FIFA's cameras, sensors, and AI systems at the 2025 World Cup have made officiating more precise and the game worse. The Video Assistant Referee, combined with automated offside detection and embedded ball sensors, has replaced human judgment with machine verdicts. Goals are disallowed by millimeters. Momentum dies while monitors load.
The core argument here is not technophobia. It is that sport derives value from imperfection, from the contested call, the human error that becomes legend. Automation eliminates the error and the legend together. FIFA optimized for accuracy and got a sterile product.
The original piece is worth reading in full because it does not stop at criticism. It asks why governing bodies, leagues, and broadcasters keep reaching for more technology even when the results disappoint fans. That question applies well beyond football, and the answer is uncomfortable.
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