Wanted: The Most Valuable Players of the Audi Cup

INGOLSTADT, GERMANY – July 24, 2009: Miroslav Klose, Juan Riquelme, Ronaldinho or Wayne Rooney – no doubt, they all rank among international soccer’s biggest stars. But will they prove their class on the field also at the Audi Cup and distinguish themselves as the most valuable players during the tournament? Proof will be delivered at the end of the total of four meetings when the most valuable player of the game, the Audi MVP, is selected shortly after the final whistle.

These players are competing with each other with their respective teams, FC Bayern München, Boca Juniors, AC Milan and Manchester United, as part of the Audi Cup at Munich’s Allianz Arena on July 29 and 30. Immediately after the end of the game the most valuable and most important player of the respective match will be selected. The decision will be made by a judging panel comprising Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Executive Board of the VW Group, Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Executive Board of AUDI AG, Peter Schwarzenbauer, Executive Board Member Marketing and Sales of AUDI AG, Stephan Grühsem, Head of VW Group Communication, and Toni Melfi, Head of Audi Communication, as well as an expert team consisting of sports journalists and Matthias Sammer, sports director of the German Football Association (DFB).

The judging panel is headed by Prof. Dr. Josef Hackforth. Hackforth has been director of the Audi Institute for Sports Communication, which organizes the selection of the MVP on behalf of Audi, since its inception in 2004. “I’m delighted to be able to work with these personalities as judges on the panel and am eager to see which players will attract our attention and decision,” says the professor.

The institute is a collaborative venture between Audi and the Department for Sports, Media and Communication of TU München (Technical University Munich) and aims to make the findings of scientific research available to businesses as well as sports journalists, and contribute to networking between members of the academic community and the field. The MVP selection is a case in point. Of course, the members of the panel will make their decisions spontaneously and based on their subjective assessment, which should primarily be oriented to the criteria of creativity, personality and fairness.

In addition, they will support their impressions by statistical data. Impire AG, a company specializing in scientific sports analyses in soccer, will provide the judges with a player tracking chart indicating the six most conspicuous players of the meeting – as early as shortly after half-time and shortly before the game ends.

This analysis will assess the significance of the players for the match in three dimensions: The “technique” value looks at passing, precision and how many goal chances the player was able to generate. “Efficiency” assesses the player’s involvement in game-deciding situations. Has the player shot or prevented goals, how did he do in direct duels with rivals? In order to be able to assess these two values, two scouts at the stadium watch all major actions, in other words each shot, duel, pass or ball contact, thus determining the key performance values of each individual player in real time.

The third item analyzed by player tracking is “dynamics” – it is focused on running distance. Cameras monitor every movement of the players on the field. The movement signals are used to precisely measure the distance covered by the players on the field and their running speed. 100 points, respectively, would be awarded for ideal performance in each of these three categories. The average score then produces the final index of each player.

This statistical analysis can thus assist the judges in selecting their most valuable player according to personal as well as objective criteria. A team of students from the Audi Institute for Sport Communication enables them to make this decision as early as shortly after the 90th minute: The students hand out the player tracking chart to the judges and, together with two lecturers, analyze the voting lists.

The player who managed convincing the judges with a strong personality as well as playing skills will be honored for his performance on the field immediately after the final whistle. Consequently, on July 29 and 30 the players will not only compete for victory in the Audi Cup – each game will also be played for the title of being one of the four most valuable players of the tournament.