Introducing FIFA’s new offside technology!
The Semi-Automated offside technology is basically a new technology that will help match officials–both video and on-field–make faster and more accurate offside decisions. Since V.A.R was introduced a couple of years ago, the FIFA president vowed that they would do everything possible to keep improving on the technology in order to make officiating as error-free as possible.
They did precisely that with the introduction of the semi-automated offside technology which will be infused with the V.A.R technology.
How Exactly Will The Technology Work During Live Games?
How the tech will work during live games is pretty fascinating. The new tech is expected to use 12 dedicated tracking cameras that will be placed at strategic points under the roof of the stadium. It will be used to track the ball and up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating their exact position on the pitch. The 29 collected data points include all aspects of the player’s body relevant for making offside calls.
Even more fascinating is the fact that the ball will have an inertial measurement unit sensor placed inside it. This sensor sends ball data to the video operation room 500 times per second with detailed detection of various kick points. Whenever the ball is received by an attacker who is in an offside position, the limb and ball tracking data are then combined with artificial intelligence to provide automated offside alerts to the match officials inside the operation room.
After the decision has been confirmed by both the video match officials and the officials on the pitch, the exact same positional data points that were used to arrive at the decision are then made into a 3d animation and then shown on the big screen in the stadium. It’ll also be made available to FIFA’s broadcast partners so that the spectators are informed in the clearest possible way–just like the goal-line technology.
What Next?
This is going to be a very huge step in the right direction because we have seen a lot of controversial calls when it comes to offsides in the last few years because of how limited the present V.A.R technology is.
This Tech was successfully trialed at the FIFA Club World Cup 2021 and also the FIFA Arab Cup 2021. However, the tech will still undergo more tests to ensure that the system is seamless and error-free. All details about the tech will also be relayed to the teams that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Team Workshop in Doha.
#Sport is a segment that keeps you abreast of everything happening in the world of sport, shares facts, and sometimes also takes you down memory lane to relive some unforgettable sporting moments. In this edition, we look at FIFA’s new semi-automated offside tech.
