While football has been using technology in its games in recent years, this was quite the blunder for Scottish football team Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Earlier this month, the football club announced that it would be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras for its matches.
“Following two successful test events in the last 14 days, the club is pleased to be able to announce our new live-streaming partnership with StreamAMG which is in conjunction with the SPFL and Pixellot,” the ICT FC website reads.
“This exciting new partnership means that ICTFC will utilize live footage supplied by the newly installed Pixellot camera system installed at Caledonian Stadium. The Pixellot system uses cameras with in-built, AI, ball-tracking technology to produce live HD footage of all home SPFL Championship matches at Caledonian Stadium […]”.
However, according to IFL Science, fans were pretty disappointed to watch the lineman’s head for the duration of the game on Saturday, October 24, rather than where the actual football was going.
Many viewers complained about the technical glitch which reportedly caused fans to miss Inverness’s goal being scored. And people have since taken to social media to discuss the incident.
“Inverness Caledonian Thistle don’t employ a cameraman as their camera is programmed to follow the ball throughout the match. The commentator had to apologize today as the camera kept on mistaking the ball for the linesman’s head…” one Twitter user tweeted.
“A lot of clubs use the same system. Maybe have to supply the linesman with a toupe’, while someone else dubbed it ‘a hard day and age for male pattern baldness in Inverness,” another user commented.