Sports
Qatar 2022: FIFA to Use Semi-Automated Offside Technology
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has announced that semi-automated offside technology will be used at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
The new technology will offer a support tool for the video match officials and the on-field officials to help them make faster, more accurate and more reproducible offside decisions on the biggest stage of all.
Following the successful use of VAR technology at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, FIFA President, Mr Gianni Infantino, declared in The Vision 2020-23 that FIFA would strive to harness the full potential of technology in football and further enhance VAR.
By working with Adidas and various partners, and especially with the Working Group for Innovation Excellence and technology providers, FIFA has spent the last few years further improving the VAR system, including the use of semi-automated offside technology.
How Does It Work?
The new technology uses 12 dedicated tracking cameras mounted underneath the roof of the stadium to track the ball and up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating their exact position on the pitch. The 29 collected data points include all limbs and extremities that are relevant for making offside calls.
Al Rihla, the official match ball for the tournament, will provide a further vital element for the detection of tight offside incidents as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor will be placed inside the ball. This sensor, positioned in the centre of the ball, sends ball data to the video operation room 500 times per second, allowing a very precise detection of the kick point.
By combining the limb- and ball-tracking data and applying artificial intelligence, the new technology provides an automated offside alert to the video match officials inside the video operation room whenever the ball is received by an attacker who was in an offside position at the moment the ball was played by a teammate. Before informing the on-field referee, the video match officials validate the proposed decision by manually checking the automatically selected kick point and the automatically created offside line, which is based on the calculated positions of the players’ limbs. This process happens within a few seconds and means that offside decisions can be made faster and more accurately.
After the decision has been confirmed by the video match officials and the referee on the pitch, the exact same positional data points that were used to make the decision are then generated into a 3D animation that perfectly details the position of the players’ limbs at the moment the ball was played. This 3D animation, which will always show the best possible perspectives for an offside situation, will then be shown on the giant screens in the stadium and will also be made available to FIFA’s broadcast partners to inform all spectators in the clearest possible way.
The workflow of semi-automated offside technology and the connected ball technology have been successfully trialled at numerous test events and live at FIFA tournaments, including the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2021.
During these matches, the new technology was able to support the video match officials by helping them to make more accurate and more reproducible offside decisions in a shorter period of time.
The data collected during online and offline tests has been analysed and validated by the MIT Sports Lab, with TRACK at Victoria University scientifically validating the limb-tracking technology. Further insights into the technological capabilities of such multi-camera tracking systems are being provided by a research team at ETH Zurich.
More tests will be conducted in the coming months to fine-tune the system before a global standard is implemented to ensure that the new technology can be used in the world of football.
Speaking on the development, Mr Johannes Holzmüller, FIFA’s Director of Football Technology & Innovation said — “We will have the semi-automated offside set-up with 12 cameras and the official match ball with connected ball technology in all stadiums at the FIFA World Cup 2022. The new technology will provide video match officials with real-time offside alerts using artificial intelligence.
“As the video match officials will be quality-controlling these outputs, we still refer to the system as ‘semi-automated offside’ as the video match officials have to validate the proposed decision and then inform the on-field referee.
“By using the exact same data to create a 3D animation for in-stadium fans and TV viewers, fans will receive a quick and accurate visualisation of the offside situation. This process was developed with input from FIFA’s Fan Experience Panel.”
FIFA added that all details on the semi-automated offside technology set-up and the connected ball technology will be presented to the teams that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Team Workshop in Doha, Qatar on July 4-5 and then shared with the public.
The FIFA World Cup will hold in Qatar from November 21.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senegalese Football Federation has said it would appeal against the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip it of the 2025 AFCON trophy at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
It called the decision “an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision which brings discredit to African football”.
CAF on Tuesday night declared Morocco champions, following a walkout staged by the Senegal team, but later returned to defeat Morocco 1-0.
CAF, in a statement yesterday, said “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match,” a 1-0 victory in the final, “with the result being officially recorded as 3-0” in favour of Morocco.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said in a statement “its action was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations”.
During the final on January 18, with the scoreline 0-0, Congolese referee Jean Jacques Ndala gave a spot-kick in the eighth minute of added time.
Ndala was advised by the video assistant referee (VAR) to consult the pitchside monitor and review defender El Hadji Malick Diouf’s challenge on Diaz.
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw, still incensed by Ndala’s decision a few moments earlier to disallow a Senegal goal from Ismaila Sarr, ushered his team off the field.
The decision follows an appeal by the Moroccan FA, which CAF said is “declared admissible in form” and was upheld.
CAF added that “through the conduct of its team”, Senegal infringed on Article 82 of the regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, and as a result, Article 84 became applicable.
Article 82 states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, it will be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition.
Article 84 complements this provision, stating that any team that violates Article 82 will be permanently eliminated and will lose the match 3-0.
By Dipo Olowookere
Senegal has been stripped of the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy it won on January 18, 2026.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said the trophy now belongs to Morocco, which hosted the tournament.
Senegal defeated Morocco by a lone goal to clinch the title in extra time after earlier leaving the pitch due to a penalty awarded to the host nation, which was later lost after a restart.
The penalty was awarded in the last minute of the match following a VAR check by Congolese referee, Jean-Jacques Ndala, after Brahim Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal full back, El Hadji Malick Diouf.
The Senegalese team was not happy with the call because they had earlier been denied one against Morocco. The Teranga Lions’ coach, Pape Bouna Thiaw, ordered his players to leave the pitch in protest, but Sadio Mane persuaded them to return after a 14-minute delay, and when the spot kick was taken by Diaz, he played it into the hands of Édouard Mendy.
The game went into extra time, and in the 94th minute, Pape Gueye netted the only goal.
After the tournament, Morocco launched an appeal to void Senegal’s win, but lost as CAF said Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations were not violated.
However, in a twist, the football governing body on the continent made a U-turn, declaring Morocco the 2025 AFCON champions.
It recorded the final match as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), setting aside the earlier decision of the CAF Disciplinary Board.
CAF upheld “the appeal lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF)” and declared it “admissible,” agreeing that “Articles 82 and 84” were breached.
“The CAF Appeal Board further finds that the conduct of the Senegal team falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations,” a part of the statement read.
“In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal team is declared to have forfeited the match, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF),” it further announced.
The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 concludes this week as the second-leg fixtures determine which teams will advance to the quarter-finals. All the key fixtures will be broadcast live on SuperSport across DStv and GOtv.
Tuesday: Rescue Missions and Defensive Masterclasses
Tuesday’s action begins at 6:45 pm as Sporting Lisbon hosts Bodo/Glimt. The Norwegian side produced one of the competition’s standout results with a 3–0 first-leg victory and will aim to protect that advantage in Lisbon, while Sporting must deliver a remarkable comeback to keep their European hopes alive. The match airs on SS Football Plus HD (DStv Ch. 202).
At 9:00 pm, Manchester City face Real Madrid in another high-profile encounter. Madrid holds a commanding 3–0 advantage after an impressive first-leg performance, leaving City with a daunting task at the Etihad Stadium against the most decorated club in the competition. The match will be shown on SS Football Plus HD (DStv Ch. 202).
Also at 9:00 pm, Chelsea welcomes Paris Saint-Germain to Stamford Bridge. PSG arrive with a 5–2 aggregate lead and the attacking quality to threaten on the counter, while Chelsea must produce a near-perfect performance to overturn the deficit. The match airs on SS Premier League (GOtv Ch. 65, DStv Ch. 203).
At the same time, Arsenal take on Bayer Leverkusen with the tie finely balanced at 1–1. Both teams impressed in the first leg, and the decisive encounter at the Emirates Stadium promises a tightly contested tactical battle. Watch live on SS La Liga (GOtv Ch. 62, DStv Ch. 204).
Wednesday: Deciders Across Europe
Wednesday’s programme begins at 6:45 pm as Barcelona host Newcastle United with the aggregate score level at 1–1. Newcastle travel to Spain with renewed confidence after recent domestic victories, while Barcelona will rely on their experience and home support to push for qualification. The match airs on SS Premier League (GOtv Ch. 65, DStv Ch. 203).
At 9:00 pm, Liverpool welcome Galatasaray to Anfield, trailing 1–0 from the first leg. With the tie still within reach, Liverpool must produce a strong performance at home to overturn the deficit against a Galatasaray side full of belief. The match will be shown on SS Football Plus HD (DStv Ch. 202).
Also at 9:00 pm, Tottenham face Atletico Madrid in North London. Atletico carry a commanding 5–2 advantage after the first leg and will look to rely on their defensive organisation, while Spurs must deliver an attacking display to keep the contest alive. The match airs on SS Premier League (GOtv Ch. 65, DStv Ch. 203).
The night concludes in Munich, where Bayern Munich hosts Atalanta with a comfortable 6–1 aggregate lead. Bayern appear firmly in control of the tie, while Atalanta will aim to restore pride after a difficult first leg. Watch live on SS La Liga (GOtv Ch. 62, DStv Ch. 204).
Round of 16 – Second Leg Fixtures
Tuesday, 17 March
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Sporting Lisbon vs Bodo/Glimt — 6:45 pm (SS Football Plus HD)
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Manchester City vs Real Madrid — 9:00 pm (SS Football Plus HD)
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Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain — 9:00 pm (SS Premier League)
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Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen — 9:00 pm (SS La Liga)
Wednesday, 18 March
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Barcelona vs Newcastle United — 6:45 pm (SS Premier League)
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Liverpool vs Galatasaray — 9:00 pm (SS Football Plus HD)
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Tottenham Hotspur vs Atletico Madrid — 9:00 pm (SS Premier League)
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Bayern Munich vs Atalanta — 9:00pm (SS La Liga)
Catch Every Game
Catch all the UEFA Champions League action live on SuperSport on DStv and GOtv. Matches are also available to stream via DStv Stream and GOtv Stream. Manage or upgrade your subscription via the MyDStv or MyGOtv apps, visit www.dstv.com or www.gotvafrica.com, or dial *288# to stay connected.
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