It is building up to a football party on 16 May, and interest in Norwegian football is greater than in many years. At the same time, the controversies are queuing up. The introduction of VAR has not gone smoothly. Several viewers claim Bodø/Glimt were cheated of a goal in the match against Rosenborg in the previous series round, relayed by Avisa Nordland. With the score 1–1, Hugo Vetlesen headed the ball into the post, via goalkeeper André Hansen and apparently into the goal. But the VAR images were unable to determine whether the ball was over the line before it was cleared. news’s photographer took pictures which indicate that a goal should have been awarded. Molde experienced a similar situation against Tromsø, and protested vehemently that they were not allowed to score a goal that would have resulted in a draw. – When I saw it, it was locked inside. That the TV pictures cannot go in and see. It’s a bad angle when they don’t have a working camera, said Ola Brynhildsen to news after the match. – Creates irritation Before this season, video-assisted refereeing (VAR) was introduced in the Eliteserien. But the Norwegian system has limitations in the number of camera angles. The matches are produced with a minimum of five and a maximum of 13 different camera angles according to the NFF. During the WC in Qatar, by comparison, there were over 40 angles. Sports director Freddy Toresen in Avisa Nordland Photo: Private – It is a shame that we have introduced cheap VAR in the elite series. Whether the ball is over the goal line is very specific, and something that should be much easier for the VAR referees to deal with than free kicks, hands and various rule interpretations, says Avisa Nordland sports manager Freddy Toresen. news’s own sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt says the public expects VAR to be able to decide whether the ball is over the goal line or not. – You have seen VAR in various forms over the past five years and have at least learned that one of the elements you can actually rely on is goal line decisions. When those expectations are not met, which is now the situation in Norway, it creates irritation among the public and frustration among the players and coaches. news’s sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt calls for goal line technology in the elite series. Photo: Alem Zebic Saltvedt believes these discussions will continue until Norwegian football takes advice on goal-line technology as well. – VAR is much more expensive to introduce than you actually want to admit. Therefore, the quality has been oversold and the costs undersold. It is a combination that does not necessarily produce good results, Saltvedt claims. NFF: – Not just setting up two cameras in the goal – Some people think it is just to set up a camera at each goal line to see if a ball is in or not, but such a solution will not give a completely accurate picture either. So says Knut Kristvang, who is the project manager for the implementation of VAR in Norwegian football. Knut Kristvang is project manager for the introduction of VAR in the Eliteserien. He is also the general manager of the company Fotball Media, which is wholly owned by the Norwegian Football Association and Norwegian top football. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB – A player or the post can be in the way of the camera, and it will affect the assessment differently if the ball can be either in the air or down on the line. He says that VAR and goal-line technology are two different systems. Because while VAR often uses the same cameras that are used to produce the matches for TV, goal-line technology involves its own, dedicated camera, licenses and software and a sensor inside the ball to determine whether a goal has been scored or not. It is Hawk Eye systems from Sony that are currently used in the vast majority of football stadiums that have goal line technology. It relies on between six and eight cameras at each of the targets. – This is an expensive technology, and is also the main reason why it has not been introduced in Norway yet. This was an assessment we made when the introduction of VAR was decided in 2021. Costs many tens of millions In the Eliteserien, it has previously been estimated that the introduction of VAR costs between NOK 12 and 18 million per year, but Kristvang says that this estimate is probably too high. – But introducing full goal line technology, I think will probably be a more expensive investment than our VAR solution in Norway is overall. It would probably have resulted in an additional cost of several tens of millions of kroner. Kristvang points out that you need extra equipment and adaptations at each arena, with cameras and measuring points, and that you must have licenses to use the technology. In addition, Norway must have balls with sensors. Kristvang nevertheless believes that finish line technology will come to Norway in the long term. Between six and eight cameras only follow the target when the Hawk Eye system determines whether a ball has been in or not. Such technology has not been bought into Norwegian football. Photo: news – Such technology often debuts in the major championships, in the WC and EC. Then it enters the Champions League and the big leagues. The more people who want the system, the cheaper it tends to be. And although the VAR system used in the Eliteserien today cannot compare to the one used during the World Cup in Qatar in December, Kristvang would not describe it as “cheap VAR”. – I don’t think that “cheap VAR” is the right description. But it is a long way from what was seen during the football World Cup with both goal line technology and semi-automatic offside lines. Then there is a much more extensive and expensive solution. A lot has happened since the WC in 2018.
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That is why there is no goal line technology in the Eliteserien – news Nordland
