Club World Cup will use new technology judging offside in seconds

Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign will give us a glimpse into football’s future because the semi-automated offside system is in use.

That’s right, it’s time for the robots! The idea involves limb-tracking technology automatically checking if a goal should or should not stand — looking instantly and accurately at when the pass is played and whether Player A is level with Player B or ever so slightly behind.

FIFA have been trialling the system for some time, with a view to it being used in full at the 2022 World Cup — then, all being well, we should see it in the Premier League from the start of the 2023-24 season.

Quick reaction: limb-tracking technology produces a graphic showing the attacker’s knee is ahead of the defender, and the goal is ruled out — the process takes seconds, so there is no tedious wait for VAR

Crucially, it removes the need for VAR to start drawing lines on a freeze-frame, getting rid of those torturous delays which frustrate fans.

It will all be done within seconds — and crucially, fans can see a clear image showing why the goal is disallowed.

Twelve cameras have been installed in the stadium roof in Abu Dhabi, where Chelsea will be playing on Wednesday night.

The cameras will be tracking everything happening. They will plot the skeleton of a player using 29 data points and immediately identify the furthest point forward.

It’s a complex process, as you can imagine.

Officials will like the new technology but fans might take time to get used to it 

But all you need to know is this: the technology is so sophisticated it can tell if a goalscorer is onside or offside in real time — and relay that quickly to the VAR.

Referees, assistants, and VARs know they’re always one mistake from being a target on social media.

We’ve seen it so many times since the Premier League began using VAR in 2019. So they’ll take any help they can get.

Earlier in this tournament we saw the first goal ruled out for offside using this system — Zaid Al-Ameri’s effort for Al-Jazira’s in their 6-1 first-round victory against AS Pirae of Tahiti.

The new technology will be embraced by officials. But it’s important to know whether the fans like it too.

Chelsea will be the first Premier League side to experience the new system in Abu Dhabi