Following the historic eight-minute video assistant referee check in the FA Cup fifth-round match between Bournemouth and Wolves, the Premier League has further postponed the use of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT).
An unprecedented wait ensued at the Vitality Stadium as the video assistant referee, Timothy Wood, made three checks before the Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez’s first-half goal was disallowed for offside. The technology, which was tested for the first time in English football in seven of the eight fifth-round matches, malfunctioned due to what sources described as a “congested penalty area.”
As a result, plans to implement SAOT in the Premier League following the international break have been rescheduled. In addition to continuing to utilize it in the semi-finals and final, the FA has stated that it will conduct another trial in three of the FA Cup quarterfinals. Preston, a Championship team, is unable to use the method because they were drawn against Aston Villa at home in the quarterfinals.
According to Premier League sources, they would like to introduce SAOT this season, but the clubs’ support would be required. The weekend of April 5–6 is the earliest it could be implemented, though some clubs are debating whether to make a big change with eight games left.
In April of last year, the clubs unanimously decided to implement SAOT. It was supposed to be implemented in October of last year, but accuracy issues were discovered during stadium testing and were not fixed until last month.
Tony Scholes, the chief football officer for the Premier League, acknowledged last month that he had “serious questions” about SAOT’s feasibility and that there are still a lot of issues. The league is hesitant to attract further criticism in light of the VAR situation.
There was considerable embarrassment that one of the first trials should result in the longest VAR check in English football because it has been reported that SAOT cuts down the waiting time for decisions to 30 seconds because the lines are drawn automatically.
Prior to the testing, the FA had issued a warning, stating that the new technology might not be able to detect minor offside judgments in packed goalmouths. Following the all-clear on a potential handball at Bournemouth, an offside check started, but SAOT was unsuccessful. Wolves supporters did not rejoice after the goal was disallowed, and home fans sang “It’s not football any longer” and “This is embarrassing” as their irritation with the wait grew.
The previous record VAR check, which took place during a Premier League match between West Ham and Aston Villa last year and lasted five minutes and 37 seconds, was more than two minutes shorter than this one.
