Sweden’s Mattias Svanberg scored just 12 seconds after coming off the bench to register the fastest goal ever at a World Cup by a substitute, but the strike was initially ruled offside in the 84th minute of the Sweden vs. Tunisia match.
Referee Yael Falcón Pérez had given the on-field decision of offside, with VAR Juan Lara initiating a review. The VAR overturned the call after determining there had been a slight flick on the ball by Sweden team-mate Alexander Isak that played Svanberg onside, and the goal was awarded following the review.
Match officials used Adidas’ Connected Ball Technology in the review. The system, similar to the snickometer used in cricket, identified the minimal contact that was imperceptible to the naked eye and reset the phase of play, according to the VAR report.
The ball’s embedded sensors capture every touch and provide real-time data to match officials. The original press release for the technology said it “will help inform offside situations as well as assist in detecting unclear touches thereby ultimately improving the quality and speed of VAR decision-making process.”
Similar uses of the technology have been reported previously. FIFA and ball manufacturer Adidas confirmed to ESPN that the system showed Cristiano Ronaldo did not touch a build-up that was credited to Bruno Fernandes in Portugal’s 2022 World Cup win over Uruguay. Broadcasters displayed a Connected Ball Technology review at Euro 2024 when Belgium’s Loïs Openda was shown to have handled the ball before Romelu Lukaku’s goal, and that effort was disallowed.
Andy Davies, a former Select Group referee with more than 12 seasons on the elite list and VAR experience in the Premier League and Championship, has offered expertise on how VAR protocols and such technologies are applied on matchdays.
