Premier League ‘investigation’ should begin after Newcastle vs Chelsea controversy – ex-PGMOL chief
Keith Hackett has called upon the Premier League to scrap Semi-Automated Offside Technology, after its failure to work in Newcastle’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea.
While Andy Madley oversaw multiple controversies at St. James’ Park on Saturday, one was simply out of his control.
Nick Woltemade put Newcastle 2-0 up midway through the second half, with the strike then checked by VAR.
There was a debate on whether the Magpies striker was in an onside position, which would usually be covered by the technology. However, the Premier League later confirmed that the Semi-Automated Offside Technology did not work for the incident at St. James’ Park.
As a result, Hackett has not held back in his assessment of the technology in the Premier League.
Keith Hackett: Semi-Automated Offside Technology not fit for purpose
Semi-Automated Offside Technology was brought into the top-flight late in the 2024-25 campaign.
This is despite, there being plenty of doubts surrounding the technology before its introduction to the Premier League.
Nevertheless, it has continued to be utilised by the officials in hopes of speeding up the process of assessing potential goals.
However, in Newcastle’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea, it showed how poor it can be, with the VAR officials having to manually construct lines to determine if Woltemade was onside.
#NEWCHE – 20’
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) December 20, 2025
The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Woltemade in an onside position.
Due to technical issues, Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) wasn’t available during the VAR check. The VAR was required to manually construct lines in… pic.twitter.com/PifR1Ols6a
As a result, Hackett has exclusively expressed his annoyance with the technology to Football Insider, as he called for the Premier League to issue an investigation.
He said: “The Premier Leagues Semi Automated System should frankly be thrown out until it operates with the same level of accuracy that we witness in Goal Line Technology.
“It is clearly not fit for purpose, letting the game and the match officials down, and an investigation needs to take place.”
VAR continues to blunder in the Premier League
It is rare that a Premier League game week can survive without one blunder by VAR.
However, in the first match, there were plenty of controversial decisions, with the lack of Semi-Automated Offside Technology just one.
Fans will be furious, with these checks delaying the match, only to not have the right technology working, or still getting the decision wrong.
The Premier League needs to quickly rectify this, or it will risk losing supporters in droves.