Fifa to introduce major change to offside decisions at Club World Cup to avoid repeat of Taiwo Awoniyi injury horror

CHELSEA and Manchester City players will avoid the risk of extra injuries from late-raised offside flags at the Club World Cup.

Fifa chiefs have now confirmed a new computer-led system will be used for the first time when the expanded 32-club tournament kicks off in Miami in the early hours of Sunday morning.

And with the flag being raised if an attacker is just four INCHES offside, it will mean there SHOULD be no repeat of the offside guidelines that led to the horror injury sustained by Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi last month.

Nigerian Awoniyi was placed in an induced coma in hospital following urgent abdominal surgery after colliding with a post in the 2-2 draw with Leicester when assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis kept the flag down against Anthony Elanga.

Massey-Ellis was following International FA Board protocols brought in since the introduction of VAR on “tight” offsides, designed to prevent legitimate goalscoring chances being wiped out by premature whistles.

But the Fifa version of the semi-automated offside technology, being introduced at this summer’s 32-team tournament in the USA, will see the latest version of tracking cameras utilised.

That will see assistants automatically informed if an attacking player breaking the line and touching the ball is more than 10cm offside, allowing the flag to be raised earlier.

Each stadium will have 16 dedicated tracking cameras, linked to AI technology and algorithms, in addition to the sensor in the middle of the ball that was introduced at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Fifa ref’s chief Pierluigi Collina said: “The audio message, which will be “offside, offside”, will only go to the assistant referee when the player the algorithm has detected in an offside position touches the ball.

“Until they touch the ball, even if they are in an offside position, that message will not be sent.

“We are aware that the decision to keep the flag down was part of how VAR works, because you don’t want to raise the flag on a close situation and kill the chance of a goal.

“The assistants have been doing what we told them to do but it is clear that what is viewed as “close” has become bigger and bigger and bigger.

“At the same time, we want the assistants to be a bit braver and more courageous in these situations. If a player is 2m offside, that cannot be a tight decision.”

At this stage, PGMOL bosses have not planned to follow suit with the Fifa-style system next term, relying on the current guidelines once again.

But if the Club World Cup approach is deemed a success, the pressure for Prem bosses to order a change of tack will grow, especially if late flags bring any more injuries next season.

Fifa will also unveil the new Laws of the Game, including the “five second countdown” signal leading to a corner if a goalkeeper holds onto the ball for more than eight seconds.

Refs in the tournament will also be equipped with “Ref Cams”, attached to their ear pieces at eye level, giving TV and stadium viewers access to new angles of the play.

The only live shots will be at the toss before the game but referee’s views of key moments, including goals, will be shown on TV and stadium giant screens, and also available for officials to rule on VAR decision changes.