VAR offsides ‘could be BANNED from Euro 2024 as tech firm take UEFA to court’… with this summer’s tournament in Germany just three weeks away
- The 2024 European Championship starts in just three weeks in Germany
- VAR offside may not be used at the European Championship because UEFA is being taken to court
- Will Leeds be a serious side if they get promoted back to the Premier League? Listen to the It all starts! podcast
VAR offside could reportedly be ruled out of Euro 2024 as UEFA are taken to court on the eve of the tournament.
This summer’s tournament gets underway on June 14, with England’s opening match taking place two days later.
However, a technology company has been given a court date to apply for an injunction eleven days before the tournament starts to stop UEFA’s use of VAR offside after claiming their idea had been copied by organizers , thus The sun.
If their order is granted, UEFA could be forced to scrap the system for Euro 2024.
Dutch company Ballinno has filed a lawsuit against UEFA and German ball tracking experts Kinexon, alleging unauthorized use of their technology.
VAR offside could be scrapped from Euro 2024 with the tournament just three weeks away
The technology may not be used because a tech company has taken UEFA to court accusing organizers of copying their idea
Ballinno claims that in 2011 they patented a ‘method and system for detecting offside situations’.
Their claim states that they have proposed incorporating a chip into balls to alert an earpiece worn by referees when a player has been offside.
The firms are now set to do battle in a Hamburg courtroom, with this year’s Euros now just three weeks away, despite Ballinno first reaching out about their claim and their initial application last year registered five weeks ago, on April 18.
The June 3 hearing comes after the FA Cup and Champions League finals, meaning they will not be affected.
A UEFA spokesperson told The Sun: “We cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings as such. However, UEFA is not too concerned about Ballinno’s application.’
Ballinno’s claim comes amid uncertainty over the use of VAR in England.
Premier League clubs voted last month to introduce semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) next season, which is expected to cut the time taken for these decisions by 30 seconds.
The technology was first used during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was widely praised by fans for its efficiency. The introduction will take place after one of the international breaks in the second half of 2024, as it will not be ready for the start of the 2024-2025 season.
However, Wolves last week tabled a proposal to scrap VAR entirely amid concerns over its use this season, with the Midlands club left frustrated by a number of decisions that have gone against them over the course of the season.
Semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT) will be introduced in the Premier League next season
Wolves called for the scrapping of VAR last week, with manager Gary O’Neil frustrated by decisions that have disappointed his team this season
Wolves owner Jeff Shi made an impassioned pitch in response to the proposal, insisting that VAR would be removed from the Premier League to ‘preserve the magic of the game we have fallen in love with’.
Top clubs will vote on the use of VAR at a shareholders’ meeting next month, and fourteen of the twenty clubs will need to vote against VAR for VAR to be scrapped.