July 1 – FIFA have confirmed that semi-automated offside technology will be used at the Qatar World Cup, providing alerts to video match officials using 12 dedicated tracking cameras inside the stadiums along with a sensor in the match ball.
Successfully tested at the 2021 Arab Cup and at last year’s Club World Cup, the idea is to improve the speed and accuracy of decisions.
“This technology is the culmination of three years of dedicated research and testing to provide the very best for the teams, players and fans who will be heading to Qatar later this year,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino
While the referee and his assistants will still make on-field calls, the practice of rewinding TV footage will no longer be necessary.
“Semi-automated offside technology is faster and more accurate and offers better communication to fans,” said Pierluigi Collina, chair of FIFA’s referees committee.
“It can create a new form of visualisation for supporters at home and in the ground. All tests have worked well and so is going into Qatar World Cup 2022. The objective is to have very accurate technology, similar to goal-line technology.”
“We felt something was needed, and that’s why we wanted to offer something giving a quicker answer. We are aware that football is different [from other sports] and making a decision faster was important, and that’s why we worked in this direction.”
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