FIFA to use new high-tech for offside calls at World Cup
FIFA will introduce new technology to improve offside calls at the World Cup in Qatar this year, using a limb-tracking camera system.
FIFA said Friday it is ready to launch semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) that uses multiple cameras to track player movements plus a sensor in the ball—and will quickly show 3D images on stadium screens at the tournament to help fans understand the referee's call.
It's the third World Cup in a row that sees FIFA introduce new technology to help referees.
Goal-line technology was ready for the 2014 tournament in Brazil after a notorious refereeing error in 2010. In 2018, video review to help referees judge game-changing incidents was rolled out in Russia.
The new offside system promises faster and more accurate decisions than are currently made with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, even though the 2018 World Cup avoided major mistakes on offside calls.
Controversy has since flared in European leagues, especially where VAR officials draw on-screen lines over players for marginal calls. They have been mocked as "armpit offsides" because of the tiny margins.
"Although these tools are quite accurate, this accuracy may be improved," said Pierluigi Collina, who leads FIFA's refereeing program and worked the 2002 World Cup final in the pre-technology era.
Referee Patricio Loustau of Argentina checks the VAR during a Copa Sudamericana soccer match between Chile's Colo Colo and Brazil's Internacional in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo
Belgium's Timothy Castagne, right, scores a goal disallowed for offside during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Belgium and the Netherlands, at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Friday, June 3, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammate Pepe look to the referee Matej Jug during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Portugal and the Czech Republic, at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, Thursday, June 9, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Armando Franca
Players of Brazil's Palmeiras complain to referee Wilmar Roldan, of Colombia, during a Copa Libertadores round of sixteen first leg soccer match against Paraguay's Cerro Porteno in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Jorge Saenz