VAR-reviewed offsides could be shockingly scrapped from the 2024 European Championship due to the inventor of a similar system being set to take UEFA to court.
A firm that produced a tech with a semblance to those used by VAR wants the organizers to stop using it, claiming their idea has been copied.
They have received a court date to apply for an injunction on June 4, 2024, about ten days before the opening game of the 2024 European Championship.
The 2024 European Championship commences in Munich, Germany, on June 14, 2024.
If their injunction is granted, it may prevent UEFA from using the system, which has received mixed reactions from the fans since it was introduced to football on September 1, 2016.
The ruling would be a huge embarrassment to UEFA, who have spent an astonishing sum licensing the system from another firm.
A fan of England expressed his issue with the timeframe, wondering how it got to this point.
He called for the European governing body of football to deal with the matter, stating that irrespective of the side you are on concerning the VAR, everyone is gradually getting accustomed to it.
The fan said: “Love it, or hate it – we’ve all started getting used to VAR.
“Can you imagine if England end up going out because of a duff decision that VAR would usually have picked up?
“There would be uproar. UEFA needs to sort it out.”
Dutch Firm Claim UEFA Copied Its Offside Technology With VAR Bringing Doubts To The Use Of The System At The 2024 European Championship
Ballinno, a Dutch firm, has filed a patent infringement suit against UEFA and ball tracking experts Kinexon, from Germany – claiming unauthorized use of its technology.
Ballinno claims that 13 years ago it was given a patent for a “method and system for detecting an offside situation”.
The firm asserted that it registered a proposal for a chip in balls to alert an earpiece worn by officials at the exact time it is kicked.
Ballino expressed that this would remove the need for officials to continuously watch players and their course of action in the decisive moment.
The firms are now set for a legal battle in a courtroom in Hamburg, less than two weeks before Germany and Scotland play the opening game of the European Championship, in Munich, on June 14, 2024.
Incredibly the last-minute legal tussle comes despite the initial application being logged on April 18, 2024.
This is currently about five weeks ago and the first meeting regarding the claim was made in 2023.
However, a patent law expert, Florian Müller, shared with Dutch media that the timing was a move to distract UEFA and to put them under time pressure.
It is understood that the FA Cup final involving Manchester City and Manchester United on May 25, 2024, will not be affected.
This is because the encounter will be going down before the hearing slated for June 3, 2024.
UEFA Untroubled By Ballinno’s Application – Spokesperson Of The Football Governing Body
The hearing is expected to be chaired by three judges, although a spokesman for UEFA claims that the European football governing body is untroubled by “Ballinno’s application”.
The spokesman said: “We cannot comment as such on ongoing litigation matters. However, UEFA is not overly concerned by Ballinno’s application.”
He added that UEFA do not believe the use of VAR would be affected, even if the ruling of the court goes against them.
Meanwhile, the original patent that was filed displays a ball-tracking technology intended to signal to referees offsides.
It is unknown if Ballinno alleges that the entire VAR technology has infringed its original patent – or basically with regards to offsides.
The UEFA European Championship will take place from June 14, 2024, to July 14, 2024, and teams are already reeling out their prospective squads for the tournament.
Despite the bashing VAR has received in recent years, fans are also aware that it has also had some positive impact on football.
Primarily, the technology is not necessarily the problem, but the use of the technology by humans has been the problem.
