Semi-automatic offside system under scrutiny as Eduardo Prieto Iglesias explains TV “mannequins” and decision process
Eduardo Prieto Iglesias explains how the semi-automatic offside system makes decisions and why TV visualizations are only illustrative, urging clearer communication to restore fan trust.
The semi-automatic offside system has come under renewed scrutiny after Eduardo Prieto Iglesias, a former referee and current member of the Competition Committee and VAR director, addressed widespread confusion about the televised visualizations used in offside rulings. Prieto Iglesias told a national broadcast that the animated figures fans see on television are a reconstruction for viewers and not the basis for on-field decisions. His comments aim to clarify how the technology and human review work together and to confront lingering skepticism among supporters and clubs.
Prieto Iglesias clarifies the televised “mannequins”
Prieto Iglesias stressed that the animated figures shown during TV replays are not used to make the official offside call. He said those recreations are produced after the decision has been confirmed and are intended to help viewers understand what happened during the play.
The director of VAR emphasized that the visual models are a depiction of events based on the system’s output, and that the decision-making process itself relies on raw tracking data and a selected video frame. His explanation was offered amid growing concern from fans who interpret televised graphics as determinative rather than illustrative.
How the semi-automatic offside system actually makes decisions
According to Prieto Iglesias, the process begins with the system’s automated tracking of player positions and ball movement using optical and sensor inputs. The technology then proposes an offside frame by identifying the instant the ball is played, and it draws virtual lines to measure relative positions between attackers and defenders.
After the machine produces its measurement, a VAR official reviews the frame and the data; only when the VAR validates the machine’s finding is the on-air reconstruction released for broadcast. Prieto Iglesias said this human check is essential to confirm that the automated output corresponds to the match reality before any public depiction appears.
Why fans and clubs remain skeptical
Doubts persist among supporters and teams because the televised reconstructions sometimes differ from what viewers believe they saw live. Fans often focus on the visual model and its animated figures rather than on the underlying data, which creates an impression that the graphics themselves determined the call.
That perception is aggravated by millimetre-level margins in tight offside calls and by the difficulty of seeing exactly which frame the VAR selected. These factors have combined to erode confidence, with many supporters asking for clearer, more transparent explanations of how each ruling was reached.
Technical constraints and sources of discrepancy
The semi-automatic offside system depends on multiple camera feeds and inertial sensors to triangulate player positions, and each component has small but non-zero measurement uncertainties. Synchronization between cameras and the moment the ball is played requires precise timing, and any tiny mismatch can change which frame is treated as the reference.
Additionally, calibration differences, occlusions on the pitch, and the need to map three-dimensional movement onto a two-dimensional broadcast image can create visible differences between the live action and the reconstructed view. Prieto Iglesias acknowledged that these technical realities can generate confusion for people watching at home.
The role of VAR human oversight in contentious calls
Prieto Iglesias underlined that VAR officials retain responsibility for validating the machine’s proposal and for ensuring the chosen frame is the correct reference point. Human review is intended to catch anomalies and to confirm that the automated measurement aligns with the rules and the moment the ball left a player’s foot or head.
This layered approach is designed to combine the speed and precision of automation with referee judgment, but it also requires clear standards and training so that VAR teams apply the same criteria consistently across competitions.
Steps proposed to reduce confusion and rebuild trust
Prieto Iglesias said that football authorities must work to reduce public confusion by improving communication and transparency around offside rulings. Suggestions include showing the exact frame used for the decision, explaining why that frame was selected, and offering clearer on-screen annotations that separate raw measurement from illustrative reconstructions.
Other proposals involve standardizing the presentation of data across broadcasters and competitions, releasing underlying tracking metrics where possible, and running explanatory campaigns for fans that demystify margins of error and the role of human validation. Prieto Iglesias urged that such measures would help restore confidence in a tool intended to lessen controversy, not deepen it.
Competitive implications and the stakes for match integrity
Offside rulings directly impact match outcomes, goal celebrations, and club fortunes, which is why clarity and accuracy are critical for the sport’s integrity. When fans and teams mistrust the process, the legitimacy of close decisions can be questioned and the broader reputation of officiating suffers.
By focusing on more transparent communication and consistent application of review standards, leagues and refereeing bodies aim to preserve competitive fairness while harnessing technology to reduce clear errors.
The semi-automatic offside system was introduced to bring greater objectivity to a historically subjective call, but its adoption has shown that technical precision must be matched by accessible explanation. Prieto Iglesias’ remarks underscore a simple but urgent point for football authorities: technology can improve decision-making only when viewers understand what the technology does and why officials validate its results.
