The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 continues to be enjoyed, so nobody wants to stop matches to check for offsides. Fortunately, the latest technology implemented by FIFA should help with this.
FIFA recently announced that it will start using what it calls a "semi-automated offside technique". This form aims to find out if a player is a hacker or not, without the need for a thorough review. Let's remember that this is a rule that states that the player attacking the opponent's goal cannot be closer to the goal than the ball and the second closest to the opponent player
Bottom line: if the only thing standing between you and the goal is the goalkeeper while you don't have the ball, you're in an offside position. These are the things that often stop the game and are hard to pin down. This is because it only takes half an inch of someone's knee to be closer to the goal than an opponent for it to count as offside.
For this reason, FIFA now surprises us with two more technologies:
-12 private surveillance cameras around the stadiums.
- A sensor inside the ball itself, in order to measure the positions of the players and the position of the ball.
If these new technologies detect an intrusion, officials in the video trading room or mouse room will be alerted. They take a few seconds to check it and report it to the referee on the field. Once all parties are confirmed, a 3D animation is quickly generated showing the offside situation. Of course, this is done before it is shown to people in the stands and to those watching TV at home
We believe that these technologies bring many benefits. Including speed in decision-making. Just think of the video referee (or VAR) system that currently exists for review calls. Such a system slows down gameplay all the time. Also, relying on human referees reviewing footage frame-by-frame leads to subjective calls and somewhat lag.
In fact, a 2021 study found that only 26% of the English Premier League (the highest level of English football) support the use of VAR. We hope these technologies will help bring more transparency into games and make matches more enjoyable. There is nothing like watching something without interruption