Overview
- An initial offside flag at Fulham was overturned after semi-automated review, and Wirtz’s Liverpool equaliser was awarded as onside.
- The Premier League has used a 5cm tolerance since 2021-22 to give attackers the benefit of doubt on marginal offside calls.
- Under IFAB Law 11, offside is set at the first touch of the pass, placing Wirtz within the tolerance on the VAR-selected kick-point frame.
- VAR’s frame choice and higher camera frame-rate can differ from TV images, there is no chip in the match ball, and league animations are not knitted to live footage.
- A former PGMOL chief and analysts questioned the decision and the presentation, while other top leagues removed any tolerance after adopting semi-automated offside.