The FA stated on Thursday that the “semi-automatic offside” system will make its debut in the FA Cup round of 16 games that are set for the first weekend in March. Seven of the eight games will make use of the technology. This technology will ensure fair play and that is why football fans may focus on the online betting on the upcoming matches of the FA Cup.
This technology will be tested in almost all matches. The only one in which referees will not be able to count on its help will be the match between Preston North End and Burnley. This is the only match without a team from the Premier League. The original plan was for the partially automatic offside technology to be implemented before Christmas, but problems arose during testing.
The “semi-automatic offside” could make its way to the Premier League
If the technology works well in the cup matches, it will be used in the Premier League this season, the FA said in a statement. As well as the technical innovation, all eight FA Cup Round of 16 matches will feature VAR, and where the technology is used, the decision will be explained by the referees to the crowd in the stands and on TV. VAR has not been used in previous rounds of the competition.
New news about Inaki Pena’s situation at Barcelona. The decision is getting closer
Inaki Pena has had enough! The Spaniard may say goodbye to Barcelona prematurely. The goalkeeper is frustrated with his current role in Hansi Flick’s team, and talks about extending his contract were supposed to slow down, informed Gabriel Sans, a journalist from “Mundo Deportivo” covering Blaugrana.
At that time, it was hard to imagine that the Spaniard, who was doing well, would lose his place in the first team, especially considering the fact that the team was impressive in form. For this reason, Wojciech Szczęsny did not make his debut in goal for Blaugrana until January.
A little over a month has passed since then, and Szczęsny managed to push Pena out of the first team. The frustrated Spaniard cannot understand why Hansi Flick has stopped betting on him.
Pena has a problem, and he may have an even bigger one. The club is wondering what to do with him. The Spaniard’s current contract runs until June 2026. If the club fails to reach an agreement with the player, the summer window will be the last chance to earn money from the transfer.
The Spaniard must also bear in mind the fact that Marc-Andre ter Stegen will return to the squad after an injury, which will further complicate his position in the team. The authorities in Barcelona are increasingly considering parting ways with the youngster.
FC Barcelona announces a deal for their star! This amount is mind-blowing
FC Barcelona once again had good news for their fans regarding the extension of the contract of their young star. This time, a new contract was signed by the extremely talented defender, 18-year-old Pau Cubarsi. The contract included an astronomical sum that had to be paid for him in order to acquire him without asking Barca for permission.
Until recently, Barcelona were in a rather difficult situation, because the contracts of their young stars were coming to an end, but in recent weeks they have been regularly announcing the signing of a new contract with one of their aces.
This time, they announced that 18-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi had signed a contract until 2029. The signing of him was not as urgent as in the case of other stars whose contracts ended in 2026, Lamine Yamal, Gavi or Pedri, because his contract was valid for a year longer, but Barca still preferred to protect themselves for longer, and the player will certainly earn more from it.
The agreement includes a clause that if another club wants to buy Cubarsi without Barcelona’s consent, they can do so if they pay half a billion euros.
Pau Cubarsi plays more than Robert Lewandowski
Cubarsi is one of the most talented defenders in the world, in his age category it can be safely said that he is the most talented, because at such a young age he became Barcelona’s main centre-back, and it is usually harder for teenagers to break into this position.
This season he has already played in 36 matches, including 31 in the starting line-up. He has already spent 2763 minutes on the pitch. Only Jules Kounde and Raphinha have played more, so Cubarsi even surpasses Robert Lewandowski (2619 minutes).
Earlier, Barcelona extended the contracts of the aforementioned Gavi and Pedri (in both cases until 2030), as well as another young, although not as well-known player Gerard Martin (2028) and slightly older, 25-year-old Ronald Araujo (until 2031).
The most important thing now is to sign a new contract with the greatest talent in the club, and probably in the world, Lamine Yamal.
