The ball plays a crucial role in the new system. It will contain a sensor that can transmit data 500 times per second. In this way, the moment the ball leaves the player’s foot can be reproduced more precisely than with the 50 frames per second that TV images now offer.
The data from the ball is combined with the use of twelve cameras that are hung under the roof of the stadium. Fifty times per second, the cameras determine the position of the ball and 29 points on the body of each player.
This technology should lead to very accurate information. Especially in situations that are difficult to estimate with the naked eye.
If the system believes there has been an offside situation, it will send an offside alert to the video refs, who will in turn view the offside line footage. The entire process should take no more than a few seconds, FIFA said during a presentation on Friday.
It is ultimately up to the head referee on the field to approve the decision or not.
The system has been tested during several FIFA tournaments, such as the Arab Cup and the World Cup for clubs, and is ready for use, according to the World Football Association. “VAR ensured that the error rate fell drastically a few years ago and with the semi-automatic offside technology we go one step further,” says former top referee Pierluigi Collina.
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