Bournemouth and Wolves fans expressed their discontent during an FA Cup match as a goal check extended beyond seven minutes, prompting chants of "this is embarrassing" from the stands. The lengthy pause occurred at the Vitality Stadium when officials reviewed a shot by Milos Kerkez, which initially seemed to have placed Bournemouth 2-0 ahead. The delay came despite the introduction of semi-automated offside technology, designed to reduce the time taken for manual VAR offside checks.
The new technology, used for the first time in English football during the FA Cup matches, aims to improve decision-making efficiency. However, in this instance, it led to a prolonged pause. The Football Association had previously stated on their website that "the expected average reduction of decision time in close offside calls with semi-automated offside technology is approximately 30 seconds." Nevertheless, the technology still allows VAR officials to draw crosshairs as a backup measure, which might have contributed to the delay.
"The VAR still has the option to draw crosshairs as a back-up to the semi-automated offside technology," – The Football Association website.
During the match, as Kerkez's effort found the back of the net after bouncing off the post, fans anticipated a quick decision. However, confusion arose when the referee, Sam Barrott, halted play and consulted both managers amid the review. The uproar from supporters was evident as they mocked the extended wait.
Soccer pundit Paul Merson shared his thoughts on the matter during Soccer Saturday. Initially inclined to believe the goal resulted from a blatant handball, he later reconsidered, suggesting it might have come off Kerkez's hip.
"When I look at this angle it looks a blatant handball but when I first watched it looked like it'd come off his hip. I think this might get disallowed," – Paul Merson.
"As he's [Kerkez] followed it in it's sort of hit him here [top of his arm] and then gone in off the post. I mean this is going to be harsh, they might give it. It's on his sleeve. It [the ball] sort of gets caught on the post with him and then he runs past it and it drops into the net – and this is all done at 100mph," – Paul Merson.
The situation turned farcical when Merson humorously speculated on what the referee discussed with coaches during the delay.
"I don't know if he was asking the coach if there was any good restaurants around there tonight or something!" – Paul Merson.
The incident marked only the second occasion that semi-automated offside technology was used in English football, following Aston Villa's FA Cup fifth-round victory over Cardiff City. The Football Association remains optimistic about its potential benefits, emphasizing that "the process may be necessary in 'edge cases' where several players block the view of the ball or other players for the system's cameras."
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