Deltatre

Supporting a major soccer confederation to deliver premium VAR services in a high-profile game, while managing logistical and geographical challenges.

Challenge

AFC asked Deltatre and Sportec Solutions to deliver premium VAR and pitch-side monitor, Virtual Offside Line, goal line cameras, VAR graphics, pitch-side tablets for the team benches and medical staff and Referee Audio for the AFC Cup Final, their pan-Asian cup competition for club sides, with participants from 29 different regions.

We were also pleased to be able to support AFC with some onsite requests, including adding an AFC privacy background for RRA and TV output, and supplying broadcast clips to AFC during the game.

From a technological perspective, AFC required an officiating system that was already tried and tested in high-profile soccer competitions and could deliver a premium user experience for the officiating team they selected.

The format of the competition presented us with a significant logistical challenge: the country and stadium the final would be played in wouldn’t confirmed until after the semi-finals – less than two weeks before the game, and we needed to ensure all of the equipment was onsite and set up four days before the game to ensure everything was set up and thoroughly tested. In addition, several potential venues would also be in regions that were impacted by ongoing geopolitical events, meaning that, depending on where the game was due to be played, it may not have been possible for our employees to travel to affected regions.

Our Solution

We were in daily contact with AFC to ensure we were clear on the specific requirements from each of the potential venues, both in terms of technology and infrastructure, as well as local logistical partners we could use to expedite the hardware shipment. We also spoke with local FAs to ensure that any customs checks could be expediated as much as possible

We also worked with the communications equipment provider — in this case Vokkero/VOGO, who we have an already established partnership with — to ensure that they were clear on the unique requirements for this game.

As soon as we received confirmation from AFC on the venue for the game, we were able to start the equipment transportation, successfully ensuring all equipment and personnel arrived onsite.

What Deltatre provided

A VAR room was set up at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman, where we installed a mobile rack, monitors, PCs and peripherals, and successfully calibrated the Virtual Offisde Line using pitch measurements. In the stadium, we installed two goal line cameras, an RRA (as well as an additional back-up monitor), and we supplied both teams with tablets for tactical and medical review purposes.

The spectators in the stadium, as well as those watching on TV, were kept informed whenever something was being checked in the VAR room via graphics for broadcast and the giant screen designed and supplied by Deltatre.