Semi-automatic offside tech fail ‘not a good sign’ as Iraola fumes at seven-minute delay | OneFootball

Semi-automatic offside tech fail ‘not a good sign’ as Iraola fumes at seven-minute delay | OneFootball

Icon: The Football Faithful

The Football Faithful

·1 March 2025

Semi-automatic offside tech fail ‘not a good sign’ as Iraola fumes at seven-minute delay

Article image:Semi-automatic offside tech fail ‘not a good sign’ as Iraola fumes at seven-minute delay

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola says it’s “not a good sign” for semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT) after it took VAR seven minutes to review a goal on Saturday.

The Cherries advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup as they beat ten-man Wolves on penalties at Dean Court, but the game was not without controversy.


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Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen thought they had doubled the side’s lead in the first after Evanilson opened the scoring as they scrambled to turn the ball home.

SAOT, which is being trialled in the cup this week ahead of its implementation in the Premier League, seemingly malfunctioned as the VAR attempted to review the goal. Lines had to be drawn to determine there was an offside and rule the goal out, during which time seven minutes elapsed.

Semi-automatic offside tech fail leaves Andoni Iraola fuming

“We were pushing a lot, we continued pushing and today we have semi-automatic offside, Iraola told BBC Match of the Day after the final whistle.

“We have semi-automated offsides, it is going to taking a lot. It has cost us 30 games to put it [in]. In the first game we need it, it goes against us.

“It doesn’t work, they had to draw the lines, seven minutes there waiting. It is definitely not a good sign for everyone involved.

“In most of these cases I remember in the Carabao Cup we were out because they scored with an arm and there was no VAR.

“I think everything has gone against us today and fortunately for us we go to the next round. We should have won this game a lot earlier.

“We missed big chances. Extra-time I don’t think they even arrived to our box.”

On the delay, Wolves boss Vitor Pereira remarked: “I was very calm today. I think it was some problem in the machine. I don’t know what happened, but in the end I understand.”

Matheus Cunha, whose stunning strike took the game to extra time, was sent off for headbutting Bournemouth full-back Kerkez in the 120th minute of the game.

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