FIFA grants VOL and VAR certifications to the EVS Xeebra system

The EVS Xeebra multi-camera review system has received the FIFA Virtual Offside Lines (VOL) and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) certifications.

The acknowledgement follows a series of tests conducted by independent, FIFA-accredited testing institutes at the Grimsta IP stadium in Sweden in August. During this event, the accuracy and consistency of the Xeebra and other review systems were assessed to ensure that they meet the specific technical requirements set by the FIFA Quality Program for VOL and VAR. Both certifications are internationally recognized and valid for two years.

The EVS Xeebra multi-camera review system allows referees to review a given action from multiple angles displayed in complete synchronization. Since offside situations account for many VAR calls during a soccer match, the system uses machine learning technology to calibrate the field of play and superimpose a virtual offside line on the transmitted image in seconds. Xeebra’s VOL technology can generate a 2D and 3D vertical component, which is positioned using a triangulation mode, allowing match officials to determine whether or not a player’s body part that is off the ground is positioned over the offside line.

Xeebra also offers operators the ability to position a second line, one for the attacking player and one for the defender, for greater accuracy. Although not yet part of the current certification process, this function has also been tested for research purposes by FIFA.

François Gillet, Solutions Specialist at EVS, calls this certification “a great achievement for EVS.” “Our customers can take advantage of our industry-leading technology across a broad range of competitions and rest assured their deployed solution is built to the highest standards thanks to FIFA’s rigorous assessment,” he adds.