One of the world's toughest and most popular domestic top-tier football tournaments, the English Premier League are expected to introduce semi-automated VAR offside technology (SAOT) before the end of the ongoing 2024-25 season itself. EPL is also planning to make it possible for referees to explain the decision finalized on VAR to the crowd present inside the stadium for the big games from next season itself. The move came as a surprise when the EPL said about it, stating that they have made significant progress to execute the technology now, almost a year after clubs in the England top division voted unanimously to bring this technology into their games. On Which Channel EPL 2024–25 Will Be Telecast Live in India? How To Watch Premier League Football Matches Live Streaming Online?

EPL's Chief Football Officer revealed that they have made significant progress but it will still be tested further. As per ESPN, the technology was expected to be introduced "after one of the Autumn international breaks", but no progress was seen. But now with Tony Scholes revealing about the progress, the introduction of SAOT can be hoped for soon. Scholes also added, "Now I'm hopeful that at some point this season we will be able to introduce semi-automated technology but I repeat the points I've made a number of times. We are not going to introduce it if we've got any doubts at all with regards to its operation." In-Stadium VAR Announcements Set To Be Trialed During Arsenal vs Newcastle United Carabao Cup 2024–25 Semi-Final Match

What Changes Would SAOT Bring in English Premier League?

The move would be a game-changer in football as SAOT can reduce the average time taken to review the offside calls by 31 seconds, as it provides improved graphical visualisation of offside calls. It also is expected to remove the manual element of placing lines on players and pitch-level. Reduction of decision-making time would allow quicker flow of the game. Also, if referees start explaining decisions, the experience of watching the English Premier League would be enhanced.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2025 03:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).