Qatar 2022 World Cup: FIFA to Use Semi-automatic Offside Technology

FIFA says it will use semi-automatic offside technology at the November to December World Cup to make video assistant decisions faster and more reliable.

Football’s world governing body said on Friday that the system would be used in all 64 matches in Qatar. The new offside technology was tested at the Arab Cup and the Club World Cup in February.

Using a signal in the ball and a dozen cameras that record players’ movements, the position of players is recorded even more accurately than before.

The data will be reviewed by a video assistant and immediately relayed to the referee on the field.

“The match officials are still involved in the decision-making process, as the technology gives an answer only when a player is in an offside position. In other words, the assessment of interfering with an opponent remains a match official’s responsibility,” FIFA referees’ chief, Pierluigi Collina, said in a statement.

In addition to more precise measurements, FIFA is hoping that the technology speeds up video assistant reviews for offside.

Currently it takes an average of 70 seconds but the new system could cut that to 25 seconds.

“I’ve heard a lot about ‘robot referees.’ I understand sometimes this is very good for headlines, but this is not the case,” Collina said.

Video screens will be used to inform fans in the stadium about decisions.

(dpa/NAN)