BOURNEMOUTH, England — A dramatic moment unfolded on Saturday during the FA Cup match between Bournemouth and Wolves, as it took an extended period of over seven minutes for the video-assistant referee (VAR) to disallow a goal, despite the presence of a new semi-automatic offside system being tested in the tournament.
Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez briefly celebrated what he believed was a 2-0 lead in the first half after scoring with a header from a corner. However, the joy was short-lived, as it was determined that the ball deflected off teammate Dean Huijsen, who was in an offside position at the time, before finding the net.
The trialing of the semi-automatic offside technology in English soccer was anticipated to help quicken these decisions. However, due to a simultaneous review for potential handball, the system couldn’t be fully utilized, as per rights-holder BBC. Consequently, the VAR had to manually assess the situation, leading to an unusually prolonged pause before reaching the conclusion that the goal would not stand—a decision made seven minutes after the ball had crossed the line.
Throughout this extended interruption, fans from both clubs expressed their frustration, chanting, “It’s not football anymore.” Prolonged pauses in play due to VAR have faced widespread criticism, as most reviews typically conclude within a couple of minutes.
The newly introduced semi-automated offside system is intended to accelerate these decisions, with officials previously stating it would cut down the average review time to just 31 seconds.
The match, ultimately tied at 1-1 after Wolves’ Matheus Cunha scored an equalizer in the second half, proceeded to extra time.
