Premier League clubs have voted to introduce semi-automated offside technology starting from the 2024/25 season onwards. The new system, which utilizes artificial intelligence to track offsides in games, follows its usage at both the 2022 World Cup and Women's World Cup.
The technology removes the need for VAR officials to manually draw offside lines, instead generating a virtual line by identifying key skeleton points - head, toes, upper arm and knees - on multiple players at the same time. Ball-tracking tools also identify the point of contact and then an automatic offside decision is suggested.
However, the technology-suggested decision is not final and still requires confirmation from a VAR official, who must verify the accuracy of the call before informing the on-field referee. The Premier League has been monitoring the technology's efficiency over recent months in other competitions.
It is anticipated that the new system will be ready for use in England's top-flight after one of the autumn international breaks next season. Fans watching matches should benefit from quicker and more consistent offside placements and improved broadcast graphics.
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FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina believes semi-automated offside technology can "offer faster and more accurate decisions", especially for very tight calls that currently take long to check manually.
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