Soccer-Italy's Serie A to be first league to introduce semi-automatic offside detection

Serie A is introducing a series of reforms, including the the new offside system, in a bid to achieve greater accuracy in decision-making and reduce the time taken for each review. "After Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup, as a League we have to propose reforms in all areas," said Lorenzo Casini, president of the Serie A League, to Rai Italia.

Italy's Serie A will introduce a semi-automatic offside detection system on the first matchday after the World Cup break on Jan. 4, making it the first league to do so. Serie A is introducing a series of reforms, including the the new offside system, in a bid to achieve greater accuracy in decision-making and reduce the time taken for each review.

"After Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup, as a League we have to propose reforms in all areas," said Lorenzo Casini, president of the Serie A League, to Rai Italia. "A key element of the reform is improving VAR and effective timing," added Casini.

The Serie A reforms come in the wake of factors such as clubs' lack of liquidity, the mass resignation of the Juventus board, and a glaring error in a Juventus against Salernitana match in September, when VAR overturned the offside that cost Juve a legal goal when the game was drawn at 2-2.