Goal-line technology not on agenda for IFAB meeting

July 20 – FIFA have gone back on President Sepp Blatter’s pledge to discuss introducing technology following at the first opportunity following the controversy over Frank Lampard’s goal that was not given against Germany.

Blatter was in the Orange Free Stadium in Bloemfontein last month to see England’s disallowed goal in the World Cup defeat to Germany in the World Cup – even though TV replays showed Lampard’s shot bounced a metre over the line.

Afterwards Blatter confessed that the time had come to discuss the implementation of technology that would eradicate such glaring errors in future.

Asked at the end of the World Cup when the game’s governing body would sit down and examine the issue, the 74-year-old Blatter promised it would be at the “first opportunity”.

He also admitted “It is obvious that after the experience so far in this World Cup, it would be a nonsense to not re-open the file of technology at the business meeting of the International FA Board in July.”

But, that meeting of the technical sub-committee of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), due to take place tomorrow and Thursday (July 22) in Cardiff does not have the item on the agenda, it has emerged.

Accord to a FIFA spokesman there is only one item on the agenda and that is whether to continue the experiment of using additional assistant referees.

“The meeting this week is purely to ratify any requests that have come forward over the implementation of the assistant referees experiment, which was used last year in the Europa League,” said the spokesman.

“The first formal meeting where that discussion [concerning goal-line technology] could take place is in October.”

The IFAB last mooted the idea of introducing goal-line technology into the game in March, but the proposal was blocked by Northern Ireland and Wales along with FIFA.

Cost was cited as the primary reason.