Enab Baladi – Jalal Alfa

While technology has become a cornerstone of performance development in sports worldwide, Syrian sports are still inching slowly toward adopting modern tech tools.

Between limited resources and the absence of strategic planning, there is an urgent need to integrate technology into training, analysis, and sports administration.

The weak presence of these tools in Syrian sports stems from the lack of an integrated system and a clear plan to benefit from data, according to coach and sports analyst Safi Ayoush

Ayoush told Enab Baladi that the problem is not whether technology exists, but how it is managed and employed.

Weak infrastructure is a barrier

The difficult circumstances and the years of war are among the most important reasons that Syrian sports have not kept pace with technology, coach Ahmed Hassoun of Spain’s Quark Academy told Enab Baladi.

Hassoun pointed out that Syria’s weak infrastructure has stood in the way of introducing technology into the sports field.

Among the reasons for the limited use of sports technology in Syria is the scarcity of strength and conditioning coaches recognized by the federation and FIFA, Hassoun added.

He said the real challenge is not procuring digital devices themselves, but the absence of qualified personnel to run them.

According to Hassoun, the problem in Syria lies in the lack of specialized cadres capable of developing themselves or managing this technology properly, and the shortage of available data prevents a comprehensive analysis of players’ performance.

Despite the significant benefits of sports technology, Syria faces several obstacles that limit its effectiveness and application, foremost among them financial constraints, Hassoun said.

He noted that the shortage of properly equipped facilities does not allow the provision of all the tools needed to work accurately.

The absence of staff with the experience and knowledge that enable structured training for players and coaches according to advanced systems is also a fundamental obstacle.

Meanwhile, coach and analyst Safi Ayoush believes football first needs coaching know-how and informed management before devices.

For Ayoush, technology matters, but the more important factor is the human being behind it, because devices will remain “mere décor” in the absence of qualified specialists.

Speaking to Enab Baladi, Ayyoush said Syria needs investment in training and analysis cadres, and only then should technology be applied.

No performance-monitoring systems

Digital infrastructure in Syrian sports is still largely absent. There are no advanced tracking systems such as GPS units, analytical camera setups, or sensors used to monitor the physical and technical performance of athletes, according to coach Ahmed Hassoun.

Hassoun explained that analysis in the Syrian league remains traditional, often based on rewatching recorded match clips, except for the senior national team, which enjoys more advanced analysis capabilities.

He added that the former General Sports Federation and Football Association dedicated whatever sports resources were available to develop the national team, both in friendlies and during World Cup qualifiers.

He noted that building a digital database must start from the youth categories to develop all resources.

Key modern technologies

Video Assistant Referee (VAR): assists referees with accurate decisions during matches, such as penalties, red cards, or offside.

Football Video Support (FVS): a simplified version of video review designed to be easier to implement in competitions with limited human and financial resources that cannot adopt a full VAR system.

Goal-line technology: devices and sensors that verify whether the ball has fully crossed the goal line.

GPS trackers: used to locate players on the pitch and calculate distances covered, speeds, and overall physical load.

Wearable sensors: wristbands or chest straps that record heart rate, fitness level, and muscular strain.

Smart balls: balls fitted with sensors to track shot speed and passing or shooting accuracy.

Virtual reality (VR) helps players improve skills in an advanced training environment.

A tool for analysis and planning

Sports technology is one of the key pillars of development in the modern world, as it raises athletes’ physical and technical efficiency and improves training methods and medical follow-up, in coach Ahmed Hassoun’s view.

Hassoun explained that modern technologies provide a complete scientific plan for the player and help prevent injuries by identifying physical capacity and the level of exertion during training and matches.

Coach Safi Ayoush added that digital infrastructure helps analyze performance by revealing distances covered, speeds, physical load, and individual and team strengths and weaknesses.

It also delivers precise reports that help the coach improve each player’s abilities individually and reduce injury risk by monitoring training and physical load.

“Through a digital framework, we can build a clear vision for teams in the short and long term,” Ayoush said.

He considered the limited use of technology to be the main reason for the wide gap between the Syrian league and professional leagues.

Past attempts ended in failure

Syria has seen several previous attempts to develop technology in the sports sector, but they have not achieved the desired success. Interviewees attributed this to the control the former Syrian regime exercised over the sports sector and to a previous football association that prioritized administrative and political loyalty over technical competence.

During that period, Football Association president Salah Ramadan promised to introduce VAR to the Syrian league.

He then promised to introduce “Mini VAR,” and said the federation had brought in top-tier headsets for referees to communicate and make decisions without needing hand signals.

Ramadan affirmed that the federation did its utmost to implement the Mini VAR system, which relies on four cameras, and sent staff abroad for training on the technology, but none of those promises were fulfilled.

VAR in Syria… no staff, no equipment

Rolling out VAR in Syria runs into many obstacles, particularly securing the equipment needed to apply the technology.

On 13 August 2023, the Syrian Football Association signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to supply its Syrian counterpart with VAR.

At the time, former SFA vice president Abdulrahman al-Khatib said the head of the Saudi referees committee met with Syrian football officials and sent a letter to FIFA to hold a training course for Syrian referees, also pledging to send technical specialists to train on operating VAR devices.

Previously, former head of the team sports office at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Faras Teet, told Enab Baladi that infrastructure in Syria is almost collapsed, and implementing VAR requires preparing specialized technical staff through courses provided by international and Asian federations.

He added that after the necessary studies, work can begin to prepare or restore infrastructure and train cadres in preparation for launching VAR effectively.