Goal-line technology delayed due to ongoing testing

By Andrew Warshaw at the Leaders in Football Conference in London

October 5 – Goal-line technology could be put back a year because the accuracy of ongoing tests will not be ready on time, English Football Association general secretary Alex Horne revealed today.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said he would ideally like goal=line technology in place for the 2014 World Cup but individual leagues were hoping to bring it in for the start of the 2012-13 campaign, spearheaded by the Premier League.

That now will now happen, says Horne, with the 2013-14 season a more realistic target.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the game’s lawmakers, must agree any change and are not set to give the green light until after next summer’s European Championships.

Speaking here at the Leaders in Football conference, Horne said: “I think it’ll be too late for season 12-13.

“I think it’ll be 13-14 because there’s then a big capital decision-making process for any league or any competition who want to apply it.

“There’s not going to be one technology for all of world football.

“Multiple technologies, if they meet the criteria, will be available then to go into the market and people will buy.

“IFAB will licence them as successful products and other products could join in later if they can reach the standards.”

He added that there would be big decisions for competition organisers to take.

“Do you have one technology for a competition, do you have multiple technologies for multiple competitions?” he said.

“There’s a phase of testing that will run up until March that will establish, basically, whether technology can actually achieve reasonable accuracy of 90 per cent, 99 per cent, maybe even 100 per cent.”

With tests now taking place in stadium environments, Horne was optimistic the IFAB would finally agree after years of foot-dragging.

“The tests are being carried out live in stadia all around Europe,” he said.

“They can simulate light, they can simulate dark, they can simulate balls rolling across the line, balls being fired in from all different angles.

“The testers can move in and spend three or four hours testing their system.”

Earlier, FA chairman David Bernstein told the panel there was “very little chance” of convincing FIFA and UEFA to extend scientific methods, such as video replays, beyond goal-line technology.

“There’s no enthusiasm for it at all,” he said.

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