Manchester, England — The Premier League don announce say dem go introduce semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) on Saturday, April 12, for Match Round 32. Dis technology go support video assistant referee (VAR) as e help make offside call clearer and faster. Dis decision follow non-live test wey don happen for di Premier League and during di FA Cup fixtures.
The new technology go automate key chats for offside decision-making, adding speed, efficiency, and consistency to di process. Di Premier League work together with PGMOL and Genius Sports to develop di system, wey don already dey used for di Champions League, Serie A, and La Liga.
Di first match wey go use dis technology go be Manchester City vs Crystal Palace at di Etihad Stadium (12:30 BST). Di technology gain its first big recognition when e debut for di 2022 World Cup for Qatar, and since then, e don dey used for major football competitions.
Dis new system go automate di decision-making process by using advanced cameras wey fit track di position of all players and di ball. Dem go install special cameras under di roof of all 20 Premier League stadiums to monitor player movements and accurately determine offside situations in real-time.
With SAOT, officials go no longer rely solely on human judgement; di technology go provide dem with accurate readings at di right time, which go reduce di waiting time fans dey experience when dem dey check for offside calls. As per di statement wey di Premier League release, ‘dis system go ensure correct placement of virtual offside line using optical player tracking.’
Artificial intelligence go handle di monitoring of di players and ball before producing a decision. VAR officials go still check di results to confirm if di automated system don give correct information before any official decision announce.
“Dis automatic system go save about 31 seconds per offside situation, allowing games to flow better,” one Premier League spokesperson talk. Dem also mention say up to 30 new cameras go dey around each Premier League stadium to make dis technology work well.
Although overall, di technology go enhance di game, there still dey some concerns. During di initial FA Cup trials, Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola express his worry when SAOT fail to work properly for one offside decision, forcing di VAR to go back to manual checks to determine di decision. “If SAOT no dey work well, dem for no rush to implement am, we go see how e go fit play out for di Premier League,” he talk.
Dis new semi-automated offside technology promise to change di way fans enjoy di game, giving dem clearer insight into controversial plays and faster decision-making on di pitch.
