First, the name. Why semi-automatized? Do not be confused – it simply means that humans must check the system decision.
We have already seen a saot in the Champions League of this season and in FA Cup from the fifth round.
When a tight offside decision goes to a Var examination, Saot intervenes.
Previously, the officials of the Var room had to decide on three key things – when the ball was kicked, where and at what angle the defender’s body was when the ball was kicked and where and what angle of the attacker was at the time of contact.
Home viewers have seen this manual process take place with lines drawn with reticlations on reruns of gel frames shown on their television screens.
These three decisions are now automatically made by technology to eliminate certain elements of human subjectivity, such as the frame to freeze when the ball is launched.
Custom cameras have been installed under the roof in the 20 premier league stages to monitor a variety of key elements.
About 30 cameras – working at 100 images per second – Follow the exact movement of the ball as well as 10,000 data points on the bodies of the 22 players.
This means that it can be automatically determined if the body of an attacker was beyond the last defender at the exact time of the ball.
Var officials check the system correctly determined the three key points it measures before confirming the decision. The managers on the field then inform the players.
A 3D animation of the decision produced by artificial intelligence is then played on television for viewers at home and on the big screens of the stadium.
For the moment, civil servants have not spoken to the crowd, as was Seen in the Carabao cup.