Goal ruled out after 7-minute VAR check in FA Cup game despite semi-automatic offside system

By Canadian Press on March 1, 2025.

BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — It took more than seven minutes for the video-assistant referee to rule out a goal during Saturday’s FA Cup game between Bournemouth and Wolves despite a new semi-automatic offside system being trialed in the competition.

Milos Kerkez thought he had put Bournemouth 2-0 up in the first half with a header from a corner, but the ball came off teammate Dean Huijsen — who was in an offside position — before going into the net.

A semi-automatic offside system is being used for the first time in English soccer in the fifth round of the competition, but rights-holder BBC reported that the technology could not be used for the incident as there was also a check for a possible handball. That meant the VAR had to review the situation manually before finally ruling that the goal should not stand — seven minutes after the ball had gone into the net.

During the lengthy delay, fans from both teams were chanting “It’s not football anymore.”

The VAR system has been widely criticized for creating lengthy stoppages during games, but it’s rare for any check to last longer than a couple of minutes.

The semi-automated offside system is meant to speed up such decisions, with officials having said it would reduce the average time it takes to check for offside to 31 seconds.

The game went to extra time at 1-1 after Wolves’ Matheus Cunha equalized in the second half. ___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press