La Liga President Javier Tebas has announced upcoming modifications to offside decision-making, set to take effect from the next football season. The current ‘Semi-Automatic Offside Technology’ (SAOT) has faced criticism for occasionally failing to provide sufficient clarity in crucial moments.
Over the past year and a half, issues with SAOT have become apparent, particularly in crowded penalty areas where many players are tightly grouped. The system has frequently struggled to accurately identify individual players or specific body parts when drawing offside lines. This often necessitates VAR intervention to manually draw the lines, sparking further controversy over frame selection and decision accuracy.
Tebas Unveils Plans for ‘Automatic Offsides’ in La Liga
During a Monday event at Las Rozas, where a new agreement was formalized between the Referees Union, RFEF, and La Liga, Tebas revealed that fully ‘automatic offside’ technology could be implemented as early as the upcoming season.
“We are moving towards automatic offside, and we’ll assess its readiness for next year. The current system is semi-automatic, and I personally dislike the ‘semi’ aspect,” Tebas stated in an interview with Marca. He elaborated that the new system would involve FIFA-approved chipped balls to detect contact and would necessitate advanced camera infrastructure within stadiums.
He continued, “This would ensure fully automatic offside decisions, removing the controversy surrounding specific frames. While the approval process is still ongoing, and coordination with various ball brands used across leagues is essential, this represents a key technological objective for us next season.”
The Controversial Disallowed Goal for Pau Cubarsi
A prominent example of SAOT’s shortcomings involved a disallowed goal by Pau Cubarsi during the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Despite the ultimate ruling that Cubarsi was offside, the VAR process alone consumed eight minutes. This prolonged delay not only fueled Barcelona’s frustration but also significantly disrupted the game’s flow, impacting the overall match.
