Official: Premier League will officially launch semi-automatic offside technology on April 12

The Premier League announced on Tuesday that the semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT) will be officially launched on April 12 (the 32nd round of the Premier League). The technology has completed non-real-time testing in the Premier League and has been put into practical use since the fifth round of this season's FA Cup.

The Premier League later introduced the role and characteristics of semi-automatic offside technology in a statement: "Semi-automatic offside technology can automate key links in the offside determination process and provide support for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR)."

“The technology uses an optical tracking system to accurately locate the virtual offside line and generate virtual graphics to provide fans with a better live and televised experience.”

“The technology improves the speed, efficiency and consistency of offside decisions while ensuring the fairness of the decision process. The Premier League worked with the Professional Referees Law (PGMOL) and sports data and technology company Genius Sports to develop the new semi-automatic offside system.”

In April 2024, the Premier League confirmed that it would introduce semi-automatic offside technology from the 2025/26 season. Semi-automatic offside technology was first used by FIFA at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and has now been extended to the Champions League, Serie A and La Liga. According to British media reports, the Premier League's semi-automatic offside system will use 28 iPhone 14 and above smartphones, relying on the GeniusIQ platform developed by Genius Sports to track the offside of players on the field. Cameras are installed around the field, recording video at 200 frames per second and simultaneously analyzing the player's position.

However, the semi-automatic offside technology was not put into use as scheduled in October last year, but was postponed to this month. The Premier League explained at the time that the relevant parties found "blind spots" during the testing process, such as when the ball was surrounded by multiple players, the semi-automatic offside determination technology did not work 100% of the time. After further optimization, the technology was finally officially launched in April this year.