The Premier League is set to introduce semi-automated offside technology, a significant step forward in the evolution of football officiating. The new system will be implemented starting from the round of fixtures on Saturday, 12 April. This decision comes after non-live testing in the Premier League and its successful launch during the FA Cup fifth round at the end of February. The semi-automated offside technology aims to simplify tight offside calls for officials by automating key parts of the process.
The technology supports video assistant referees (VAR) by automating critical elements of offside decision-making. According to Premier League officials, it "enhances speed, efficiency, and consistency" in making these decisions.
This innovative technology was first used at an elite level during the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar. It has also been featured in Serie A and La Liga leagues as well as Champions League matches. Manchester City's home game against Crystal Palace (12:30 BST) will be the first Premier League match to benefit from this technological advancement.
How does semi-automated offside technology work?
The system aims to reduce human subjectivity by replacing decisions made by officials with automated ones taken by technology. Currently, when a player scores after a borderline offside situation, VAR room officials must decide on three key things:
- When was the ball kicked?
- Where - and at what angle - was defender's body when ball was kicked?
- Where - and what angle - was attacker's body?
With this new system, all three decisions will now be automatically taken care of by advanced tech tools. Bespoke cameras have been installed beneath roofs at all 20 Premier League stadiums that monitor various key elements involved in any tight offside decision-making process. These cameras track both exact ball movement and 10,000 surface mesh data points on the bodies of all 22 players.
This allows the system to automatically determine whether an attacking player's body was beyond the last defender's at the exact time when the ball was played. Artificial intelligence (AI) manages this process, monitoring both ball and player movements before making a decision on whether a player was offside or not. VAR officials then verify that the system has correctly determined these three key points before confirming their decision. The on-field officials subsequently inform players about it.
A 3D animation of this decision, produced by AI, will be displayed for viewers at home and on big screens in stadiums. This ensures transparency in officiating decisions while enhancing viewer experience both at home and in-stadium. Semi-automated offside technology is set to revolutionize football officiating by increasing accuracy and reducing human error. As sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts alike look forward to its implementation in Premier League matches starting from April 12th, it promises to add another exciting dimension to watching football games.
