FIFA: Connected Ball Technology Confirms Disallowed Croatia Goal

The Portugal-Croatia round of 16 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has sparked widespread debate after a Croatian goal was disallowed at 90'+13, with Portugal leading 2-1 at the time.

Collina: "Correct Decision" by Refereeing Team

In a lengthy interview published Sunday with the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, defended the decision to disallow the goal scored by Josko Gvardiol, following an almost imperceptible header from Igor Matanovic.

Collina stated that the refereeing team, led by Norwegian official Espen Eskas, made the correct call — particularly given that the technology integrated into the TRIONDA match ball "does not detect contact with hair."

"The graphic was also clear here. There is a peak when it touches the Croatian forward's head, followed by a flat line, and another peak when it touches the Portuguese defender's back. Since the system does not detect contact with hair, the peak is determined by contact with the head," said the 66-year-old former Italian international referee.

Collina Rejects Criticism of Technology in Football

Collina pushed back against claims that increased use of technology has "killed" football, calling such criticism "a historical lie."

"There are a few seconds of waiting for the offside rule to be confirmed, but the player celebrates when he scores. And if the goal is validated, there is a second celebration; if it is disallowed, it's the opposing team that celebrates. I find it much more appropriate that emotion is based on a correct decision, rather than on an episode destined to be debated for weeks or decades. Even today, 60 years later, we ask ourselves whether, in England's goal in the 1966 final, the ball actually crossed the line..."

FIFA Official Clarification

Following the controversy, FIFA issued an official clarification on its media page on the social network X (formerly Twitter):

"According to the data provided by the 'Connected Ball Technology' integrated into the TRIONDA — the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup — it was proven that there was a touch by Croatia's number 20, Igor Matanovic, in the build-up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly signal offside and disallow the goal. The IMU sensors embedded in the TRIONDA ball are capable of detecting any touch, no matter how slight, which is transmitted to viewers on the television broadcast in the form of a 'heartbeat graphic', providing referees with an unprecedented level of data to make quick and accurate decisions."

Technology Behind the Decision

As previously reported by FIFA and detailed by Record, the official ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is equipped with a state-of-the-art 500Hz motion sensor "chip" that provides information on every element of the ball's movement.

This technology sends precise data to the video refereeing system in real time, allowing VAR and AVAR officials to enhance decision-making — particularly in offside situations or, as in this case, when determining touches on the ball.