“We are working on it, we are not in a hurry. We want to make sure that it works perfectly, “said FIFA Judges’ Chief Collina to use semi-automatic offside technology.
These days in Doha are dedicated to approving changes to the rules and discussing proposals for further adjustments.
“It simply came to our notice then. Our experts will look into it before we decide whether or not to use them for the World Cup, “said Infantino after the meeting of the International Football Rules Committee.
According to Colina, the possibility of a “faster decision” and also that it will be a “verdict with greater acceptance” speaks in favor of introducing the novelty.
The semi-automatic offside technology was tested at the Arab Cup and the Club World Cup in February.
What’s up? What is the point? This is definitely not an easy matter to use on most playing fields.
Several special cameras are set up that capture data points from each player, which precisely determine his position on the field. The number of data points is set to increase from 18 at the World Cup clubs to 29 at the World Cup. The data is checked by a video assistant who is in charge of the offside decision – this gives real-time recommendations to the referee on the court. So it is not a complete automation of offside detection. “We’re definitely not talking about robo-offside,” said Collina, a former renowned judge who is one of the key players in putting the novelty into practice.
The main benefit is considered to be that the new technology can accurately determine the moment of passing and the position of individual body parts of defending and attacking players.
But the referee will still have the last word. Especially the one with the video. “The computer can draw a line and determine the offside position, but how much the players involved got involved and influenced the game, one still has to do,” said Collina, who said it was the most significant test of football technology to date.
