Offside decisions are getting a shakeup in the 2024/25 Premier League season. After a campaign littered with bone-headed blunders, England’s top flight will use semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) for the first time.
The aim of introducing the technology is to reduce the length of VAR checks for offside calls and eliminate the examples of “significant human error” that have undermined games in the world’s top league. The technology is used in Italy’s Serie A, the Champions League and was put in place at Euro 2024, when a chip was placed inside the matchday ball.
England may be football’s self-declared inventors, but they have often been slow to accept modern advances in the game. The nation which infamously declined invitations to the first editions of the World Cup and European Cup has been forced into this technological advancement. Here’s everything you need to know about the Premier League’s belated step into the present day.
A custom image of a referee’s assistant holding up an offside flag next to a contentious VAR offside decision.On 11th April 2024, it was announced that all the Premier League clubs had agreed to implement SAOT for the 2024/25 season. Chief refereeing officer of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), Howard Webb, presented the technology to Premier League shareholders, using examples from the Champions League to explain the benefits of the new system. The Premier League announced the new offside rule with the following statement:
“At a 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.”