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2mo ago

Brazil’s Série A Turns On Semi‑Automatic Offside System

CBF says the new camera-and-AI tool will speed and standardize VAR offside checks and will be monitored for reliability and referee training going forward.

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Overview

  • The Confederação Brasileira de Futebol activated the semi-automatic offside system across all Série A stadiums starting Saturday, July 25, as part of the 20th round rollout.
  • Genius Sports installed 28–32 high‑definition cameras per stadium and software that reconstructs plays from 4K images at about 100 frames per second to identify player positions in real time without a ball chip.
  • VAR officials remain the final decision-makers: the system sends an automated 3D animation to the VAR room and human referees validate the output before informing the on-field referee.
  • The tool produced immediate results during its debut weekend by confirming Chapecoense’s equalizer in Santos v Chapecoense and later helping overturn a Flamengo goal versus São Paulo, with leagues reporting roughly a 33% cut in review time when the system is used.
  • CBF and Genius Sports will monitor performance and follow a published failure protocol that notifies teams and fans and reverts to manual VAR line marking if the system or stadium connectivity fails.