Premier League clubs vote to introduce Semi-Automated Offside Technology from 2024-25 season - 'Quicker and consistent'
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Updated 11/04/2024 at 14:19 GMT
Semi-Automated Offside Technology will be used in the Premier League from next season, following a unanimous agreement between clubs. But the system will not be available from the start of the campaign, with the competition expecting it will be ready “after one of the Autumn international breaks” in September, October or November. The technology is already used in the UEFA Champions League.
Semi-Automated Offside Technology will be used in the Premier League next season
Image credit: Getty Images
The Premier League will start using Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SOAT) next season, but it will not be ready for the start of the campaign.
At a shareholders meeting on Thursday, clubs unanimously agreed to bring in the system, which is already used in the UEFA Champions League and Serie A.
Organisers expect the technology to be in place after one of the international breaks in September, October or November.
SOAT has largely been a success where it has been deployed, including both the men’s and women’s World Cups in the past few years. Results are usually very quick.
The technology has been used to decide what have been described as "match defining moments," such as goals or incidents leading to a red card or penalty, while assistant referees will continue to raise their flags.
The Premier League has not announced which kind of system it will use, as some involve chips inside footballs and others simply use a number of cameras around the stadium.
Images of decisions will be shown inside grounds where there are big screens.
“At a Premier League Shareholders’ meeting today, clubs unanimously agreed to the introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology,” said a Premier League statement.
“The new system will be used for the first time in the Premier League next season, and it is anticipated the technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the Autumn international breaks.
“The technology will provide quicker and consistent placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and will produce high-quality broadcast graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters."
The introduction of SOAT is the first big technological advance in the Premier League since VAR was brought in at the start of the 2019-20 season.
There have been calls for it to be introduced in recent years, most notably in September when Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted “significant human error” had led to Liverpool’s Luiz Diaz having a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside at Tottenham.
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