The days of waiting for an endless amount of time for a VAR offside decision to be made are almost over…or at least FIFA hopes so.
FIFA has spent the past two years experimenting and testing semi-automated VAR, which allows for offside detection in seconds. And now it’s ready for its first public outing at the FIFA Arab Cup starting on Tuesday, November 30.
The aim is to get the offside semi-automatic VAR approved and ready for use at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar within the next year or so. That means the Arab Cup, which is also being held in Qatar as a test event for World Cup stadiums, is an important stepping stone.
What is semi-automatic offside?
Football is looking to the future, because this is all about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics. But most importantly for fans, it’s quickness.
The AI-based technology uses automatic ball detection and creates three-dimensional models of a player’s position instantly. The plan is that it will improve kicking accuracy by using tracking data and sensor technology from the camera system, while a player’s skeleton will be modeled to identify which parts of the body are on it. the player’s body goes the furthest.
Makes sense?
“It’s based on limb tracking technology, or some call it skeleton tracking technology,” said Johannes Holzmuller, Football Innovation & Technology Director, told FIFA’s Live Football program. “We call it semi-automatic offside because ultimately the VAR still has to confirm and confirm the proposed offside line and the suggested teeing point that appear from the software, and then the VAR notifies the the referee on the field. about the decision.”
How will it work?
“It’s a camera-based system,” explains Holzmuller. “We have 10 to 12 cameras installed inside the stadium under the roof. These cameras are tracking the players and tracking up to 29 data points at 50 times per second and this data then closes. like real time is processed and calculated by software, by Artificial Intelligence and this is sent automatically to VAR and playback operator.
“What we will have at the FIFA Arab Cup is a dedicated offside station where we have a VAR assistant sitting across from the replay operator and then this can be validated and confirmed right away. instantly.”
It means that the assistant VAR, or in domestic competitions, the main VAR, will be able to see almost immediately if a player is in an offside position. VAR will be able to determine very quickly if this player is active and notify the referee team on the field, then the assistant can raise the flag to stop the game.
The only exception is when VAR may need to assess whether a player is interfering with play, such as being within the goalkeeper’s line of sight or interfering with an opponent.
Why does VAR need to change the offside?
“VAR has had a very positive impact so far in football and we can say that the number of big mistakes has decreased significantly,” Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s head of referees, told Live programme. Football of FIFA. “However, there are still areas where it can be improved, and certainly offside is one of them.
“We know that sometimes the process to check for an offside possibility takes too long, especially when the offside assessment is very tight. And sometimes the accuracy with the placement of the lines may not be right. 100%. For these reasons, FIFA is developing a technology that can give answers faster and more accurately, and this is what is known as semi-automatic offside.”
So what does this mean? First, it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact point the passer hit because the televised camera frame rates are used across all major leagues.
And there are other problems. VAR manually picks the furthest forward for both defenders and attackers, which is inconsistent and even the same VAR can make a slightly different decision if counted the second time around. AI removes all subjectivity from the process.
Additionally, 3D rendering of players on a 2D monitor cannot be accurate, while fans often do not accept the results due to the parallax (camera angle relative to the player’s position) on the image. 2D TV images.
The time to judge offside, in some cases exceeding five minutes for complex decisions, adds to the frustration.
In general, advocates do not really believe in the process.
Holzmuller added: “The focus is always on two aspects. “The first point is the tee, so we hope that, with the help of technology, we can pinpoint the exact moment when the ball is hit. And the second point is that we can determine the set. Which body part of the attacker or second-last-back defender is closest to the goal line?
“We hope with the help of technology we can be more precise and faster.”
So, why are semi-automated things better?
Well, it will:
– Eliminates the need for a delayed flag in most cases
– Make decisions almost instantly
– End most doubts about a goal being scored
Perhaps most importantly, this meant that the end of the offside flag was delayed. You won’t see the game go on for a long time, only the last flag is raised after the ball has gone into goal or the attack has ended. Offside decisions will be made immediately, in most cases the flag will be raised before a goal is scored. In any other case, the decision must be as swift as it was before VAR was introduced into the game.
David Elleray, technical director of IFAB legislators, said: “Does the semi-automatic offside result in the removal of a flag delayed for offside? The answer to that is pretty close. definitely yes”. “It will remove the uncertainty that fans currently hate. Is he around? Can I celebrate? It’s a goal?”
These factors can make a drastic change – whereby a goal disallowed by a notable VAR decision would be extremely rare. Goals will still be disallowed for offside via VAR, but the decision will take place in the background and fans shouldn’t even notice it there. Or at least that’s the plan.
So can fans celebrate goals again?
Even if VAR was relaxed offside this season, in the Premier League, one-third of the 48 VAR reversals were offside-related. And of the 16 goals that were disallowed, 10 were offside.
– How VAR decisions have affected every club in the Premier League
But that only scratches the surface. All goals and penalty decisions had to be checked for offside. And that can lead to long delays in decision making – even when merely confirming a decision made on the pitch. That could end.
Can we go back to a situation where the first thought in fans’ minds is no longer fear of an unauthorized target or lengthy checks? With new technology, that’s the plan. Surely fans will be skeptical.
“Semi-autonomous [semi-automated] Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the Football Association said: “Offside would be a real step forward. It is widely recognized that the fan experience is negatively impacted when waiting for confirmation that a goal has been scored.
“If you have a situation where you are semi-automatically offside, where the assistant always knows if the players are offside, they can make the decision immediately without mentioning it, that would be a step We’re always looking for ways to improve the fan experience.”
But aren’t we going back to the outside of the pedicure?
Hope not. Better technology is more accurate, of course, and fans hate offside decisions. So there needs to be a balance between technology and decision making.
“It will detect all the externals, even smaller than what we are detecting today with current technology,” Collina said at an IFAB press conference in March. “So it’s going to be more precise, and ironically we’re going to have more marginal differences that can be detected. It’s a matter of football spirit.”
The key phrase in Collina’s quote is “that maybe detected”, as it does not mean that technology will be used to return the offside VAR to its original position. The VAR will tell exactly how far offside the attacking player is, down to centimeters, because so if the parameters are given there is no reason to improve the accuracy of decision making to make the toenail regrow.
Since one of FIFA’s other goals is to improve the visibility of offside VAR, it doesn’t seem like they’ll want to go back to the previous system.
What can we expect at the FIFA Arab Cup?
This is the big one. For the first time, the offside semi-automatic VAR will be used to actually make decisions in live matches. Previously, it was only used in empty stadiums in test scenarios at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and Bayern Munich’s Allianz Stadium, and also in the background at events such as the FIFA Club World Cup .
But it’s streaming live now, and it’s an important step toward being officially approved and used at next year’s World Cup.
FIFA will be able to find out how accurate the system is, its reliability and any improvements needed.
“We have tested it in several countries in Europe, in Germany, Spain and the UK,” Holzmuller said. “We have collected a lot of data and are working very closely with the MIT Sports Lab and with Victoria University in Melbourne, as well as the robotics company ETH in Zurich, to analyze this data. and I’d say that at the moment we have an understanding of the quality of the technology and what can be achieved if you develop further in the coming weeks and months.”
Does that mean ready for semi-automatic offside?
Not really, it’s still officially beta, which is why it’s used at the FIFA Arab Cup in six World Cup stadiums.
Successful offline tests were held at Club World Cup events in 2019 and 2021, but development has been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic.
We’re done, however, and after a follow-up test at the Club World Cup next February, it could be approved for full use after the IFAB Annual General Meeting in March. .
When will we see it in the Premier League?
It will take an even longer time for domestic leagues to get this technology in place.
As it is being developed by FIFA, the World Cup will be the first place it will be witnessed in a major competition. That means the Premier League, and other domestic leagues, will have to wait until the 2023-24 season before it arrives. That said, UEFA will likely use it in the knockout stages of European competitions like the Champions League next season.
Will VAR ever be fully automated?
Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s director of global football development, said he wanted the offside decision to go straight from technology to the line-in and cut out VAR. But Collina ruled that out.
“Finished line technology clarifies black and white decisions because there are only shadows and lines, and for this reason, it is fairly easy to find a fully automated solution,” says Collina. “In an offside situation, the decision is made after analyzing not only the positions of the players, but also their participation in the game.
“Technology, today or tomorrow, may draw a line but the assessment of interference with the play, or with the opponent, remains in the hands of the referees. The participation of the referees in the decision-making process. Judging offside is still important and final.”
