The traditional scene of a referee pulling a yellow or red card from their pocket may soon become a thing of the past. During a recent match in Copa Uruguay, referee Eduardo Varela utilized a smartphone-sized electronic device to issue warnings to players as part of a pilot project aimed at modernizing the card issuance process. However, the initial tests revealed some challenges.
Varela tested this new digital system in the match between Nacional and Rentistas, which ended with a score of 3-0. The device is designed to simplify the administrative tasks of refereeing crews by automatically and electronically recording each disciplinary decision, according to reports from Reuters.
Instead of the traditional cards, players encountered a device with a screen displaying red or yellow indicators.
Introduction of Electronic Cards in Uruguay
“We are trying to digitize the only aspect of football that remains analog,” explained Mauro Sacco, director of the company REFe, which developed the project, in an interview with El Espectador Deportes. The idea originated over three years ago when Sacco and his colleague Diego de la Pena watched a game in heavy rain and recognized how difficult it is for referees to manually note warnings before entering them into digital databases.
The new device logs all game events along with exact timestamps, ultimately aiming to automatically and accurately send official reports directly to the Uruguay Football Association’s platform.
Visibility Challenges and Next Steps
For Eduardo Varela, using the device was comfortable, and the software responded quickly to commands. However, he acknowledged that the technology somewhat diminishes the classic drama of showing a card quickly: “It loses a bit of the magic of a card being displayed rapidly, but I think it is an innovation that will help us tremendously, especially with administrative tasks.”
Nevertheless, the initial official tests brought to light a significant visibility issue. A previous attempt had been abandoned due to bright sunlight making the screen difficult to read, and during Thursday’s match, both spectators in the stands and viewers at home struggled to see the displayed warnings.
“This is an ongoing improvement project. It was much clearer in the stadium than on television, but our current goal is to optimize visibility for the entire audience. Yellow must be yellow, red must be red, and both colors need to be perfectly visible both in the stands and on TV broadcasts,” emphasized Diego de la Pena.
To address this shortcoming, developers are looking into the possibility of adding LED light outlines around the device’s casing. Mauro Sacco stated that the brand has been registered and both hardware and software components have been patented, with the technical team based in China.
Reactions on social media have been mixed. “We’ve received all sorts of feedback, both positive and critical, and we even found some of the memes amusing. The important thing is that there is discussion about this step because any innovation takes time to be adopted,” concluded Mauro Sacco.
REFe aims to refine this technological tool, hoping it will eventually be officially adopted by the South American confederation CONMEBOL and ultimately by FIFA.
