The world football association FIFA will make a decision in the coming weeks about the possible use of semi-automatic offside technology at the World Cup in Qatar.
On Monday (06/13/2022) the rule guardians of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) informed about tests with the technology at their general assembly in Doha. However, no prior IFAB decision is required for use at the World Cup in just under half a year, this would already be covered by the previous rules for the use of video evidence. According to dpa information, FIFA wants to advise in the near future whether the technology will be used in Qatar.
Video assistant reviews decision
The semi-automatic offside technology was recently used, among other things Arab Cup and the Club World Cup in February. Several special cameras are set up to capture data points from each player that determine their position on the pitch.
The number of data points is to be increased from 18 at the Club World Cup to 29 at the World Cup. The data is checked by a video assistant in charge of offside decisions – who gives a real-time recommendation to the referee on the field.
Technology as “valuable support”
“More accurate and faster offside decisions“, named Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, as the goal of using the technology. The term “Robot offside” does not apply to that. “The referees and assistant referees are still responsible for making decisions on the pitch“said the 62-year-old Italian. “The new technology only offers valuable support to make more precise and faster decisions, especially when the offside situation is very close and therefore very difficult.”