Fifa tests new technology for ball out of play and offside

The Premier League has produced many controversial incidents in recent seasons which this technology could have helped resolve.

Two seasons ago Arsenal were furious when VAR ruled Joe Willock had kept the ball in play before Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game for Newcastle. The VAR did not have the necessary camera angle to prove the ball was out.

There have been several ‘line of sight’ offside incidents this season. When Eberechi Eze scored for Arsenal against Tottenham last month there were claims Leandro Trossard was blocking Guglielmo Vicario’s view of the ball.

The ‘Out of Bounds’ technology uses the same tracking data points and configurations as advanced semi-automated offside.

It is still only in offline testing but was provided with the opportunity to show how reliable it was in Qatar.

Paris St-Germain’s Fabian Ruiz had a goal ruled out through VAR in the Intercontinental Cup final against Flamengo because the ball had gone out.

Fifa also held further trials of immediate offside audio alerts sent to assistants, which debuted at the Club World Cup in the summer.

This is intended to reduce the number of delayed offside flags in obvious situations.

In May, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi was placed into an induced coma after colliding with a goalpost after play continued from a clear offside.

Fifa hopes quicker notifications of offside will prevent such injuries occuring.