VAR offsides ‘could be BANNED from Euro 2024 as tech firm take UEFA to court’… with this summer’s tournament in Germany just three weeks away

VAR offsides could reportedly be banned from Euro 2024 due to UEFA being taken to court on the eve of the tournament.

This summer’s tournament is set to get underway on June 14, with England‘s opening game coming two days later.

However, a tech firm has received a court date to apply for an injunction 11 days before the tournament begins to stop VAR offsides being used by UEFA after claiming their idea has been copied by the organisers, according to The Sun.

Should their injunction be granted, UEFA may be forced into scrapping the system for Euro 2024.

Dutch company Ballinno has filed the lawsuit against UEFA and German ball-tracking experts Kinexon, claiming unauthorised use of its technology.

The technology may not be in use due to a tech firm taking UEFA to court as they are accusing the organisers of copying their idea

Ballinno alleges that they were granted a patent for a ‘method and system for detecting an offside situation’ back in 2011.

Their claim states they proposed to include a chip in balls to alert an earpiece worn by officials when a player has strayed offside.

The firms are now set to battle it out in a courtroom in Hamburg, with this year’s Euros now just three weeks away, despite Ballinno first making contact about their claim last year, and logging their initial application five weeks ago on April 18. 

The June 3 hearing comes after the FA Cup and Champions League finals, meaning these will be unaffected.

A UEFA spokesman for UEFA told The Sun: ‘We cannot comment as such on ongoing litigation matters. However, UEFA is not overly concerned by Ballinno’s application.’

Ballinno’s claim comes amid uncertainty over the use of VAR moving forward in England.

Premier League clubs voted last month for semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) to be brought in next season, which is expected to reduce time taken on these decisions by 30 seconds.

The technology was first used at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and was widely praised by fans for its efficiency. It is set to be introduced after one of the international breaks in the second half of 2024, as it will not be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season.

However, Wolves put forward a proposal for VAR to be scrapped completely last week due to concerns over its use this season, with the Midlands club left frustrated by a number of decisions that went against them during the course of the campaign.

Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) is set to be introduced to the Premier League next season

Wolves called for VAR to be scrapped last week, with manager Gary O’Neil frustrated by decisions that have gone against his team this season

Wolves owner Jeff Shi made a passionate pitch following the proposal, insisting VAR should be removed from the Premier League to ‘preserve the magic of the game we fell in love with’.

Top flight clubs are set to vote on the use of VAR at a shareholders’ meeting next month, and it will require 14 of the 20 clubs to vote against VAR for it to be scrapped.