THE DEBATE OVER goal-line technology in football could soon come to an end as the sport’s most important people meet today at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Last month, the International Football Association Board approved goal-line technology in principle in March and tested two different systems of determining whether or not a ball has crossed the line.
At Euro 2012, a huge mistake by referees in the England-Ukraine match made it clear goal-line technology is necessary at soccer’s highest level.
Today, a vote will determine whether one or both of the systems will be put into practice, or if the sport will continue to rely on referees to determine goals. FIFA gets four votes, and the national associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each get one vote, with a two-thirds majority needed to approve any changes.
The technology up for consideration is already widely used in other sports and has proven to be a quick and effective. The first is Hawk-Eye, which is the same instant-replay technology used in three of the four Grand Slams of tennis.
The second system is GoalRef, which uses a microchip inside of the ball and a magnetic field set up around the goal to send a signal to the referee whenever a goal is scored. The system has already been approved for use in team handball, and gives an immediate response to the referee, meaning there would be no stoppage of play whatsoever.
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Would you be happy to see it introduced?
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