Tag: FIFA World Cup 2022

DOHA: FIFA’s latest technology developed over the last three years would help make more precise and quicker VAR offside judgements in the Qatar World Cup, affirmed referees chief Pierluigi Collina on Friday. 

The “semi-automatic offside technology” will decide on even the trickiest offside rulings faster than the previous method. A 3D animated rendering of the action will also be shown live to fans in the stadium and on television during the showpiece event starting tomorrow.

“(It) gives us the possibility to be faster and more accurate in terms of decisions about offside,” said Collina, chairman of FIFA’s referees committee.

“Just to be clear, being faster does not mean we will have instantaneous assessment of offside. It will be less than now, certainly, but we cannot have an answer one-second, or basically live.” he added.

The referees head, however, underlined that the final decision always belongs to the match official – on the VAR, the video assistant referee, on the field of play, to the referee.

The innovative system tracks the ball with 12 dedicated tracking cameras that are positioned underneath the stadium’s roof and calculate the precise position of each player on the field using up to 29 data points, 50 times per second.

The optical tracking technology was put to the test at the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, as well as at the Arab Cup in Qatar in last December.

“It’s the most accurate supporting offside tool at the moment.” said  FIFA’s director of technology and innovation, Johannes Holzmueller. “We analysed the data and the outcome was very positive.”

Collina added that his team held two workshops for all 32 team coaches and visited each side’s camps to bring clarity among the players about the technology.

Referees at the World Cup had been advised to issue red cards for anything that could harm another player’s health, including elbows to the face, studs-up tackles, and dangerously high feet.

“Here are the best players in the world,” stated Collina. “It would be a shame if some of these players would be unable to play because of an injury caused by an opponent.

“So the first message we went through was to protect the safety of the players. Something that may endanger the safety of an opponent, players and coaches should expect… a red card.”

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DOHA: England and Netherlands on Tuesday became the first two heavyweights to land in Qatar to partake in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022.

With five days from kickoff, England and Netherlands are the first two heavyweights to land in Qatar for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, scheduled to commence on November 20.

The month-long mega event will feature 32 teams, divided into eight groups, while France are to defend their title.

Meanwhile, the United States of America (USA), Australia, Japan and other teams have already arrived in Qatar, which expects more than a million fans amid the upcoming World Cup.

Both England and Netherlands will start their campaigns on November 21 against Iran and Senegal respectively.

Whereas, most of the participating teams are still due to arrive in the country as many star players were involved in the European leagues that paused on Sunday.

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army troops on Monday left for Qatar for the security of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 — the mega event scheduled from November 21 to December 18.

The Pakistan Army troops comprising officers, junior commissioned officers and jawans will assist the Qatari government during the FIFA WC22.

The Qatari Interior ministry delegation had visited Pakistan in August and requested Pakistan to provide troops for the security of the mega event.

Earlier, an eight-member FIFA team also visited Pakistan and gave training to the Pakistan Army troops before leaving for Doha, Qatar for the security of the mega event.

The approval was given by the federal cabinet to the Pakistan Army-Qatar agreement on providing assistance during the mega football event.

The FIFA WC22 will be played from November 20 to December 18 in Qatar.

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DOHA: Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on Friday, dropped the official anthem — Light The Sky — of the forthcoming World Cup 2022.

The enthusiastic soundtrack features renowned Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi, Emirati singer Balqees, Iraqi artist Rahma Riad and Moroccan singer Manal Benchlikha.

The latest single from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Soundtrack has just been released! 🚨

'Light The Sky' features @BalqeesFathi, Nora Fatehi, Manal, @RahmaRiad and @RedOne_Official ✨

Watch the official music video ⤵️

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 7, 2022

 

Fatehi, who made headlines as she announced becoming the first Bollywood actress to feature in the official music video of FIFA, also contributed with her melodious voice as she contributed not only in Hindi but also in Moroccan Arabic.

The FIFA World Cup 2022 soundtrack also paid tribute to the women on the field as it featured a short clip of female referees of the mega event.

It is pertinent to mention that the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup will embark on November 20 with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador in the curtain-raiser. The final of the mega event will take place on December 18.

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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army will provide security assistance to Qatar to host the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022.

The federal cabinet on Monday approved the Pakistan Army-Qatar agreement to provide the Gulf country with the security arrangements for the extravaganza.

The gulf country will be hosting the mega football event for the first time, scheduled from November 20 to December 18.

The development came as Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif prepared to depart on Tuesday for his first trip to Qatar at the invitation of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The premier’s trip to Qatar will be his first since taking office in April 2022. A high-level delegation, including important members of his cabinet, will accompany him amid his visit.

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ZURICH: FIFA on Thursday officially brought forward the opening match of this year’s World Cup by one day to November 20 in a rare change so that hosts Qatar feature in the gala game.

Football’s top officials universally approved the decision, FIFA said in a statement while Qatar said it would give unspecified help to fans affected by the change.

On the old schedule, Qatar against Ecuador was to be the official inauguration match on November 21 but Senegal against the Netherlands would be the first match of the day. England against Iran would have been second.

Qatar had also been frustrated as it has invested in a huge opening ceremony show.

“Host country Qatar will now play Ecuador on Sunday 20 November as part of a stand-alone event,” said FIFA.

“The opening match and ceremony of this year’s tournament at Al Bayt Stadium have been brought forward one day following a unanimous decision taken by the Bureau of the FIFA Council today.”

The bureau is made up of FIFA leader Gianni Infantino and the six heads of the continental confederations.

DOHA: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final venue Lusail Stadium will host the special match named Lusail Super Cup between the Saudi Pro League champions and Egyptian Premier League winners on September 9 in a showpiece event. 

“Showcasing Lusail Stadium is the final milestone in our journey ahead of the big kick-off on 21 November,” said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) as reported by Qatar’s newspaper The Penninsula.

“This incredible venue forms the centrepiece of our tournament and will be the focus of the world’s attention when it hosts the FIFA World Cup final on 18 December, which is also Qatar National Day,” he added.

According to the newspaper, the country’s biggest football stadium will host the special match followed by a concert.

The stunning venue is also the stage for this year’s FIFA World final scheduled on December 18, whereas it will host nine other matches during the megaevent.

The 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium is one of eight stadiums designated by Qatar for the World Cup, which will be the first ever in the Middle East.

It is worth mentioning here that FIFA World Cup 2022 will kick off on November 21 featuring 32 international teams split into eight groups.

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LAUSANNE: FIFA confirmed on Friday that a semi-automated offside system will be used at this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

The optical tracking system was trialed at the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi earlier this year and had also been tested at the Arab Cup in Qatar last December.

“Semi-automated offside technology is an evolution of the VAR systems that have been implemented across the world,” the global body’s president Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

“This technology is the culmination of three years of dedicated research and testing to provide the very best for the teams, players, and fans who will be heading to Qatar later this year, and FIFA is proud of this work, as we look forward to the world seeing the benefits of semi-automated offside technology at the World Cup 2022,” he added.

The data-driven, limb-tracking technology uses both dedicated and broadcast cameras around the stadium to give the exact position of players on the pitch, offering referees precise information within seconds.

The term “semi-automated” is used because FIFA insists match officials will still make the final call, with a dedicated VAR assistant in place to monitor offsides.

“The new technology uses 12 dedicated tracking cameras mounted underneath the roof of the stadium to track the ball and up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating their exact position on the pitch,” FIFA said.

“The 29 collected data points include all limbs and extremities that are relevant for making offside calls,” it added.

The competition begins on November 21 when Senegal plays the Netherlands in Doha with the final on December 18 in Lusail.

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KARACHI: The upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022, scheduled to be held in Qatar later this year will feature Pakistan-made environmental-friendly footballs, Senior Vice President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), Sheikh Zohaib Rafique Sethi announced.

The Sialkot-based leading export firm has produced bio-based recycling material footballs that will be used in the upcoming mega event of football.

Talking to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Sethi said that ‘Forward Sports’ had produced ‘Al Rihla’ football for Adidas which would be played officially in FIFA football World Cup-2022 as it was a great honour and pride for Sialkot and even for Pakistan.

He further claimed that it was the third time that the Sialkot-made footballs would be used in the FIFA World Cup.

Talking about the design and the composition of the footballs, Sethi stated that the design would be as per the culture of Qatar and the material used was sustainable and environment-friendly.

“The world is currently moving towards sustainability and the material used in its manufacturing is a bio-based recycling material. No solvent chemicals are used in football making but water-based chemicals are used which do not pollute the environment,” he added.

“The ball consists of 20 panels and has been declared one of the best footballs in the world” he concluded.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022, which will be the first-ever Football World Cup to be held in the Arab world.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan is not a participant in FIFA World Cup as the country is currently facing suspension from international football.

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Ecuador will play at the World Cup in Qatar this year after FIFA dismissed the appeal of Chile to disqualify the team for fielding an ineligible player in the World Cup qualifiers.

Chile filed a complaint with FIFA that Byron Castillo, who played for Ecuador in the eight World Cup qualification matches, was actually a Columbian-born and three and a half years older than his documented age.

The governing body for world football, however, announced on Friday that it had decided to close the proceeding against the Ecuadorian Football Federation after considering all elements.

Following the decision, Ecuador will retain its spot in Group A which also features hosts Qatar, the Netherlands, and Senegal.

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