Wolves will travel to the south coast at the end of the month for an important FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Bournemouth.
Wolves beat Blackburn to book their place in the prestigious cup competition’s next round.
After Wolves were drawn against Bournemouth, Vitor Pereira knows the Old Gold will need to be at their best if they’re going to reach the quarter-finals.
And ahead of Wolves’ crucial knockout tie against Andoni Iraola’s Cherries, the English football regulatory bodies have confirmed a major advancement in the introduction of offside technology.
Semi-Automated Offside Technology to be trialed in FA Cup
England’s biggest footballing regulatory bodies, including the Premier League, FA and PGMOL, have confirmed Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) will be used for the first time in next month’s FA Cup Fifth Round ties.
“The FA Cup Fifth Round will also utilise SAOT in all seven matches taking place in Premier League stadiums, which is the first time it will be used live in competitive matches in English football,” the FA said in a joint statement with the Premier League and PGMOL.
Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be active across all eight ties in the Fifth Round of the 2024-25 Emirates FA Cup.
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 13, 2025
New Semi-Automated Offside Technology will also be used live for the first time in competitive English football matches.
Preston’s game against Burnley is the only one of the eight fixtures that won’t have access to the new feature.
Which FA Cup Fifth Round matches will have Semi-Automated Offside Technology
- Aston Villa vs Cardiff City
- Man United vs Fulham
- Nottm Forest vs Ipswich Town
- Crystal Palace vs Millwall
- Newcastle vs Brighton
- Bournemouth vs Wolves
- Man City vs Plymouth Argyle
All Fifth Round matches are scheduled to kick-off at 3 p.m. (UK time) on the 1st of March.
Premier League could be next
Although the SAOT will be rolled out in the FA Cup next month, there is hope the Premier League can introduce the same technology.
The joint statement added: “Following successful live operation in the FA Cup, the Premier League will look to implement the system later this season.”
The introduction of technology is long overdue. The FIFA World Cup used SAOT and it made the matches much more enjoyable from a supporter’s perspective.
Given the size of the Premier League, many have wondered why it has taken so long to introduce SAOT. However, this recent statement suggests fans won’t have much longer to wait.