Serie A will continue to be on the forefront of technology, as it happened with VAR a few years back. The semiautomatic offside will be tested in the second half of the season. It will happen offline, therefore it will have no impact on matches at first. It will be a dry run to see whether it is viable and helpful, Sky Sport reports.
FIFA had been working with their providers to seek a system for more precise and quicker determinations of the infraction. Their goal is to deploy the instrument in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The first change is that a machine will set the lines for the offside. Today, it is up to the VAR assistant to do that manually.
But the technology can go even further. The next step is real-time tracking of the players on the pitch to verify right away whether somebody was offside. If it works out, it would significantly speed up the time of the reviews.
Speaking of rules, a recent and temporary measure is likely to stick. According to The Times, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the independent organ that regulates football, is considering making the five subs permanent. They were introduced because the pandemic and the consequent stoppage compressed the schedule. It has reportedly received strong support within the industry. It would remain discretionary, as leagues could still opt to keep the standard three. The body is also studying whether it could be beneficial to push halftime to 25 minutes.