Semi-Automated Offside Tech's Embarrassing Debut in English Football

Seven Minutes of Confusion

The FA Cup weekend saw the premiere of semi-automated offside technology in English football, but its debut at the Vitality Stadium was far from smooth. Bournemouth fans, along with their Wolves counterparts, erupted in chants of "this is embarrassing" as a seven-minute delay ensued following Milos Kerkez's bundled goal, initially thought to have put Bournemouth 2-0 up.

Confusion reigned supreme as referee Sam Barrott consulted with VAR, then proceeded to discuss the situation with both managers, leaving everyone bewildered and unsure of the goal's fate.

Handball and Offside: A Complex Conundrum

The holdup, significantly longer than the promised 30-second average improvement, stemmed from the need to review both a potential handball and a tight offside call. The situation was deemed complex enough to warrant the officials drawing the crosshairs manually, a backup method for “edge cases” according to FA guidance. This manual process added significantly more time than the semi-automated system typically requires.

Ironically, the FA website previously touted a significant reduction in decision time thanks to the technology. Instead, the new system’s debut felt like a step backward, leaving fans and pundits alike scratching their heads.

Merson's Musings Amidst the Mayhem

Soccer Saturday pundit Paul Merson provided colorful commentary throughout the ordeal. Initially, he analyzed the potential handball: "When I look at this angle it looks a blatant handball but when I first watched it looked like it'd come off his hip... It's on his sleeve. It [the ball] sort of gets caught on the post with him and then he runs past it and drops into the net - and this is all done at 100mph.”

As the delay dragged on, Merson quipped: "Unbelievable. Now the ref has come over and talked to both managers... Now he hasn't said anything yet... I don't know if he was asking the coach if there was any good restaurants around there tonight or something!"

Finally, after the offside ruling against Kerkez, a perplexed Merson observed: "They have given it offside against Kerkez... But that isn't going to be the case when the corner comes in, he's not standing there already so I don't know what's happened there. I'd like to see it again but they didn't show you that part of it.”

A Far Cry from Expectations

Ultimately, the goal was disallowed for offside after an agonizing seven-minute wait. This drawn-out process starkly contrasted with the FA's promises of efficiency, leaving many questioning the technology's readiness for the high-stakes world of professional football.