The Champions League will use specialized cameras to clarify offside actions during group stage matches from next month, UEFA announced on Wednesday.
The Semi-Automatic Offside Technology, which was endorsed by FIFA last month for use at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, uses multiple cameras to better track players’ limbs and establish the precise moment of the pass.
It is a technology that would allow an offside to be signaled more quickly and accurately in contrast to the current technology of video arbitration (VAR).
UEFA reported that it will use the new technology next Wednesday, with the duel of the European Super Cup in Helsinki between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt. The Champions League will start on September 6.
The technology was put to the test in the Women’s European Championship that ended on Sunday in England and in the last edition of the Champions League.
“UEFA is constantly looking for new technological solutions to improve the game and support the work of referees,” UEFA chief referee Roberto Rosetti said in a statement.
The controversies in European football have been repeated with the VAR and narrow offside lines. Many have scoffed at the decisions, calling them “underarm offside” due to the minimal margin.