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Perhaps Vincent Sierro (27) is the right person to explain the influence of artificial intelligence on football. Because the ex-YB professional is under contract with FC Toulouse. And there players are mainly scouted by algorithms.
“With us, everything is based on data. Not just goals and assists, but deeper stats. Up to 20 different data are included. This will draw players who are running under the radar. And that is why they are available at a lower price than they should be based on their quality,” says Sierro. The success proves the model of the southern French right. As a climber, Toulouse sensationally won the French Cup this year. The first title in 66 years.
Thanks to artificial intelligence? Every header, every duel, every tackle, every pass, every shot, everything that happens on the field counts towards the player rating. But to what extent can this data be trusted?
An article in the German Spiegel quotes Jan Wendt, the founder of Plaier, a data agency that wants to revolutionize the search for talent thanks to artificial intelligence. Wendt says a sentence that many a football expert would slap him in the face. “Jamal Musiala will not increase again.” I’m sorry, what? One of the most exciting German players of recent years, a super dribbler who is almost unstoppable with the ball at his feet. Stagnation! Potentially exhausted! A remarkable statement from a player who is only 20 years old. He understands that this makes people skeptical, says Wendt. Normally talents would get better as they get more experience. However, this cannot shake his faith in AI.
AI in the Super League almost no problem
So far, AI has not been a major problem in Swiss football. Stéphane Chapuisat, the chief scout at YB and one of the most successful talent discoverers in recent years, focuses on people, the classic scout: “We do very well to trust our experts and find solutions for YB together in the sporting leadership . So far we have not used artificial intelligence. And there are currently no plans to apply AI. But we don’t know what the future will bring. We always keep our eyes and ears open so that we don’t miss any meaningful developments.” There is a lot of data in football that you can access. “But this amount can also lead to a flood,” says Chapuisat.
FCB is more open to the new technology. “Modern tools like AI, algorithms and databases are very present in the scouting area. We at FC Basel also work with a wide range of tools that support us in our work,” says chief scout Patrick Dippel. But equally important are the factors that are not directly measurable. “How does the player feel and experience football, what feeling does the player give to the scout who is watching him, how does he fit into the overall picture, does his style on the pitch match our idea of football and so on.” The AI cannot tell what feeling, what “nose” a player has for certain situations.
FC St. Gallen says that artificial intelligence currently “does not play a significant role”. But developments are closely monitored. “Particularly interesting is the idea of predictive analytics, where a player’s performance is pre-evaluated based on their position, the number of games they would play or even the system. In any case, the scout will always be the most important tool for us,” said the FCSG.
The subject is also neglected at the FCZ. “AI is not really an issue at FCZ in scouting at the moment. There are already many data-based tools that we use. Moreover, there is no substitute for personal impressions. However, a possible field of application in the future could be that the development of football is predicted by AI and conclusions can be drawn from it about what type of players could be in demand in a few years,” says Thomas Bickel, the head of scouting. from Zurich.
The FCL also does without AI and technology is not an issue at FC Lugano either. Because you deal with people, sports director Carlos Da Silva says: “How does a player behave on the field, in training? What is his character? Does he fit in? To the club? These are the questions we have to ask ourselves. Just because the AI tells you the player is a good dribbler doesn’t mean he will identify with the club’s values.”
Winterthur sporting director Oliver Kaiser says the primary goal is to be active in the domestic market. And there is no need for artificial intelligence. Because you know the characters, the people, the players. Servette declined to comment on the subject. Lausanne-Ouchy, Yverdon and GC do not answer the requests.
Lausanne is more innovative. The “classic explorer” will not disappear there, but artificial intelligence is already being used. Owner Ineos has developed a corresponding platform in collaboration with Lausanne’s partner club Nice. But in the end, each club has to decide for itself what is best. It’s important to have a strategy.
Sierro also believes in the classic Scout
One like in the Super League, where the focus is still on classic scouts. Or one like FC Toulouse. There, the positions of the scouts are being scrapped and more and more money is being invested in artificial intelligence. And there, at the end of last season, the coach who sensationally won the cup was fired. Because the data algorithm showed that you should have been in the top ten teams in the championship. In the end, however, only finished in 13th place. win cup. Europa League qualification.
Toulouse professional Sierro does not want to talk about the reasons for the coach’s dismissal. It is clear that AI has a future in football. However, Sierro does not believe that you can do without the classic scout. “Ultimately you need the look of someone who understands football.”
Damien Comolli, the data-crazy president of Toulouse, combines both. Because he worked at Monaco and Arsenal under Arsène Wenger. And later was sporting director at Liverpool and Tottenham, among other things. Artificial intelligence has been used in those places for a long time to search for players. Will the Super League follow soon? Sure, it’s all just a matter of time.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
