The science of World Cup soccer
- 18:35 09 June 2006
- NewScientist.com news service
- Will Knight
As the soccer World Cup kicks-off in Germany New Scientist presents this round-up of our favourite science stories related to "the beautiful game". For impossible off-sides, perfect soccer boots, and the only colour for winners to be seen in this season, read on.
1. The most exciting sport
A mathematical study published in January 2006 (Surprises make soccer the best sport) confirmed what millions of fans the world over no doubt already suspected: that soccer is not just the world's most popular sport, but also the most exciting. That is, if you measure excitement according to the relative "upset frequency", or the likelihood of an underdog beating a favoured team. If so, soccer is way more exciting than baseball, basketball and hockey.
2. Predicting the winners
If you can't wait five weeks and 64 matches to find out who'll triumph, there are some mathematical formulas that promise to predict the overall winner ahead of time (Formula for World Cup success, Guardian Unlimited). This particular one predicts Brazil has the best chance, followed by France, Germany and Holland. England is only the ninth favourite to win, however, so I think there must be a huge flaw somewhere.
Though perhaps it would be just as well if England did fare poorly. Another statistical study, carried out in 2005 (Winning is great but losing is safer) shows that fans are actually less likely to cause trouble and injure themselves if their team loses than if it wins.
3. Unruly behaviour
Another way to deal with offensive fans could be an ingenious sound system developed by researchers from the Netherlands. They found that adding a slight echo to an unsavoury chant confuses a crowd so much that they become unable to carry on shouting in unison (Hooligan chants silenced by delayed echoes).
4. Red is for winners
Scientific research also promises to help give soccer managers and players a competitive edge over opponents. For example, a report from Durham University in the UK, published in May 2005, concludes that teams that wear red have the best chance of winning (Red is the colour if winning is your game).
5. Perfect boots
When it comes to soccer equipment there are plenty of innovative ideas. A rapid manufacturing process known as "laser sintering" could soon be used to make soccer boots that fit soccer players' feet perfectly (Tailor-printed shoes will offer a perfect fit). And a smart material known as d3o, which is normally flexible but becomes rigid in response to an impact, could be used to make better goal-keeping gloves and other types of protective gear (Skiers get smart armour).
6. Kick in the pants
An even more outlandish idea is for "haptic sports gear" that contains actuators capable of giving players a gentle nudge or push during training. This could tell them when they are practising incorrectly and even let them know which muscles they should be exercising Clothing gives sportsmen a kick up the pants).
7. Eye in the sky
Behind the scenes, this year's tournament will also see several new IT technologies tested out. Surveillance networks will keep track of fans in stadiums while websites will stream live coverage of games, as well as news and discussion for fans at home (Goalfest for IT at the World Cup, ZDNet News).
8. Impossible off-side
But it's not all positive news for soccer fans and players. A study conducted by Dutch researchers in 2000 suggests bungled "off-side" decisions may ultimately be unavoidable. This is because it is impossible for an official to keep an eye on both a player and the ball at the same time (Linesmen just can't help getting it wrong).
9. Spot the (curving) ball
Another study, published by researchers at Queen's University Belfast in March 2006, suggests that the human vision system is simply unable to correctly predict the trajectory of a ball curving through the air. That's too bad for goalies facing free kicks taken by David "Bend it Like" Beckham or Roberto Carlos this tournament Eyes are fooled by spinning, curving balls).
10. Hit on the head
Various scientific studies have also shed light on soccer-specific injuries. Heading the ball has been shown to cause peculiar neck injuries (A head for balls can be a pain in the neck), while the sport has also been linked to an increased risk of motor neuron disease (Soccer link to motor neuron disease).
11. Robot soccer
In the long term, perhaps the solution is to get robots to play the game for us. They already seem to have mastered table football (Robots invade the table football pitch) and some robots are even proving worthy opponents for humans (Robotic Segways play soccer with humans).
Okay, that's the science sorted. Now you can watch the rest of the tournament and amaze your friends with an eloquent explanation of why the World Cup linesmen keep getting it wrong.
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