And if Vogo established itself as a key player in VAR (“Video Assistant Referees”)? This promising start-up, created in Montpellier (Hérault) in 2013, has obtained valuable certification from FIFA, which authorizes it to deploy the innovative video refereeing solutions it has implemented in all football stadiums around the world. on point. However, ten years ago, when Vogo was born, there was still no question of giving referees a helping hand in their decisions.
This small company (which has since grown significantly) had developed an astonishing device which allowed spectators of football, rugby, basketball and even gymnastics competitions to review the athletes’ performances on their phones, from different angles. , via a mobile application. Via the broadcasters’ feeds (or, sometimes, with Vogo’s own cameras), we can pause, zoom, speed up, slow down… As if we were the director of the meeting. A doubt about a mistake? A goal ? Offside? We can rewatch any action, at any time.
“Until then, doctors only had their eyes, at the edge of the field”
But quickly, the Vogo team realized that this ingenious idea could also be useful in other ways. It was in 2017, at the GGL Stadium, the home of MHR, the Montpellier rugby club, that the future of the company was decided. “We spoke with the medical manager of the National Rugby League, who explained to us that World Rugby [la FIFA du rugby] now required video assistance systems for doctors to help them diagnose the risk of concussion, explains to 20 minutes Barbara Desmarest-Moser, Vogo’s director of marketing and fan solutions. They said to themselves that if they had the opportunity to use our interface, on a tablet, with some additional features, that would be great. Because until then, doctors only had their eyes, at the edge of the field. »
The company quickly developed an application, and won the NRL call for tenders, to provide simple, but effective, video assistance to Top 14 and Pro D2 doctors. From then on, everything came together for Vogo. The team staff, who define the tactics to be implemented at the edge of the pitch, also wanted to take a look at this system that everyone is talking about. VAR, for referees, was the logical next step: FIFA, at the time, was considering the possibility of offering “VAR light”, that is to say simple, intuitive video assistance, which does not require a barnum not possible. Vogo, what. From 2019, the company is showing the prestigious federation what it can do, during matches in several countries, notably Jordan.
A very simple to use interface, Vogo’s strong point
Four years later, FIFA, convinced, gave the green light for Vogo’s refereeing solutions to be implemented in football competitions everywhere on the planet. Of course, for the Hérault start-up, it will be necessary to win calls for tenders. And there are other providers in this new market. But Vogo fights to get out of the fray. Firstly because the company also offers, in addition to video, audio channels, to capture, in particular, discussions between referees. But above all because the interface created by the Montpellier team is very, very simple to use.
“It’s a super ergonomic tool, there’s no need for a technician,” confides Barbara Desmarest-Moser. Our strength is that we started with a solution for the fans. We obviously needed to create something that was very simple. Thus, doctors, coaches or referees can also use our layout in a few minutes. »
“No need for three days of training”, in a few minutes, it’s good
The Marketing Director of Vogo also remembers, not long ago, having trained the referees of two handball matches in a few minutes. Because since the start of the school year, the company has been chosen to provide VAR in Handball Champions League matches.
“Ten minutes before the start of the matches, I explained to the referees how to choose viewing angles, how to go back, etc.,” she assures. There is no need for them to have three days of training, or to have a technician alongside them. And in certain sports where there are not necessarily the means that there may be in football, for example, it is important that professional solutions are put in place, without the costs being prohibitive. » Football, rugby, handball but also water polo, swimming or ice hockey, Vogo pushes the ball, little by little, into the goal.