New technology: the Premier League puts La Liga's experiment under the microscope | Goal.com
The Premier League has been monitoring in-ball chip technology during competitive matches as it studies whether the system could one day be used in England.
According to the British newspaper "The Athletic", connected ball technology relies on a sensor embedded inside the ball to pinpoint the exact moment it is touched. That gives referees extra data for offsides, handballs, deflections and double touches.
Special sources told the newspaper: "Premier League representatives have monitored this technology at the FIFA Women's Champions Cup in London during January and at the 2025 Wings Cup for youth at the club Leipzig, where it was used with Puma balls, while the system has not yet been trialled during any Premier League match."
LaLiga, the newspaper noted, has become the first professional domestic football league to use connected ball technology in every match this season. Its system uses radio frequency sensors developed by the German company Kinexon Sports and embedded in Puma match balls, sending the data to around 12 antennas installed at each stadium.
The sources added: "There are no immediate plans to introduce connected ball technology in the Premier League, as the current semi-automated offside system can determine the direction of the ball without an internal sensor, but the league will continue to monitor its use elsewhere."
England's current system relies on optical tracking. Up to thirty cameras around each stadium follow the ball alongside thousands of data points for every player, then suggest the kick point and automatically draw offside lines for VAR technology.
When the system launched in April 2025, Premier League officials stated: "There was no need for a sensor inside the ball because our optical tracking was able to determine when the ball was played, while the chip inside the ball will provide a separate measurement of that moment of contact."
Adidas balls have carried connected ball technology in major international tournaments, including the men's World Cups of 2022 and 2026, the 2023 Women's World Cup, Euro 2024, the 2025 Women's Euro and the 2025 Club World Cup.
Fans saw it in action at the World Cup this summer. A late Croatia equaliser was chalked off in their round-of-32 defeat to Portugal after the chip detected that the ball had touched striker Igor Matanovic at the start of the move, before it reached midfielder Mario Pasalic in an offside position.
Прочети оригиналната новина
