Manchester City fans will witness a Premier League first on Saturday 12th April.
When Pep Guardiola takes the Citizens to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, the Premier League will be debuting a new automated offside system – the one used by UEFA in the Champions League.
Semi-automated offside technology will be introduced by the Premier League for Matchweek 32, commencing on Saturday 12 April
Read more about the introduction 👇
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 1, 2025
As Manchester City supporters will know from watching UEFA Champions League matches regularly in recent years, the automated system is a lot more accurate and quicker compared to those in the VAR booth using thick, wonky lines and their naked eye to adjudge an offside in the Premier League.
As a result, we feel Omar Marmoush stands to benefit from the change more than most will at Manchester City.
Why Omar Marmoush could benefit from new automated offside system
Despite only arriving at the Etihad Stadium in January, the Egypt international has been caught offside more than any other Manchester City player this season with seven offsides to his name.
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However, due to the fact Marmoush – who Micah Richards admires – often plays on the shoulder of the last defender, a few of these offsides have been extremely narrow calls, which may have even been called incorrectly given how thick the lines used by the Premier League are.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Therefore, a detailed, accurate automated system could see the Manchester City No.7 rewarded more often for his daring runs.
Manchester City fans should have a better experience at the Etihad Stadium too
Not only could this change benefit Marmoush – who has impressed fans – but it is set to improve the matchday experience for supporters as well.
"I think it will be brilliant"
Dermot Gallagher says that introducing semi-automated offsides to the Premier League is a positive decision. pic.twitter.com/Y2Bu22Ubky
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 3, 2025
At the moment, supporters are often made to wait far too long for the human eye to make a decision – one offside call during the recent FA Cup clash between Bournemouth and Wolves even took eight minutes to sort out.
However, the automated system takes a matter of seconds to find an outcome and immediately displays the verdict on the big screen, which should ensure the pace of the game is not lost, and fans are not being made to wait around, wondering what exactly is going on.