EVS AI-driven offside line wins FIFA seal of approval

EVS’s AI-driven offside line tech has received certification from FIFA for meeting its standards for dealing with the complexities of precisely determining the offside line

The offside tech – which is integrated into EVS’s Xeebra VAR system – uses machine learning to automatically calibrate the field of play, and a mutli-camera review feature enables an offside line to be overlaid for VAR operations during matches.

It received FIFA’s Quality Programme for Virtual Offside Lines (VOL) after EVS went through two independently run testing events in September 2019, hosted by La Liga clubs Getafe CF and CD Leganés.

It was tested using 40 different match situations, with two cameras determining the accuracy of the offside line.

The tests examined both the 2D positioning of the offside line and the 3D body positioning of the players.

Stéphanie Dessart, senior product manager at EVS, said: “Offside decisions can be decisive in determining the outcome of football matches, making it vitally important that the virtual line drawn by our Xeebra system is as accurate as possible. From camera angle limitations to the height of the body part deemed to be offside and the curvature of the pitch, several factors have to be considered. This certification from FIFA proves that Xeebra is able to deal with these challenges.”