Robot referees will officiate during the upcoming Club World Cup, as Chelsea will become the first Premier League side to experience the new technology.
It is expected that the new technology will be used to make offside decisions within half a second.
How is this going to work? Special cameras will be attached to the stadium roofs and will be used to create a ‘limb-tracking system’, creating animated skeletons that will help speed up the decision-making process when it comes to offside calls.
The VAR referees will then be alerted of the decision made by the robot referee and the on-pitch referee will be informed.
The system is expected to be fully implemented by FIFA before the start of this year’s World Cup in November and December. According to FIFA, the robots have the: “potential to provide new insights for coaches, medical staff, and fans.”
Chelsea will be hoping to win the competition this year after losing previously to Corinthians in the final in 2012. The Blues will be at the tournament in the United Arab Emirates thanks to their Champions League success last season, in which they beat Manchester City 1-0 in the final in Porto.
