Premier League have not introduced semi-automated offside system due to contract with Nike: Reports 

The Premier League's plans for introducing an automatic offside system have been affected by their contract with official ball suppliers Nike.

As per reports from the Daily Mail, Nike footballs that are used in the Premier League are yet to undergo comprehensive testing procedures before they can be approved for usage.

Apparently the sports giants have come up with a technology that does not require chips to be inserted in footballs and could be used soon.

A semi-automated system was deployed during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with the technology relying on in-built sensors in the Al Rihla match ball that were detected by the system. However, the technology was implemented by FIFA's long-term ball suppliers Adidas.

Several systems that operate without the usage of chips are in place in UEFA's flagship competitions as well as the Serie A, however none of those are supplied by Nike.

The usage of VAR in determining offsides and other decisions is prone to human error, as seen on an unprecedented scale in this past weekend's Premier League clash between Tottenham and Liverpool.

The PGMOL subsequently released the official audio of the exchanges that took place between the team of officials. The sheer incompetence on display resulted in questions being asked about the so-called richest league's determination to use technology instead of VAR.

A semi-automated system is currently in use during the midweek European games but we will be back to an outdated VAR system come the weekend.

It will be interesting to see whether the Premier League can figure out a deal with Nike in time for the tech to be deployed next season onwards.

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Jurgen Klopp demands replay of Premier League game between Spurs and Liverpool

Following the horrendous decision made by the match officials to disallow Luis Diaz's goal despite him being clearly onside, the Reds' infuriated manager has demanded a replay.

Although he acknowledges that such a demand will result in every team or manager asking for the same in the future in the wake of minor inconveniences, his stance sends a clear message about the severity of the incident.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of Liverpool's Europa League outing, Klopp said:

"Let's do a replay and if it happens next time, give them the chance to do it like this and then we don't have that problem at least anymore."

While the occurence of a replay is near impossible, there is hope that the FA and the PGMOL will take steps to eradicate these controversies from the beautiful game.