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The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced that a new offside technology known as Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) would be used in the upcoming Champions League season.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports UEFA as saying that the SAOT will premiere at the UEFA Super Cup match between Real Madrid CF and Eintracht Frankfurt, which will take place on Wednesday 10 August at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium (kick-off 21:00 CET).
The European football governing body disclosed that SAOT, which will feature a ball with a sensor inside that will send VAR data to support fast and accurate offside calls, will be used as of the group stage in the upcoming UEFA Champions League season.
The new system will operate thanks to specialised cameras which are able to track 29 different body points per player. A total of 188 tests have been performed since 2020, including all matches in last season’s UEFA Champions League, the knock-out stage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and the complete UEFA Women’s EURO final tournament, as well as the other club competition finals.
“UEFA is constantly looking for new technological solutions to improve the game and support the work of the referees. This innovative system will allow VAR teams to determine offside situations quickly and more accurately, enhancing the flow of the game and the consistency of the decisions. The system is ready to be used in official matches and implemented at each Champions League venue,” UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer, Roberto Rosetti confirmed.
Earlier, the UEFA Referees Committee appointed Michael Oliver (England) to referee the 2022 UEFA Super Cup match between Real Madrid CF and Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 37-year-old official has been an international referee since 2012, and officiates regularly at UEFA club competitions and international matches. He was also selected as a referee for UEFA EURO 2020, where he took charge of three matches, including the quarter-final between Switzerland and Spain.
“Michael Oliver will be assisted by countrymen Stuart Burt and Simon Bennett. Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania) will act as the fourth official. The VAR role has been assigned to Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland), and he will be assisted by his fellow countryman Bartosz Frankowski, as well as Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (Portugal),” a statement on UEFA.com reads.