The Premier League is in talks to introduce semi-automatic offsides, with other tweaks to the beleaguered VAR system perhaps on the horizon.
- IFAB launches consultation to improve VAR system
- Major changes will take some time
- The Premier League may introduce semi-automatic offside next season
WHAT HAPPENED? More than four years after its introduction in the Premier League, the use of VAR is more controversial than ever, dominating the agenda on an almost weekly basis. While managers fume and pundits suggest reforming or scrapping the system, football’s lawmakers behind the scenes – the International Football Association Board (IFAB) – have launched a series of consultations on possible changes to the system. Any major repairs are likely to take many months of testing, but the Telegraph reports that clubs are increasingly confident that the use of semi-automatic offside technology could be sanctioned by the Premier League for the start of next season.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Semi-automatic offside has already been incorporated into VAR in Serie A, UEFA competitions and FIFA World Cups with results relayed to referees much faster than in the English top flight. The Premier League has so far resisted calls to use an automated system, but it seems only a matter of time before it arrives to resolve at least one of the criticisms the technology has faced from managers, fans and players nervously awaiting decisions. How football deals with the many other side effects of video technology remains a much broader question.
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR VAR? Head of referees Howard Webb will be hoping for a quiet weekend as the Premier League kicks off on Saturday for the final round of games before the November international break.