FIFA has announced that it will use state-of-the-art technology to speed up offside rulings at this year’s Football World Cup in Qatar.
In football, a referee would usually be expected to make a judgement on an offside offence.
But FIFA hope a new automated system will make offside offences easier to spot and quicker for referees.
The system was tested at the Arab Cup and Club World Cup last year. During that tournament the new technology reduced decision-making time from 70 seconds to 25 seconds on average.
The system works using a number of tools. Firstly, a sensor in the middle of the football sends 500 data points a second to confirm the time and point at which the ball was kicked.
Secondly, twelve synchronised cameras will be mounted to the tops of every stadium to monitor every movement on the pitch.
Players found to be in the offside position will immediately trigger an alert to the VAR system.
