There's been a delay to a key change being made by the Premier League.
There's been a delay to a key change being made by the Premier League. (Image: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has explained that the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SOAT) in the Premier League has now been "put on the back-burner" as its reliability continues to be tested before being brought into competitive play.
The system was initially expected to be rolled out during one of the international breaks in September, October or November after a change in technology provider. However, concerns have arisen that its implementation might be delayed until 2025.
ESPN had earlier reported that the Premier League intended to part ways with Hawk-Eye and, in August, it was confirmed that Genius Sports would take over as a supplier for SOAT. This advanced system deploys cameras to monitor thousands of data points on players and the ball, assisting in determining offside decisions.
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When the technology detects a player to be offside - during a significant phase of play - VAR officials are alerted. While VAR will still need to verify the exact moment the ball is played, the new technology is expected to reduce the time taken to make offside decisions by an average of 30 seconds.
SOAT has already been seen in the Champions League and was also utilised at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Despite the anticipation, it seems that Manchester United, Manchester City and other Premier League clubs might have to wait longer to see the benefits of this technology. Gallagher, when speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch, was asked to address the current status of SOAT. He replied: "It's not disappeared.
"They're moving from one company to another, they've got to get it 100 per cent right. It's been trialled offline. They feel that it's not quite right at the moment."
"As you can imagine, if you're going from one company to another, then you can't jump until you're absolutely 100 per cent correct. At the moment, it's on the back-burner, but every day they are trailing it and working on it. It will come, but it's going to come at the right time."