Premier League confirms “significant progress” in testing semi-automated VAR offside technology

The Premier League has announced that “significant progress” has been made in the testing of semi-automated VAR offside technology in recent weeks.

Despite initial plans to implement the system earlier in the season, its deployment was delayed due to readiness concerns. Clubs had unanimously voted to adopt the technology nearly a year ago, aiming to reduce offside check times by an average of 31 seconds.

Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s chief football officer, provided an update on Tuesday, saying, “We are still testing it but we are making significant progress.”

Scholes added, “We’re in a different place to when I spoke to managers just over Christmas; we’ve made a lot of progress in this area. 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.”

The system was initially expected to be rolled out “after one of the Autumn international breaks,” but updates on its progress had been scarce, raising doubts about its arrival this season.

Scholes emphasized the importance of ensuring the technology operates flawlessly before its official introduction.