Photograph: FifaPhotograph: FifaSystem expected to be ready during autumn of next seasonLast modified on Thu 11 Apr 2024 17.37 CESTThe Premier League is to introduce semi-automated offside technology from next season, in the hope of reducing the time it takes to make VAR decisions.
The system will use camera footage and tracking software to calculate the position of players at the moment of a potential offside, replacing the need for VAR teams to do so. In trials, this process has been shown to reduce the average length of a VAR decision by 31 seconds.Clubs voted unanimously to introduce the technology at a Premier League shareholders’ meeting on Thursday, with its first use expected in the autumn but not at the season’s start.
Webb and the referees’ body PGMOL are in discussions over allowing fans to see the footage examined by referees at VAR monitors at the same time as officials. There is the expectation that short messages on the outcome of VAR decisions will be announced by referees in stadiums next season. In a statement the league said: “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.”