AUTOMATING OFFSIDE
As we’ve seen, using VAR to judge offside calls has two complaints: poor viewing angles and frame rates lead to bad calls, and the analysis can take too long. A solution is on the way: semiautomated offside technology (SAOT).
Three years in the making, the SAOT system pairs artificial intelligence, real-time sensors and smart cameras to better visualise the position of the ball and players. A sensor known as an inertial measurement unit will be tucked inside match balls, recording data 500 times a second and sending it back to the operations room, with roof-mounted cameras also keeping watch on its position. Those cameras will track more than two dozen points on each player – in particular, swinging limbs that are relevant to offside calls – updating 50 times a second for perfect pitch position.
If SAOT spots a potential infraction, the AI-powered system will automatically alert officials in the video operation room, who will quickly check the play manually. The hope is that the automation will reduce analysis time from 70 seconds on average to just 25.
As with VAR, the ultimate decision is in the hands of human referees, who will stay in the loop by validating the automated system’s conclusion before relaying the ruling to on-field officials. If officials disagree, they can manually select the kick point and use existing systems to show where the offside line should lie. Indeed, FIFA has described SAOT as a “support tool for the video match officials and the on-field officials to help them make faster, more accurate and more reproducible offside decisions”.
Fans will then be shown an automatically generated 3D animation of the incident, either on the big screens in stadiums or via broadcast partners on TVs at home or in the pub, letting spectators see what officials do.
Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said in a statement over the summer that VAR had reduced the number of offside mistakes. “We expect that semi-automated offside technology can take us a step further,” Collina said at the time. “We are aware that sometimes the process to check a possible offside takes too long, especially when the offside incident is very tight. This is where semi-automated offside technology comes in – to offer faster and more accurate decisions.”
The technology is already approved by FIFA and is set to be used in the World Cup in November, following trials in lower-level leagues. In February, Zayed Al Ameri of Al Jazira was the first player to have a goal disallowed following a SAOT review in the Club World Cup in Qatar. UEFA has also trialled the system.