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It comes as the Premier League reveals a six-point plan to improve VAR, as it strives to make the system more accurate, faster and more transparent for fans.
However, after delays in testing the technology for SAOT, the Premier League says it will wait until next season if it is not entirely convinced it is reliable, or if it gets too close to the end of this season.
After 23 match rounds, the Premier League claims 100 per cent of offside decisions in the top flight have been correct. However, it wants to introduce SAOT as soon as possible to speed up the process – without reducing that accuracy.
Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s chief football officer, has admitted he was worried about the reliability of the technology for semi-automated offsides for a long time – up until a breakthrough just before Christmas.
“I have to confess, given the difficulties that we had over the first few months of the season [with SAOT testing] I had severe doubts about this. But the progress made over the last four to six weeks has been significant. So, we believe we’re going to be adopting the best system and the most accurate system – without the need for the chip in the ball.
“The EFL has introduced it into the Carabao Cup this year. We will monitor it. But the operation of semi-automated offside technology does not change the integrity of the offside law. What it does is make the process more efficient. Clearly, if we’re not confident until the last two or three match rounds, I …
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