Croatians complain about ‘Snicko’ tech World Cup balls
Croatians have gone on the attack against FIFA and referees after their World Cup exit to Portugal, claiming a specific rule should have kept their hopes alive.
Josko Gvardiol’s 103rd-minute equaliser was ruled out because, after a VAR check, his team-mate Igor Matanovic was adjudged to have headed the ball to an offside team-mate earlier in play.
It was impossible to tell with the naked eye whether he had touched it but a microchip implanted in the ball suggested that he had.
However, Croatian journalists are now pointing to a line in FIFA’s semi-automatic technology rulebook which says that hair is only considered part of the body ‘if it affects the movement or trajectory of the ball’.
Matanovic’s touch, if indeed it happened, did not appear to influence the ball’s flight on its way to Mario Pasalic, who set up Gvardiol.
FIFA’s rule states: ‘Hair is only considered part of the body if it affects the movement or trajectory of the ball. This is only likely in cases of significant contact with a mass of hair, such as a top knot.’
Croatian website Gol has protested: ‘Since the video footage is inexorable proof that the ball did not change its trajectory by a single millimeter after contact with Matanovic, it is clear that this possible contact with hair should not have been characterized as active playing with the ball according to FIFA’s own regulations.
Meanwhile, Croatian referee Bruno Maric told Sportske novosti: ‘If the chip registers a touch, then the referees would also have to find visual evidence that this contact actually existed. Only then can the decision be completely convincing for the players, coaches, fans and the entire football public.
“I am absolutely for technology, but every decision it makes must be supported by clear evidence. If the evidence does not exist or no one can see it, then doubt will always remain. And it is precisely trust in decisions that technology should build, not undermine.”
The decision was aided by technology known as The Snickometer, or ‘Snicko’ as it is more widely known.
TV viewers of the match were shown the images the VAR was analysing and could see the tiny wave on the screen that was deemed sufficient to disallow the goal.
The microchip produces accurate, instantaneous data on everything, including ball movement, speed, trajectory, and touches by players. –Mailonline
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