FIFA World Cup 2022 will feature an updated VAR (video assistant referee) system known as semi-automatic offside technology, the international football governing body. today. SAOT will replace the old (and still) VAR system that FIFA first introduced in Russia. The new system features 12 stadium cameras that will track both the ball and each player’s position, including 29 different data points on each player’s limbs and extremities. On top of that, a ball Each match will be equipped with a motion sensor, which will provide live data on the player’s position at the time of the kick.
FIFA believes SOAT will help referees make faster and more accurate decisions in offside decisions. “VAR has already had a very positive impact on football and we can see that the number of major errors has already decreased significantly. We expect semi-auto offside technology to take us one step further.” Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said in a statement.
By , the new system should reduce the average time taken to make a VAR offside decision from 70 seconds to 25 seconds. The old VAR system required the offside lines to be drawn manually and the hit point calculated. FIFA officials claim that SOAT will automatically select both the offside line and the point of impact in seconds, using both ball data and limb tracking data from cameras. Human officials will then manually approve each decision. After each decision is reached, a 3D animation will be shown to the audience visualizing the offside decision.
While it may seem risky to introduce an entirely new virtual referee system at a global event like the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a more basic version of SOAT went through test drives last year. and this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. You can watch the SOAT demo here.
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