FIFA will use the upcoming Arab Cup to try out a semi-automatic detection of offside in football using specialised cameras and a dedicated offside video assistant.
If the results are positive, the system may then be used at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
A camera system would be set up on the roof of each stadium and information relayed to a video assistant who can then alert the referee.
“Limb tracking data extracted from the video will be sent to the operations rooms and the calculated offside line and detected kick-point is provided,” Johannes Holzmueller, FIFA director of football technology and innovation, said on Monday.
“The replay operator then has the opportunity to show it immediately to the VAR,” added Holzmueller. “At the FIFA Arab Cup the assistant VAR at a dedicated offside station can immediately validate and confirm the information.”
The Arab Cup is also a dry run for the 2022 World Cup with 16 teams in the tournament that runs to December 16 using six stadiums in Qatar.
