Since 2016, the EHF has integrated video replay (VR) technology into its officiating toolkit and since then, the tool that helps all parties involved, has expanded with every tournament. At the Women's EHF EURO 2024, referees have the help of the latest advancements to ensure swift, accurate decisions with strategic support from VOGO's elite replay system.
Multiple high-definition cameras are placed around the court and at this year's EHF EURO, and the EHF further pushed the transparency showcasing VR situations on the big screens in the Arenas — a change well-received by teams and fans.
As the dust settled on the preliminary round, the EHF's Technical Refereeing Committee (TRC) gave an insight into the usage of VR technology in 36 games played in Innsbruck, Basel and Debrecen. The review of referee decisions following VR checks in the preliminary round revealed a high level of accuracy and consistency in officiating.
In those 36 matches, there were 29 VR reviews — averaging 0.8 per game or one review every 1.24 matches. The majority of VR reviews were focused on goal/no-goal decisions (11) and penalisation (15) incidents, which together accounted for 90 per cent of all checks.
Goal-related reviews were the quickest to resolve while a VR lasted 1 minute and 48 seconds on average. Review durations are mostly consistent, with a dip to 93 seconds on matchday 3 and a peak of 117 seconds on matchday 4, mostly connected to the penalisation.
Despite VR technology and its help, the EHF's approach ensures that the technology does not disrupt the natural flow of the game and emphasises the importance of referees' decisions who are still the key to everything.