Serie A to introduce semi-automated offside technology from January

Semi-automated offside technology will be introduced to Serie A next month, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Monday as the country's refereeing association searches for a new president following a drugs scandal.

In a statement FIGC said that the technology, developed by global governing body FIFA and used at the World Cup, will be used from the 20th round of matches on the last weekend of January after consultations with domestic refereeing association AIA.

Those fixtures, which include Serie A leaders Napoli hosting fierce rivals Roma, mark the second half of a league campaign which gets underway again in early January following the World Cup and winter break.

The technology was trialled at February's FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi and last year's Arab Cup before being used at the World Cup in Qatar and the group stage of this season's Champions League.

It utilises both dedicated and broadcast cameras around the stadium to give the exact position of players on the pitch, offering match officials precise information within seconds.

The optical tracking system has the aim of making offside calls faster and more accurate.

Offside decisions have continued to...