A major change to the way offside decisions are made in the Premier League is coming this weekend. For the first time, semi-automated offside technology (SOAT) will be used after the league confirmed on April 1 that the system is finally ready to make its debut.
Designed to make tight offside calls easier for officials to confirm by rendering key parts of the process automatically, SOAT has been used in other major competitions in recent years. After FIFA approved its use, the technology was first implemented at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It’s since been used at Euro 2024 as well as in leagues such as LaLiga, Serie A and the Champions League. The technology was used for the first time in English football during some FA Cup fifth-round matches in February and this weekend, Premier League fans will witness the system in action for all 10 fixtures.
But how does it work? Mirror Football takes a closer look.
Exactly one year ago, Premier League clubs voted unanimously in favour of introducing semi-automated offside technology. Initially, it was supposed to debut following one of the three international windows last autumn.
But the system’s introduction was pushed back because the Premier League wanted to conducted further testing. Aston Villa’s clash with Cardiff City on February 28 was the fixture that it was first used before being tested in three of the four quarter-final ties.
Earlier this month, the Premier League announced that semi-automated offside technology would debut on match round 32, starting Saturday, April 12. Manchester City’s 12:30 game at home to Crystal Palace will be the venue for its first ever use in the league.
Premier League chiefs say that offsides decisions have been 100 per cent accurate this season but the technology is intended to speed-up the process, improving the flow of the game and reducing waiting times.
Will semi-automated offsides improve the Premier League? Have your say in the comments section.
Up to 30 cameras have been installed in all 20 Premier League stadiums, with a number of them capturing footage at a lightning-fast 100 frames per second. The cameras can track the exact movement of the ball and any attacking player who’s involved in the build-up to a potential offside.
The video assistant referee and designated SAOT operator will automatically be notified if there’s an infringement. VARs still have to determine whether the technology has correctly identified the moment when the ball was played, the correct player and the correct body part.
In addition, VARs and referees must still make subjective offside calls. These often occur when a player is in an offside position and potentially interfering with play, or whether a defender’s touch constituted a deliberate play.
No. In ‘edge cases’, VARs must still manually draw the offside lines. That’s when players block the view of the ball or other players for the system’s cameras.
An example of an edge case was during Bournemouth and Wolves‘ FA Cup tie on March 1. That prompted a seven-minute delay and the crowed to chant: “This is embarrassing.”
The images generated by the technology will be available for broadcasters to use and also shown on stadium big screens for fans inside the ground. An offside decision will be shown with a red line and an onside decision with a green line.
A white vertical wall will represent the offside line and a blue pulse on the defender’s relevant body part. When an attacker is shown to be offside, the relevant part of their body will appear through the wall and be outlined in red.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot said on Friday: “It’s positive, it helps officials make decisions. It helps the fans too. When I see this 3D image, you can see it is offside, so it is a positive thing and I like VAR for clear and obvious not for subjective things, so I am a fan to use it for that, offside, over the line, I would prefer subjective things to leave.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola added: “I think the reason why [it is being introduced] is to make it quicker right? Offside is offside, not offside if not offside – well done, [I] welcome it, it will be better.”
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner also said: “Yes [I do like it], it should reduce the time to get a clear decision. I mentioned it, I’m a fan of it. There are always some improvements. Which game was it in the Championship? Was it Leeds? With two disallowed goals? They were called offside, but there was no offside.
“Then everybody, I think, is asking for the VAR. If you have the VAR, it’s criticised. If you don’t have it, it’s criticised, it’s the same! I’m always saying it’s good. It helps us to get more right decisions and this is what we want.”
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