Nine systems are being tested by an independent body working in conjunction with FIFA and a decision is expected to be made on which one is best suited to football in July. That would allow the FA time to install the technology before the start of the domestic season with the Premier League ready to use it as soon as they get the green light from the game’s governing bodies.
Whether the Football League will follow suit remains to be seen, with the cost of installing and maintaining equipment a potential stumbling block if the clubs have to pay for it themselves.
“Goal-line technology would be a huge boost for the game,” said Alex Horne, General Secretary of the FA. “For years, we’ve thought this was a good addition to referees’ armoury. It’s easy to make mistakes and we’ve all seen examples where the referee and assistant referee can’t see if a ball has crossed the line or not. We need to support them in decision-making.”
The FA had initially doubted whether the technology would be in place for the start of next season, but Horne’s latest comments suggest there has been significant progress made in its development. The announcement was welcomed by the Premier League, which insisted it had been supporting the idea for years.
“We are very supportive of the idea and have always urged FIFA to introduce goal-line technology,” said spokesman Dan Johnson. “We hope as many companies as possible are successful in their trials and we will introduce it at the earliest opportunity.” FIFA had initially resisted calls for the use of goal-line technology as they feared it would mean too many breaks in matches and would lead to further erosions in the authority of match officials.
But the advances in technology and the controversy caused by high profile mistakes, such as Frank Lampard’s shot against Germany in the 2010 World Cup, have led to a change of heart. Football’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board, is due to assess the results of the current testing phase in March at a meeting in London.
A second round of testing will take place between March and June, with the IFAB set to vote on whether to change the laws of the game in July.
Post published in: Football