In the modern world of sport, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system has become an integral part of officiating. This technology allows referees to review controversial moments and make informed decisions.
One of the most striking recent examples of the importance of VAR was the men's football opening match between the national teams of Argentina and Morocco at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The match ended 2-1 in favor of Morocco after the VAR disallowed Argentina's final goal. In this historic case, the VAR system helped to fairly assess the situation and make the right decision.
As the VAR technology helps to avoid mistakes and ensure fair results, it is becoming increasingly popular in world football.
More than just hardware
VAR is a complex system that includes an administrative component, technical resources and referees.
The administrative component consists of rules that define the procedure for using the VAR. This is an important element of the system, ensuring its efficiency and transparency.
The technical side includes the equipment required to operate the VAR system.
The most important element of this system, however, are the referees, i.e. the human resource. Referees must be well-trained, highly qualified and constantly improving their skills. Their professional life is one of continuous self-improvement.
Academy
Comprehensive training in VAR technology requires a system that allows judges to master the technology and improve as effectively as possible. SLOMO.TV's Academy system solves this problem. It allows football organizations of all sizes to train new referees, warm up the VAR team before matches and improve the skills of veteran officials.
Academy is a training server for TV and VAR teams and is already used by many sports leagues, federations, TV companies and broadcasters.
While standalone training systems are effective, football organizations still need to optimize their workflow and resources for maximum efficiency. As a result, they tend to look for ways to perform multiple tasks with minimal equipment. If possible, the hardware solution should be able to be used not only as a training system, but also as a VAR system during actual matches.
videoReferee®-FSK
SLOMO.TV offers a comprehensive VAR solution videoReferee®-FSK Football Starter Kit, designed to meet the current demands of modern sports. The videoReferee®-FSK system is ideal for leagues and associations at all levels, providing both a solution to existing needs and new opportunities for growth.
The system is unique in that it combines two functions: it can act both as an 8-channel videoReferee® VAR server and as an Academy training simulator. This solution makes it possible to train in the absence of live signals without the need for an external Academy server. An important feature of videoReferee®-FSK is the ability to warm up the VAR team before the match using the updateable library of training clips.
Built on a compact yet powerful 2U server, the system can also be "field-upgraded" to a 12/16 channel VAR system with the purchase of a temporary or permanent license. The server is equipped with 16 SDI I/Os, which allows it to be upgraded remotely.
Features of videoReferee®-FSK system
videoReferee®-FSK can be used as:
- 2 separate 8-channel servers – videoReferee®-8F and 8-channel Academy system;
- videoReferee®-8F VAR system for full-fledged video refereeing;
- videoReferee®-AV/AVM – VAR system with 12/16 recording channels (when a temporary or permanent license is purchased).
All standard licenses are available for videoReferee®-FSK – SSM camera support, 3G support, RRA option, remote workplaces and others. SSM cameras require the use of multiple channels, and to comfortably work with them, you may need to expand the number of channels on the VAR server with an additional license.
videoReferee®-FSK is a VAR system that not only provides accurate and reliable support to referees, but also implements Quality Loop technology in football.
Quality Loop
Quality Loop is an advanced training technology with an extended methodology.
It is fundamentally supported by the Academy training system, both separately and as part of videoReferee®-FSK.
The Quality Loop program is designed to continuously improve the skills of your refereeing team.
Quality Loop technology implementation process:
- The SLOMO.TV team trains regional specialists;
- Important episodes are selected from the recorded video material for future training sessions after each match monitored with SLOMO.TV systems;
- The department in charge marks clips and creates collections of both controversial and typical moments of the game;
- The selected clips are exported to Academy;
- The pre-selected by the methodologist clips are analyzed at regular training seminars.
Regular training sessions on video refereeing for judges, VARs and AVARs under the guidance of the chief methodologist lead to their improved skills in using the system and the overall development of match video selection and marking methods in video refereeing.
SLOMO.TV not only offers hardware solutions for VAR implementation, but also continuously enhances procedures that contribute to improving the quality of video refereeing globally. This makes SLOMO.TV a reliable choice for football organizations looking to optimize their resources and secure their future development prospects.
