The Premier League just announced a measure that could change the future of soccer forever worldwide. Starting from the next season, all matches will use semi-automated offside technology.
The historic proposal aims to minimize the margin of error in offside plays, understanding that there can be human error when judging the play in real time and also, as has been demonstrated, when drawing the famous ‘lines’ in the VAR.
“At a Premier League Shareholders’ meeting today, clubs unanimously agreed to the introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology. 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.”
When will semi-automated offside technology be applied in Premier League?
Despite the confirmation that the system for reviewing offsides will be implemented starting from the 2024-2025 season, the Premier League clarified that it will not happen from Matchday 1 of the tournament.
“The new system will be used for the first time in the Premier League next season, and it is anticipated the technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the autumn international breaks.”
By the way, this system to detect offsides has already been used during the Qatar 2022 World Cup and in the Champions League. It works through player movement tracking technology on the field.
So, when the possible offside takes place on the field, the semi-automated offside technology generates immediately the virtual lines to determine the position of the offensive player in relation to the defensive players. Cameras placed in key spots track players’ movements in real-time, enabling the establishment of the offside line with great accuracy.