London, March 18: The Premier League has postponed the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) following a record eight-minute VAR check during Bournemouth’s FA Cup fifth-round clash against Wolves.
SAOT, trialled for the first time in English football across seven of the eight FA Cup fifth-round fixtures, failed at the Vitality Stadium due to what sources described as a “congested penalty area.” This led to an unprecedented delay as VAR official Timothy Wood conducted three separate reviews before ruling out Milos Kerkez’s first-half goal for offside.
As a result, plans to implement SAOT in the Premier League after the international break have been shelved. The FA has confirmed that further trials will take place in three of the FA Cup quarter-finals, as well as in the semi-finals and final. However, Championship side Preston, who are set to host Aston Villa in the last eight, will be unable to use the technology due to infrastructure limitations.
While Premier League officials remain keen to introduce SAOT this season, any decision will require club approval. The earliest possible launch date is the weekend of April 5-6, though some clubs are hesitant to make significant changes with only eight games left in the campaign.
Premier League clubs had unanimously voted for SAOT’s introduction last April, with an initial rollout planned for October. However, in-stadium testing revealed accuracy issues that were only resolved last month.
Chief football officer Tony Scholes has previously expressed “severe doubts” over the viability of SAOT, and concerns persist, particularly given the ongoing controversy surrounding VAR decisions. Although SAOT is designed to reduce offside decision times to around 30 seconds by automating the line-drawing process, its debut was overshadowed by the longest-ever VAR review in English football.
The FA had warned before the trial that marginal offside calls in crowded goalmouths might challenge the system’s effectiveness. At Bournemouth, after an initial check for handball, an offside review was initiated—but SAOT failed. The prolonged delay frustrated home supporters, who chanted, “It’s not football anymore” and “This is embarrassing,” while Wolves fans remained subdued even after the goal was disallowed.
With doubts over the system’s reliability and fears of further backlash, the Premier League now faces a critical decision on whether to push forward with SAOT this season or delay its introduction further. (Agencies)
