Video reviews becoming more frequent at EHF EURO, analysis finds

The analysis, carried out by the EHF Officiating Unit and authored by George Bebetsos, Diogo Goncalves and Joao Capela, found that there was at least one VR review in 41 of the 65 matches played at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 in Germany last month.

The frequency of VR reviews decreased from the preliminary round through to the final weekend, and there were no VR reviews in either of the two medal matches.

During the preliminary round, there were 32 VR reviews in 24 matches (36 matches in total), meaning that two-thirds of the preliminary round games had at least one VR review. In the main round, there were 19 VR reviews in 14 matches (24 matches in total), or 58 per cent of games.

The final weekend saw six VR reviews in three games – the 5/6 placement match and the two semi-finals.

Overall, 63 per cent of games had at least one VR intervention. Only two games, both in the preliminary round, had three VR reviews and 12 games had two VR reviews (three in the final weekend, five in the main round, and four in the preliminary round).  

The majority (37) of VR reviews were used to check a penalisation; 18 were used to check whether a goal had been scored; and two checked the time end. Penalisation incidents decreased in frequency during the tournament – penalisation checks represented 72 per cent of VR reviews in the preliminary round, 63 per cent of reviews in the main round, and only 33 per cent of reviews in the finals.

Only 14 per cent of penalisation incidents ended with no penalisation. The majority (65 per cent) resulted in a two-minute suspension, and the remainder saw a red card. In total, eight red cards were given following VR reviews, with seven handed out in the preliminary round, only one in the main round, and none in the final weekend.

The authors suggested that the decrease in penalisation incidents between the preliminary and main rounds could be attributed to the clarity of images checked and “indisputable interpretations”.

Of the 18 goal/no-goal incidents, two-thirds (12) of VR reviews resulted in the goal being awarded. Meanwhile, the result of the two ‘end-time’ incidents was evenly split, with one review resulting in a no-goal decision, and one resulting in a free throw.

The analysis found that VR reviews were used an average of 0.88 times per match at the EHF EURO 2024. That represents an increase from previous years. In 2018, VR reviews were used just 0.43 times a match, rising to 0.51 times a match in 2020. VR reviews were used 0.85 times a match at the EHF EURO 2022.

The authors said the increase in reviews could be attributed to the increasing number of situations in which referees are allowed to check.

In total, there have been 165 VR reviews in the last four editions of the Men’s EHF EURO, and 62.4 per cent were for penalisation incidents. There were no reviews related to team timeout buzzer misuses in 2024, suggesting that team officials have become more familiar with the regulations.

A comparison of the amount of time spent on a VR review between the EHF EURO 2022 and 2024 showed that the time used has dropped, from one minute and 40 seconds on average in 2022 to 1:25 this year. Previous data on the length of time spent on reviews was not available.

The analysis said this short amount of time means that VR reviews “hardly affect the game” in elite handball, although it suggested further monitoring.

Well over a quarter (28.5 per cent) of incidents are checked by goal-line cameras, emphasising their importance generally and particularly when it comes to checking a goal/no-goal incident.

The data comparison of the previous EHF EUROs as well as of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 was conducted to identify patterns, trends as well as strengths and weaknesses of the VR system with the aims of making informed decisions about the further development and implementation of VR technology in EHF competitions.

The authors concluded that the introduction of video replay assistants (VRAs) had resulted in a reduction in VR review time while maintaining quality. They added: “The training and education of VROs [video replay operators], referees, and VRAs can be further improved by providing more practical training.”

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