The changes will come into effect at the beginning of next season.
The Premier League have announced that all 20 clubs have voted unanimously to introduce Semi-Automated Offside Technology, effective from the beginning of the 2024/2025 season.
In a statement released by the Premier League, the organisation said that the new piece of technology will “provide quicker and consistent placement of the virtual offside line.”
“At a Premier League Shareholders’ meeting today, clubs unanimously agreed to the introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology,” the statement read.
“The new system will be used for the first time in the Premier League next season, and it is anticipated the technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the autumn international breaks.
“The technology will provide quicker and consistent placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and will produce high-quality broadcast graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters.”
Currently, offside decisions related to goals are double-checked by VAR officials but there have been complaints and dissatisfaction related to the time taken in checks, as well as the lack of clarity over what is happening.
The changes will aim to ensure efficiency and clarity in decision-making, so that teams don’t feel they have been wronged by a decision.
The organisation hopes that, on average, around 30 seconds could be saved per decision thanks to the new technology.
It’ll make life a whole lot easier for assistant referees, who up until now have been instructed to keep their flags down while a decision gets made by VAR officials.
Instead, assistant referees will be told via their earpiece if the technology has picked up an offside during play, thus allowing them to have quicker and more definitive reactions.
The current system of determining an offside was under scrutiny earlier this season after Luis Diaz’s incorrectly disallowed goal against Tottenham Hotspur in September.
The decision was heavily criticised by pundits such as Jamie Carragher, and led to Jurgen Klopp demanding that the game be replayed.
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