OFFICIAL: Premier League set to use semi-automated offside technology next term

A number of Premier League matches this season have featured VAR errors, such as Tottenham Hotspur's meeting against Liverpool on matchday seven of the English top-flight.

The Premier League game in London was goalless at the time of the incident, in the 34th minute. Colombia forward Luis Diaz put the ball in the net but was wrongly flagged for offside. The video assistant referee (VAR), however, failed to overrule the decision.

PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited), the governing body for referees, issued a statement acknowledging a "significant error" had been made. But Liverpool put out their own statement the following day saying "sporting integrity has been undermined".

As a result, the Premier League clubs have decided to adopt semi-automatic offside technology to make their matches much fairer and more competitive in the 2024/25 campaign.

At a shareholders' meeting on Thursday, top-flight clubs unanimously agreed to introduce the system, which is expected to cut the average length of a VAR check for offside by about 30 seconds.

"The technology will provide quicker and consistent placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and will produce high-quality broadcast graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters," the English league wrote on their website.

Football's global governing body FIFA used semi-automated offside technology at the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar after running a series of trials, including at the Club World Cup. It is also used in the Champions League and in Italy's Serie A.

Referees will still need to make calls on subjective elements, such as whether a player in an offside position is interfering with play. The Premier League has not disclosed the technology partner it will work with and it is understood that no contracts have yet been signed.

The intention is to introduce the technology after one of the international breaks in September, October and November.

 

April 11, 2024