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Coventry’s eventual loss on penalties against Manchester United in the FA Cup semifinals was nearly one of the greatest stories in FA Cup history. A monumental comeback after trailing 3-0 in the second half led to Coventry scoring a stoppage-time winner in extra time. However, Haji Wright was in the buildup to Victor Torp’s goal, and the Premier League side eventually won on penalties.
Immediately, the debate turned to the nature of the offside decision against Wright. Not only did the VAR review require extended time to make a pivotal decision. The length Wright was offside was no more than a few inches. Even with semi-automated offside decision-making coming to the Premier League in the 2024/25 season, this kind of decision will still plague soccer.
This is not to say semi-automated offside is bad. It is a welcome addition to the Premier League because it removes the monotonous and anticlimactic offside reviews VAR mandates. By all accounts, it follows the rule. Haji Wright’s position would be offside, there would just not be a delay. Semi-automated offside may even make these decisions more marginal. Tracking meaningful parts of players, whether that be heads, shoulders, knees or toes, will mean the slimmest of margins will be under the microscope.
The fact of the matter is that the offside rule forces these decisions. Changing the rule will help defend against these close calls, even when they have effectively no impact on the play. Was Haji Wright’s position in extra time always going to affect the play? Maybe, but it is not as if Wright was racing in behind the defense. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was backtracking, and he eventually caught up in the play.
Semi-automated offside decisions, or a change of the rule entire?
Sunday saw a great FA Cup moment ruined by a narrow decision. As stated, the call was the correct one. Wright was offside upon a VAR review, and the referees took the goal away. That is why allowing a cushion, or a margin for…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/semi-automated-offside-wont-stop-marginal-offside-decisions/
Author : Kyle Fansler
Publish date : 2024-04-22 15:01:00
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