Euro 2024 could see major offside rule change as UEFA taken to court
VAR offsides could be nixed in the Euro 2024 tournament, sensational reports claim.
Euro 2024 could see a major change to how offsides are used, new reports claim.
The tournament in Germany is just around the corner, with the hosts taking on Scotland in the opener on 14 June.
But according to The Sun, VAR offsides could be completely removed from the competition.
It comes after Dutch firm Ballinno claimed their idea for spotting offsides using tech was copied.
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Semi-automated offside calls are being used in the upcoming showpiece, with a microchip featuring inside the Adidas matchball to give greater accuracy.
The chip has the ability to detect up to 500 movements per second - and will also help with penalty incidents.
However, Ballinno have filed a patent infringement suit against UEFA and Kinexon, who worked in close collaboration with Adidas to create the technology.
Ballinno say the use of the technology is unauthorised and claim that they were granted a patent for a "method and system for detecting an offside situation" which focused on a chip in a ball sending a message to directly the referee's earpiece back in 2011.
After the application was submitted on April 18, a hearing will take place on June 3 - with Ballinno looking for an injunction that could result in VAR offsides being scrapped this summer after UEFA spent big on the technology.
The hearing will be overseen by three judges, though UEFA are relaxed over the matter.
A UEFA spokesperson told The Sun: "We cannot comment as such on ongoing litigation matters. However, UEFA is not overly concerned by Ballinno’s application."
He also added that he believes VAR's status for the tournament will be unaffected irrespective of the outcome.
Arsene Wenger, FIFA's chief of global football development, is pushing for a major change to the offside law that would see attackers gain an advantage.
However, despite trials gathering steam, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher is strongly against it and Luis Figo, head of UEFA’s Football Board, still has reservations.
Josh Lawless