The Premier League has recently announced the implementation of a semi-automated offside system for the upcoming football season.
The announcement was made on Thursday, April 11, 2024, via the league’s official website. Currently, any offside calls related to goals are being checked by VAR officials. However, after reaching a unanimous decision in a meeting, the 20 clubs have decided to introduce the new rule.
The new technology eliminates the need for VAR officials to manually draw offside lines. Instead, it generates a virtual line by identifying key skeleton points, such as head, toes, upper arm, and knees, on multiple players simultaneously.
According to the statement released,
“Premier League Shareholders’ meeting today, clubs unanimously agreed to the introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology. 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. 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 semi-automated offside rule was initially used during the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, where a chip was implanted into every ball that was used in the tournament.
