FIFA will test limb-tracking offside tech at the Arab Cup
FIFA builds on video assistant technology refere (VAR) which plays an increasingly important role in football. In this year’s Arab League edition, which began on Tuesday, the organization will test technology designed to help officials assess whether the players are offside, mark the most important system trial to date.
Offside rules should prevent closed players to be too close to the opposite destination. In short, if the attacker team plays the ball forward when a teammate in front of the ball and the last second-defender (including goalkeeper), it’s a violation. In the English Premier League 2020-21, 32 goals were ruled out for offside after the VAR review.
The semi-automatic offside system collects up to 29 data points 50 times per second for each player, according to the BBC. Between 10 and 12 cameras will be installed under the roof of each stadium. The system will use the data tracking data to calculate the current offside row, the ball is rotated (i.e. “dot point”). If it detects offside violations, it will warn replay operators, which can review almost real-time events.
“Replay operators then have the opportunity to show it immediately to Var,” said Johannes Holzmüller, FIFA football technology and director of innovation. “In the FIFA Arab trophy, the Var assistant, at the Offside Special Station, can immediately validate and confirm information.” Var can then tell the referee match about the decision.
The system can capture offside violations faster than the current VAR settings, helping games flow more smoothly. All goes well, technology can be used in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The system has been tested in the UK, Spain and Germany. There was a plan to test it broader last year, but the Covid-19 pandemic annoyed them.
“Technology is very important and useful in pre-match preparation and decision-making process during the match,” said referee Pierluigi Collina FIFA Collina said. “In an offside incident, the decision was made after analyzing not only the position of the players but also, their involvement in the course. Technology – today or tomorrow – can draw a line but an interference assessment by playing or with opponents remain in the hands of the referee.”