June 13, (THEWILL) – Artificial Intelligence-driven semi-automated VAR offside technology will be utilised during the World Cup in Qatar, according to plans for better match officiating in football.
The statement comes from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that sets the rules of the game. VAR-based offside judgments can take up to four minutes and the new technology aims to reduce the time to three or four seconds by delivering speedier information.
Chelsea became the first Premier League team to use the technology at the Club World Cup in February, barely two months after the semi-automated system debuted.
The IFAB is still in talks with FIFA about using the enhanced VAR system, with the goal of using offside technology at the World Cup in November.
Gianni Infantino, President of world football governing body FIFA said at a news conference on Monday: “It looks very good and very promising. Our experts are looking into [the trials] before we make a decision on whether it will be used for the World Cup or not.”
Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s head of refereeing added: “My personal opinion is that I’m very confident we can go ahead with this. We want to achieve accuracy, quicker decisions, and also more accepted decisions. We have seen in matches where the semi-automated offside was implemented these objectives were achieved.
“It uses the same process as goal-line technology, and we have seen that it is very well accepted by the football community, nobody comments on this. We are confident that the same reaction, in terms of acceptance, can be given to the semi-automated offside.”
The Premier League is expected to introduce the technology, if successful at the World Cup, in the 2023/2024 season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
