The Premier League’s new semi-automated VAR offside technology (SAOT) will be used for the first time in the FA Cup fifth round.
It’s almost a year since clubs unanimously voted to bring in the technology, which is intended to reduce the time taken for an offside check by an average of 31 seconds.
A series of delays in testing has meant the technology has not yet been introduced, but last week Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s chief football officer, said “significant progress” had been made and he was hopeful it would still come before the end of the campaign.
VAR was not in operation this season in the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup, but it will be used in all eight fixtures in the fifth round, which will be played on the weekend of March 1. This will also include announcing VAR outcomes to the stadium, as tested in the Carabao Cup semifinals.
However, SAOT will only be used at the seven Premier League grounds hosting ties. Preston North End vs. Burnley, the only fixture not being played at a top-flight ground, will have the old technology.
“Video Assistant Referees [VAR] will be active across all eight ties in the Fifth Round of this season’s Emirates FA Cup,” a joint statement issued by the Premier League, The FA and PGMOL said. “This will include in-stadium VAR announcements where match officials will announce their final decision in relation to reviewed incidents to provide improved clarity and understanding for spectators and viewers.
“The FA Cup Fifth Round will also utilise Semi-Automated Offside Technology in all seven matches taking place in Premier League stadiums, which is the first time it will be used live in competitive matches in English football.
“The new technology will be introduced in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup in collaboration with the Premier League and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] following an extensive testing period that has taken place during the 2024-25 season.
“Following successful live operation in the FA Cup, the Premier League will look to implement the system later this season.
“Semi-Automated Offside Technology will provide more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and produce virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters.
“The operation of Semi-Automated Offside Technology does not change the accuracy of the decision making but enhances the speed and efficiency of the process. This season’s FA Cup Fifth Round is set for the weekend of Saturday 1 March, and the match schedule will be confirmed in due course.
Questions have been raised about the Premier League developing its own SAOT, when other leagues have already introduced it.
Scholes said last week: “The system that we’ve adopted, we believe it to be the best system. We believe it to be the most accurate and the most futureproof system as well and that’s why we went with that.
“I have to confess, given the difficulties that we had over the first few months of the season, I had severe doubts about this, but the progress made over the last four to six weeks has been significant.
“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.”
FIFA and UEFA have used an enhanced system in the World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, which sees a chip inside the ball for better detection of when the ball has been touched. However, Adidas owns the patent for that system, and none of the major European leagues use the company as ball supplier.
Serie A was the first European domestic league to switch to SAOT, introducing it in January 2023 after a high-profile VAR error early in that campaign had seen a stoppage-time winning goal for Juventus incorrectly disallowed.
LaLiga became the second top European league to move over to SAOT at the start of this season, though its accuracy has been called into doubt several times including when Robert Lewandowski had a goal disallowed for Barcelona against Real Sociedad.
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