By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – FIFA have confirmed once again that goal-line technology will be used at the 2014 World Cup, but which system will be employed in Brazil is now the main issue.
The subject of goal-line technology is on the agenda for next month’s International FA Board meeting in Edinburgh but FIFA have pre-empted any ruling there by finally giving the green light to an innovation which players, fans and officials have been crying out to see implemented.
Goalref works by using magnetic sensors to determine whether the ball crossed the line, while Hawkeye is a camera-based method used in other sports such as cricket and tennis.
It was assumed the pair of them would be vying for use at this summer’s Confederations Cup, the traditional World Cup warmup tournament, and for the World Cup itself a year later.
But FIFA have now opened up the market to two more systems, both manufactured in Germany, one of which is reported to have already been successfully tested.
Although there were no incidents at the World Club Cup where it had to be enforced, FIFA said the technology worked and that it intends to install it across all 12 venues at the World Cup.
“The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests,” a statement said.
“With different technologies on the market, FIFA has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil.”
The use of goal-line technology had previously been rejected by FIFA, which performed a U-turn following the controversy over Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal for England in the 2010 World Cup match against Germany.
Replays clearly showed that the ball had crossed the line and Germany, 2-1 ahead at the time, went on to win 4-1.
Despite FIFA’s plans, it seems certain UEFA will not be following suit. UEFA boss Michel Platini instead prefers to employ two extra linesmen, one on each goal-line, and insists UEFA competitions will never embrace technology.
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