyll, rears its head ever so often in the form of delayed, contentious and plain wrong outcomes. The rules that govern VAR state that to rule out an erroneous call from the referee, the error must be “clear and obvious” to the referee behind the screen. This term and its ambiguity has been the talking point of many games of football since the introduction of VAR.