March 1st 2025.
The trial of semi-automated offsides in the FA Cup did not have the smooth start that was hoped for. During the AFC Bournemouth and Wolves match, a goal was disallowed and it became the longest ever VAR check in English football history. It took a whopping eight minutes for the decision to be made, causing the game to become a bit of a farce.
The semi-automated offside system was unfortunately not functioning properly during this fifth-round showdown at Vitality Stadium on Saturday. As a result, VAR had to resort to manually drawing the lines to determine offsides. This caused frustration among both sets of fans, who could be heard singing "it's not football anymore" and "this is embarrassing" during the lengthy check. The previous record for the longest VAR check was set back in 2024 in a Premier League match between West Ham and Aston Villa, which lasted 5 minutes and 37 seconds. The Football Association had stated before this weekend's matches that the use of semi-automated offside technology would improve decision-making and make the process more efficient.
At one point during the extended check, match referee Sam Barrott even went over to speak with both managers, Andoni Iraola and Vitor Pereira, as the crowd anxiously awaited a decision. It was unclear whether the goal would stand or not. Eventually, the goal was ruled out for offside, as Milos Kerkez's shot was deemed to have deflected off Dean Huijsen before going in. This denied Bournemouth a second goal in the first half of their FA Cup clash against Wolves.
Sky Sports pundit, Paul Merson, was watching the match and couldn't believe how long the VAR check was taking. He shared his disbelief, saying, "Unbelievable. Now the ref has come over and talked to both managers, all the coaches have come and all the players are around. Now he hasn't said anything yet, he's just had a big meeting with them, talked, now he's come away and now he's talking to the players. Still no decision. I don't know if he was asking the coach if there was any good restaurants around there tonight or something!"
After the goal was finally ruled out, Merson expressed his confusion about the decision, saying, "They have given it offside against Kerkez. He's come into the far post as the corner comes in but when he goes up to put it in with his hip, his foot is offside. But that isn't going to be the case when the corner comes in, he's not standing there already so I don't know what's happened there. I'd like to see it again but they didn't show you that part of it. It's taken seven or eight minutes and they've come to the conclusion it's offside."
Nizaar Kinsella, a journalist for BBC Sport, also noted the frustration from both sets of fans during the lengthy VAR check. He shared, "I've never been in a stadium where both sets of supporters fume over a VAR check. This is also the longest VAR check I've ever seen as we went well past the five-minute mark. It could well have been the longest VAR check in English football history. It seems neither set of fans were happy despite Wolves benefiting from the decision as both teams had to warm up again."
In the end, Bournemouth ended up progressing to the FA Cup quarter-finals through a penalty shootout, making it only the third time in the club's history that they have reached this stage of the competition. It was certainly a dramatic and eventful match, with the controversial VAR check being a major talking point.
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