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The AFC have confirmed the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be used from the quarter-final stage of the 2020 Asian Champions League.
This will be the first time the VAR has been introduced in the AFC’s club competitions.
The technology made its debut in Asian football at last year’s Asian Cup, when it was used for the quarter-finals of the tournament in the UAE.
The system was then successfully implemented across all 32 matches at the AFC U23 Championship in Thailand, earlier this year.
To further strengthen the AFC’s capabilities in the VAR System application in the Asian Champions League, a virtual AFC VAR Information Officer (VIO) Workshop will be organised on August 26 to ensure VIO’s are across all of the latest VAR developments.
The VAR system, which aims to provide minimum interference with maximum benefit, is limited to four game-changing decisions or incidents: a goal or no goal, penalty-kicks, direct red cards and mistaken identity decisions, AFC said.
Philip Panas is a sports journalist with Soccerscene.
He reports widely on football policy and industry matters, drawing on his knowledge and passion of the game.
Vizrt are reliable providers of graphics and sports analysis technology, perfect for the media industry during their broadcast.
Vizrt – short for Visualisation in Real-Time – are a Norwegian company who have created resources to enhance the delivery of sport production. They are a worldwide market leader across the areas of real-time 3D graphics, sports analysis and asset management tools to cater for sports media among others.
Their specialty involves creating visuals to improve the overall feel of broadcast, including interactive & virtual solutions, animations, maps, weather, story and video editing, as well as compositing, multiplatform Video on Demand (VOD) and live playout tools.
Vizrt’s philosophy is based on creating a new vision for content creation, management and delivery with an end-to-end solution from conception to multi-format distribution. The software and services designed by Vizet, coupled with ongoing innovation, aims to push the boundaries for what is possible and opens up new opportunities to tell stories.
If we think about how that could be of use in a sporting context, Vizet have already proven themselves as partners for sports broadcasters and clubs, who can give better insights about what happens in a match or what it means, as well as previews and reviews.
They have all the tools in sports graphics and analysis to provide greater excitement to the coverage of any sport. Audiences are treated to data-driven augmented reality graphics, advanced analysis, automation tools and quick editing of highlights to get them to fans first.
As part of Vizrt’s sport production, they bring all the features required to get the very best out of the experience, whether that be at home, in the stands or in the locker room.
One of Vizrt’s Extended Reality solutions is XR – regarded as the world’s most powerful 3D sports analysis tool. In collaboration with Eleven Portugal, Vizrt linked up to deliver a new fan experience to Portuguese audiences.
Eleven Portugal is the Lisbon-based part of multinational group Eleven Sports, who have sports television channels for sporting events.
In Portugal, Eleven Sports own the rights to UEFA Champions League, La Liga Santander, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 Uber Eats, Jupiler Pro League, English Football League Championship, Scottish Premiership, Formula 1, F2, F3, Formula E, NASCAR, Porsche Super Cup, NFL, WTA 1000, ATP 250, Liga Endesa and more. The channel slogan is ‘By the Fans. For the Fans.’
Eleven Sports wanted to find ways of improving their sports coverage, with Vizrt chosen to lead the way with advanced graphics and new innovations.
Vizrt’s XR Playbook brought a very powerful 3D analysis to TV programs – presenters were able to explain complex play by play match tactics in a clear and audience-friendly way. This adds more drama and suspense in shows and helps get the most from all sports by engaging the audience with unique insights and knowledge of strategy.
As part of the collaboration, Vizrt committed towards offering training and guidance via their training and services teams. Deployed in Lisbon, they could educate Eleven Portugal’s editorial and production teams about how to get the most out of Vizrt’s software.
Fans became immersed with tools for tracking player speed and movement, while the broadcaster makes great use of Virtual Stadium – an augmented reality set that gives a bird’s eye view of the venue.
It’s this use of Vizrt’s multifaceted technology that can bring heightened significance to any sporting event.
Vizrt has even helped out Esports broadcasters with their own productions, bringing the same high-quality graphics solutions for match previews and team presentations in particular. The rise and popularity of Esports has seen Vizrt transition their expertise to these events.
Vizrt’s impressive portfolio of clients and partners include the world’s leading broadcasters, featuring CNN, CBS, Fox, BBC, Sky, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, and NHK. Vizrt’s power of work extends further to many world-class production houses and corporate institutions – such as the New York and London Stock Exchanges – who go to Vizrt’s technology.
Adaptable to any organisation and industry, Vizrt is able to deliver a whole range of benefits. To find out more on other features, you can view them here.
Sentiment is well and truly up for A-League players, according to the annual Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) report.
This time last year, only 33% of A-League players felt confident about the direction of their football careers.
According to the PFA’s latest annual report, that number is now 56%.
Of the A-League’s 312 players, 200 responded to the 2020/21 A-League survey, capturing 70% of the current cohort, with the results proving that even despite the ongoing turbulence and uncertainty of COVID-19, the majority of players feel much more confident about their futures within the game.
The report highlights that Australian players actively want to remain in the A-League, as opposed to seeking opportunities overseas.
The key numbers that demonstrate this include:
55% of players said they would like to stay playing in the A-League next season, up from 45% last year.
56% of players are confident about the direction of their football careers, compared to 33% in 2019/20.
Only 4% of players would move to an overseas league even if it was for similar money and/or playing standard.
Only 16% of players who would prefer to move to an overseas league would only do so if the money and standards were better.
Other highlights of the report include that the average A-League player is getting younger.
Over the last 14 years, the average age of the A-League player has consistently trended upwards.
In 2020/21, however, this changed and the average age trended downwards, dropping from 27.6 to 25.1.
The number of players utilised in the A-League who were aged 21 and under came in at 107, representing 35% of the 300 players who received A-League minutes during the 2020/21 season.
The youngest squads on average belonged to Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United, with average ages of 23.6 and 23.9 years respectively.
Another highlight was the fact that of the league’s 312 contracted players, 300 received A-League minutes.
“These reports have been immensely valuable, helping the PFA and the players better understand the industry in which they are employed, monitor the application of high-performance standards, assess technical progress and survey the players’ experience,” PFA Co-Chief Executive Beau Busch said of the report.
“For the last five years, we have been able to utilise these reports to formulate evidence-based positions to improve the environments in which our members work through collective bargaining.
“Promisingly, after a period of significant uncertainty, the players have indicated that they are more confident in the direction of their careers and the future of the competition than this time last year, signifying a positive shift in the perception of the A-League.”
The report also highlights the fact that A-League attendances were the lowest ever in the competition, thanks in large part to COVID-19, with an average attendance of 5,660.
Foreign players in the league reduced by 12 to a total of 51, whilst the average salary in the A-League is $136,791.
Their specialty involves creating visuals to improve the overall feel of broadcast, including interactive & virtual solutions, animations, maps, weather, story and video editing, as well as compositing, multiplatform Video on Demand (VOD) and live playout tools.
Vizrt’s XR Playbook brought a very powerful 3D analysis to TV programs 
Vizrt has even helped out Esports broadcasters with their own productions, bringing the same high-quality graphics solutions for match previews and team presentations in particular. The rise and popularity of Esports has seen Vizrt transition their expertise to these events.
