In Uruguay, referee uses electronic device for the first time to caution a footballer

One of the oldest and most classic traditions in world football—referees showing yellow cards and noting them down—is on the verge of digitization. During the official match between the "Nacional" and "Rentistas" teams in the Uruguay Cup, the main referee Eduardo Varela used a special phone-sized electronic device instead of the traditional plastic card to caution a player.

This historic test became the first step aimed at recording football referees' disciplinary decisions in real-time digital format and reducing administrative paperwork.

"We are putting an end to the last analog process in football"

Mauro Sacco, CEO of the startup company REFe that developed this project, revealed the true purpose of this invention in an interview with Uruguay's influential El Espectador Deportes radio station:

• Technological revolution: "We aimed to introduce high technologies into the only process in modern football that is still carried out in an analog and manual way—the system of writing down cautions in a paper notebook;";

• An idea born on a rainy day: This initiative was born three years ago when my partner Diego de la Penya and I were watching a football match on a rainy day. Seeing that the referee's paper got wet in the bad weather, making it difficult to write down the cautions, we realized the need to transfer this data to a digital system."

How does the device work and what are its advantages?

This electronic gadget in the referee's hand automatically performs a number of important tasks during the match:

• Timestamp and precise record: The device accurately records the minute the foul occurred, the player's number, and the type of disciplinary punishment down to the second;

• Quick transmission to the COMET system: All decisions and official match reports made by the referee are sent directly to the single COMET digital platform of the Uruguayan Football Association;

• Prevention of errors: The process of filling out match reports and re-entering data after the match is eliminated, which eliminates confusion related to the human factor.

If the tests conclude successfully, in the near future FIFA and other continental confederations may also abandon traditional yellow and red cards and equip referees with such compact electronic devices.