What is semi-automated offside technology and how will it work in the Champions League and at the World Cup?

Fans tuning into the opening round of Champions League action for 2022/23 might well spot something they’ve never seen before. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) will be used in European football’s showpiece tournament this season for the first time, as well as at the World Cup at the end of the year in Qatar.

Ad It was used in the UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt last month and will quickly become a regular feature of the elite European game. Champions LeagueOrsic hits Chelsea on counter as Tuchel’s side suffer nightmare start in Zagreb4 HOURS AGO But what is it, and how does it work? ‘Enhancing the flow of the game’ SAOT enables video assistant referee (VAR) teams to make a call on offside decisions quickly and more accurately.

Madrid to retain? Haaland to shine? Liverpool to flop? Champions League predictions Pogba facing World Cup fitness race, Allegri expects January return Orsic hits Chelsea on counter as Tuchel’s side suffer nightmare start in Zagreb UEFA chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti vowed that it will ‘enhance the flow of the game and the consistency of the decisions.’ That will be done by having specialised cameras that track up to 29 different body parts on each player, and 12 cameras underneath the roof of the stadium that track the ball. The position of each player is tracked 50 times per second to work out their exact position on the pitch at any given moment.

How will it be used in a game? While tracking ball and player data, the technology will produce an automated offside alert to the video match officials if an attacker receives the ball in an offside position. The video match officials will then validate the proposed SAOT decision by checking manually before