Nicolas Jackson, a striker for Chelsea, is probably going to be negatively impacted by a new Premier League rule that will be implemented the following season.
With four goals in five games at the end of the Premier League season, the Senegalese striker’s total for all competitions now stands at 17. His ability to dodge the offside trap under close observation has drawn criticism and support for his goal total.
This season, Jackson (28) was caught offside more frequently than Darwin Nunez (33) of Liverpool. But perhaps next season, he’ll be fined even more due to new technology.
This is due to the fact that the Premier League plans to implement Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) in the 2024–2025 season. Ten specially designed cameras will be installed by SAOT under the roofs of the 20 Premier League stadiums to enable ideal tracking for each player on the pitch.
This will enable the player’s body to be mapped using 29 data points, improving the accuracy of offside calls. At Stockley Park, VAR officials currently examine close calls for offside during matchdays, frequently giving the attacker the benefit of the doubt.
The accuracy of this technology means that more goals are expected to be disqualified for offside in 2024–25 than in 2023–24. “The new system will be used for the first time in the Premier League next season, and it is anticipated the technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the Autumn international breaks,” the Premier League said in defence of the decision to implement SAOT starting next season.
In order to give fans a better in-stadium and broadcast experience, the technology will produce high-quality broadcast graphics and enable the virtual offside line to be placed more quickly and consistently based on optical player tracking.”