The Premier League will use semi-automated offside technology before the end of the year.
The system will use camera footage and tracking software to calculate the position of players at the moment of a potential offside, replacing the need for VAR teams to do so. In trials, this process has been shown to reduce the average length of a VAR decision by 31 seconds.
Clubs voted unanimously to introduce the technology at a Premier League shareholders’ meeting on Thursday, with its first use expected in the autumn but not at the season’s start.
Football’s global governing body FIFA used semi-automated offside technology at the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar after running a series of trials, including at the Club World Cup.
It is also used in the Champions League and in Italy’s Serie A.