Major update in use of VAR at Euro 2024 after UEFA wins bombshell last-minute court case against tech firm

UEFA has won a last-ditch battle to use VAR to check offsides at the Euros – after being sued by the inventor of similar tech.

Football bosses were taken to court by a Dutch firm who claimed they had ripped off its VAR system for spotting offsides.

GettyThe VAR room at the International Broadcast Centre in Leipzig for Euro 2024[/caption]

AFPVAR will intervene for clear and obvious errors relating to goals, penalty incidents, red cards and mistaken identity[/caption]

Ballinno filed a patent infringement suit against UEFA and ball tracking experts Kinexon, from Germany – alleging unauthorised use of its tech.

The legal wrangle threatened to prevent the game’s European governing body from using the love-hate tech – just days before the start of the tournament today.

The injunction fight – revealed exclusively by the The Sun – was heard in the German city of Hamburg on Monday.

Three judges threw out the legal bid but did not give reasons.

It allows UEFA to proceed with the technology and spares them from a huge embarrassment.

Patent news website Juve-Patent reported the decision, writing: “This means that Uefa and Kinexon can continue to use their technology.

“However, Ballinno can still lodge an appeal against the judgement with the UPC (Unified Patent Court) Court of Appeal.

“However, this would probably come too late to prevent the technology from being used at the European Championship.”

Ballinno claimed that 13 years ago it was granted a patent for a “method and system for detecting an offside situation”.

It says it registered a proposal for a chip in balls to alert an earpiece worn by officials at the exact moment it is kicked – removing the need to continuously watch players.

Judges have not yet revealed their written reasons for dismissing Ballinno’s case.

But Florian Müller, a patent law expert, told Dutch media the timing was clearly designed to put UEFA under time pressure.

Ballinno’s lawyer Rian Broekstra told Dutch media: “Ballinno is disappointed.

“As soon as the reasons become known, Ballinno will decide on the next steps to be taken.

“The technology in question was also used at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the company was unable to challenge the system.

UEFA said it was “not overly concerned by Ballinno’s application”.

The Euros action gets underway tonight as Scotland face hosts Germany in Munich, while England kick off with a clash against Serbia on Sunday.

Referees have been cherry picked to ensure the best of the best are taking charge of the games at Euro 2024.

VAR will be in operation for every game of the tournament and the officials will be operating out of technologies hub in Leipzig.

Each game will be assigned one VAR and two assistants VAR’s – one less than the three assistants that were employed for each game at Euro 2020.

UEFA‘s regulations state that they will also use the big screens inside stadiums to show VAR replays and display decisions to fans.

VAR will intervene for clear and obvious errors relating to goals, penalty incidents, red cards and mistaken identity.

What is VAR and when is it used?

VIDEO assistant referee or VAR has become an important tool in football.

Fast-paced matches don’t always allow the referee to determine what is a foul upon first sight so VAR comes into play.

During matches the referee and officials might need to take a closer look at what happened to determine the outcome.

VAR can be called upon for four key on-field incidents:

Goals and offences leading up to a goal
Penalty decisions and offences leading up to a penalty decision
Red card decisions
Cases of mistaken identity

VAR can be used in two ways – the referee can request a review or the video assistant will alert the on-pitch referee to know that a decision needs to be analysed.

VAR relays information on calls and at times the on-pitch official may need to go and look at the action from a screen installed in the stadium.

The video assistant referee, which is a team of three officials, is able to access every camera angle and goal-line technology cameras.

The team consists of a current or former referee, their assistant and a replay operator.

There are nearly 60 leagues and several dozen domestic cup competitions that use VAR.

VAR is also used during all major continental club competitions including the UEFA Champions League, Women’s Champions League, the Europa League, the Conference League and Copa Libertadores.

Major national competitions use VAR including:

The FIFA World Cup
UEFA Euro
Copa America
Africa Cup of Nations
The Olympics