They've arrived. Robots are now being introduced in football, and Chelsea will be the first Premier League club to trial the latest technology in football at the Club World Cup.
Technically speaking, there won't be any robots roaming around on the pitch, so don't worry about Mike Dean becoming redundant to the person having to oil the machine or a slide tackled that sees a metallic arm and leg flying.
Although the whole point of the new tech is to track limbs. The technology is a 'limb tracking' system that will make automatic offside decisions.
The technology is quick as half a second and will operate via special cameras fixed to the roof of stadiums to create a visual animation that will determine the decision. This means that it will become quicker for referees to make correct decisions.
Virtual Assistant Refereeing, or as the well-known dread acronym it’s now known as VAR, has come under serious criticism since it was introduced two years ago, mostly after onfield referees have made decisions that are incorrect despite the technology that is already instated and at their disposal.
One of the biggest criticisms of the current VAR system is the amount of time it takes to make a decision. On-field referees have support from Stockley Park and can review a monitor to watch replays.
Yet the right decision is not always made. That’s the human factor of sport, and people make mistakes. But, this new technology will make accurate decisions and allow that message to get to officials quicker than before.
It’s a win-win if the trial proves to be a success and will allow football to restore the balance of minimal disruption, yet still have the right resources and help given to officials to make the game fair and deliver just decisions.
The trial of the 'robot-refs' is taking place during the Club World Cup and Chelsea's clash with Al-Hilal today (Wednesday). FIFA are hopeful that the newest tech to grace football will help make decisions more straightforward. The referees won't be the only ones helping out as it has the "potential to provide new insights for coaches, medical staff, and fans".
They also added the technology would be accessible to the backroom staff of clubs to "analyse the action from the point of view of a specific player on the pitch, scrutinise a match-changing moment from the perfect angle or get a bird's-eye view of the pitch."
So, don't worry, we're not going to have an on-field invasion of Daleks, but the 'robot-refs' as this new tech has been dubbed sure will help all parties - fingers crossed and here's to hoping it goes to plan.
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