The Premier League will officially introduce Semi-Automated Offside Technology (hereafter SAOT) to enhance the accuracy and speed of offside decisions.
The Premier League office announced on the 2nd (Korea time) through its official channel that "the SAOT system will be applied starting from the 32nd round of the 2024-2025 season, which begins on April 12." This technology will first be used in the match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace.
SAOT is a technology that was first introduced at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, gaining significant attention. It is a system that tracks the movements of the ball and players in real-time using multiple tracking cameras and artificial intelligence (AI), instantly relaying offside situations to the video assistant referee (VAR). This process is evaluated as being much faster and more accurate than the traditional method of manually drawing lines and making judgments.
The Premier League explained, "SAOT automates the key elements of offside decisions to support VAR referees and helps provide a more accurate and rapid virtual creation of offside lines."
It also noted, "This can provide visually enhanced experiences for both on-site spectators and TV viewers."
To introduce this technology, the league office has collaborated with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and sports technology corporations "Genius Sports" to establish the SAOT system. Last April, all 20 clubs unanimously approved the adoption of this technology, and custom tracking cameras were subsequently installed on the roofs of each club's home stadium.
The initial goal was to implement it in October 2023, but the timeline was postponed due to the need for sufficient testing in various environments given the nature of the league. Consequently, the English Premier League (EPL) trialed the SAOT in a real match during the FA Cup fifth round (Round of 16) last March, and after it operated smoothly and without issues, the decision was made to officially implement it in the league.
SAOT is already being utilized in various international competitions. FIFA has actively introduced the system in the 2022 World Cup, as well as in the recent Asian Cup and Club World Cup. In major European leagues such as Italy's Serie A, Spain's La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League, SAOT has already established itself as the standard technology.
The Premier League has decided to implement this system in order to ensure the objectivity and consistency of offside decisions and to increase fan trust in VAR. SAOT is expected to play a key role in reducing controversy over decisions in the future.
Meanwhile, the match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace on the 12th at 8:30 p.m. (Korea time) will be the first in Premier League history to utilize SAOT.
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