Technology has become a permanent part of football, and FIFA has unveiled a new system designed to assist referees.
There is no turning back: technology is here to stay in football and help referees. Just as VAR appeared in 2018, the spotlight now shifts to the “semi-automatic offside,” which will debut at the World Cup in Qatar, as announced by FIFA.
The tool was tested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and LaLiga plans to adopt it in the 2023-2024 season.
At Goal.com we explain how this tool works:
Semi-automatic offside in Qatar 2022: what it is, how it works, when and where it will be applied
What is this initiative about?
Johanmes Holzmüller, FIFA’s Deputy Director of Technology, introduced the project. The goal is to help judges make faster, more accurate, and more reliable decisions. It also aims to improve communication with fans by recreating the play on stadium screens with 3D animation.
— Sevilla Football Club announced at @SevillaFC that testing of the new offside technology took place at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, June 28, 2022 [attribution: FIFA].
How does it work?
FIFA outlined the technology in a formal statement: twelve cameras installed under the stadium roof capture ball movements and up to 29 data points for each player, at 50 measurements per second, to determine exact positions on the pitch. The 29 datasets include the limbs and body parts considered for signaling offside.
The official ball of Qatar 2022, Al Rihla by Adidas, contains a decisive element for detecting questionable positions: an inertial measurement unit (IMU). This sensor, located at the ball’s center, sends data to the video room 500 times per second, enabling precise timing of ball contact.
By combining player limb and ball data and using artificial intelligence, the system automatically alerts the video room when an attacker in an offside position touches the ball at the same moment as a teammate. The Video Referee team then verifies the moment of the kick and the automatically generated offside line based on the player’s limb positions, before reporting to the Chief Referee. The process takes only a few seconds, allowing quicker and more accurate decisions.
Once confirmed, the same positional data generate a 3D animation showing the body positions at contact with the ball. This animation, from the best angles, is shown on scoreboards and distributed to FIFA’s broadcast partners to inform viewers clearly and transparently [attribution: FIFA].
The process takes 25 seconds
When a goal is involved, an orange flag appears automatically, indicating a potential offside. From that moment, videos are checked, and the information is conveyed to the referees. The overall operation time dropped from about 70 seconds to 25 seconds with the new system.
Words from Johannes Holzmüller, director of the Football Technological Innovation Branch
“The semi-automatic offside detection technology will be configured with twelve cameras, and the official match ball will carry technology across all 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums. The new system will provide referee teams with real-time video alerts using artificial intelligence. We call it semi-automatic offside detection technology because video referees will continue to monitor results and must confirm the proposed decision before informing the Chief Referee. This data is used to create a three-dimensional animation that will be broadcast to spectators in stadiums and on television, giving fans an exact picture of the offside situation.”
Words from Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA
“During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, FIFA had the courage to use VAR on the world’s biggest stage. Since then, video refereeing has become a clear success. The semi-automatic offside technology is an evolution of VAR systems implemented globally. This system is the result of three years of research and testing by FIFA and partners, aimed at delivering the best possible experience to teams, players, and fans traveling to Qatar at year’s end. FIFA is committed to leveraging technological progress to elevate football at all levels, including the use of semi-automatic offside detection on the field.”
[attribution: FIFA]