In a country where playing soccer is a dream for millions, platforms like Cuju have been able to amass hundreds of thousands of users. These applications have also been popular with major soccer clubs, some of whom are currently using the apps to recruit players in Brazil.
AI scouting platforms are already common in Europe, and the evaluation of soccer talent includes a variety of metrics and statistics. However, the existence of severe economic and regional inequalities makes it difficult to standardize a uniform method of Scouting.
Instead, scouting is left to Olheiro. Olheiro is a veteran talent hunter who has spent decades scouring amateur games, neighborhood leagues and school tournaments in search of the next star. The new AI scouting platform works by analyzing user-uploaded videos and drills that can be recorded directly into the application. These applications can measure a wide range of abilities, from speed to ball control, and often assign scores to athletes before adding them to their database. Human agents looking for talent can find talent, or apps can market athletes directly to specific clubs.
technical blind spot
According to a report in the New York Times, metrics used in AI applications may favor taller and stronger athletes. While much of Brazil is online, these applications remain inaccessible to poor athletes without a good internet connection or a proper cell phone camera.
Changes in the traditional scouting process
With the advent of such advanced AI technology, football is being transformed as top clubs experiment with using AI to analyze matches, prevent player injuries, and plan new match strategies. Proponents of AI adoption say it is simply the next frontier.
The AI-powered Footbao scouting system analyzes tens of thousands of videos posted by players to identify the most promising talent, then creates detailed data-driven reports for football clubs. By automating much of the scouting process, this technology aims to reduce human error, improve consistency, and make player evaluations more objective and efficient.
