The way we experience Football is about to change
Luiz Diaz was onside on September 30th 2023 and the VAR disallowed his goal.
We are on the verge of a new streaming category that offers real-time 3D reproductions of Football (Soccer) games which can be seen from any position & angle.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in 2023 has catapulted products like Luma AI into mainstream consumers which allow 3D scenes to be created from video.
These 3D scenes are known as NeRFs, or Neural Radiance Fields, which are a neural network that makes use of 2D images or video to stitch together a 3D environment which can be explored from any position and angle.
With this technology, broadcasters could transform the way that fans experience Football (Soccer) as well as VAR.
Real-Time 3D Reproductions
Imagine watching games from any angle and position
As mentioned in our article, Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs), Spatial Computing and Augmented Reality, the rise of 5G and upcoming 6G in tandem with the meteoric rise of computer chips means that we currently posses devices in our pockets, on our desktops and on our TVs which are capable of processing data fast enough to create a real-time NeRF.
In other words, watching a LIVE football game from a 2D video that's directed by a broadcaster may soon be a thing of the past.
Imagine watching one of the most famous ghost goals in history from Frank Lampard's point of view.
These NeRFs would allow fans to experience a game from positions that have previously not been possible, such as:
- Watching Lionel Messi's historic goal against Getafe in the 2007 Copa del Rey Semi Final from his point of view.
- Following the Frank Lampard's shot in his ghost goal vs Germany in the 2010 World Cup.
- Standing behind Karim Benzema as he takes the winning penalty against Manchester City in the 2022 Champions League Semi Final.
- Following Kylian Mbappe during the 2022 Qatar World Cup Final.
- Seeing what the referee said to Jude Bellingham in the controversial yellow card during Real Madrid - Villarreal (December 17th 2023).
Matches will be able to be experienced in real-time from any angle in similar ways to the way EA FC (formerly EA FIFA) allows you to replay moments.
These real-time 3D reproductions would be experienced in similar ways to video games on screens that include TVs, tablets or laptops and would be fully immersive in headsets such as the Meta Quest or the Apple Vision Pro.
Headsets like the Vision Pro will allow fans to fully immerse themselves in the game.
Revolutionizing VAR
Referee's shouldn't be judging moments in 2D.
On September 30th 2023, PGMOL sent a shock through planet football. Liverpool's Luis Diaz had scored an onside goal that was disallowed by VAR. PGMOL attributed the mistake to "significant human error".
On November 11th, during Real Madrid's General Assembly, Florentino Perez would strive against LaLiga requesting a more transparent VAR. It is "unclear when the contact is made on the ball and how the lines are drawn", VAR "constantly generates doubt and I invite the government to do something about it."
It is clear that VAR is controversial and an important element in bringing conversation and justice to the game.
An example of a vision pose estimation algorithm during a Bayern Munich - Hamburg, Bundesliga game.
We believe that NeRFs will transform the way VAR is observed and executed, as a 3D recreation of the game that allows referees to use prompts to analyze various situations from various angles and positions is a step forward.
The 3D lines drawn on players will strictly follow the laws of the game and will be calculated using state of the art vision pose estimation algorithms. The analysis of contact and offside will be done with machine precision and will be faster than what referee's are capable of today.
A moment of controversy in LaLiga 2023: Raphinha touched the ball before Pacha Espino makes contact and misses. VAR calls no penalty.
However, not all VAR decisions are objective. An incredible amount of decisions are subjective and this is where the controversy is often generated.
As heightened emotions (or arousal) leads to individuals to share things, we believe that this creates a unique opportunity for broadcasters and clubs to place the power of VAR in the fans hands.
During these inevitable pauses, fans with NeRF broadcasts will be able to create "rooms" where they experience the same stream that the VAR Assistants have and draw their own lines observing the play from all angles.
Fans will be able to invite others to these rooms and hold vibrant conversations about the most controversial moments that the game has to offer.