Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will all miss out on the first use of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) after the PGMOL confirmed the plan to introduce it to English football.
The technology, which was used in the European Championship in the summer and Champions League, will be used for the first time in English football in this weekend’s FA Cup fifth round clashes.
SAOT will be used at the seven ties where Premier League teams are at home, with just Preston North End vs Burnley the only tie not using the new technology. It means fans will get to experience SAOT for the first time on Friday night when Aston Villa take on Cardiff City.
It will also be at Selhurst Park, the Vitality Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park and Old Trafford. The change comes after raving reviews for its use in Europe, with many criticising the time taken on offside calls.
SAOT will be used in close offside calls to either confirm or recommend a change to the referee-s call on-field. It will suggest a ‘kick point’ and then create offside lines on the relevant defender and the attacker.
The FA and PGMOL have confirmed that once the outcome has been reviewed and approved by the video assistant referee, a visual will be generated and distributed to fans inside the stadium.
Testing of SAOT has been ongoing since last year ahead of its introduction to the Premier League. In 2024, clubs unanimously voted to bring the technology to the league and there were initial plans to bring it after one of the Autumn international breaks but that hasn’t been the case.
The use of SAOT in this weekend’s FA Cup games means it shouldn’t be long until the switch is in place to be used at the Emirates Stadium, Stamford Bridge and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
