Goal-line technology may be with us in the next year with the FA in favor of its implementation. It’s understood a final decision on the technology will be made as early as next July, in time for the next Premier League season. Alex Horne, general secretary at the FA, told the BBC: “Goal-line technology would be a huge boost for the game. For years, we’ve thought this was a good addition to referees’ armoury.”
Horne added: “It’s possible we could see [goal-line technology] in the Premier League as early as 2012-13.”
FIFA has been testing nine systems since the summer when the latest debate by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) found it should be brought in. Tests will be done on a set pitch under floodlights and in daylight. The technology has to be 100% accurate and FIFA’s additional criteria is as follows:
1. The technology applies solely to the goal-line and only to determine whether a goal has been scored.
2. The system must be accurate.
3. The indication of whether a goal has been scored must be immediate and automatically confirmed within one second.
4. The indication of whether a goal has been scored will only be communicated to the match officials (via the referee’s watch, by vibration and visual signal).
Sepp Blatter has always been a staunch critic of technology but following Frank Lampard’s goal-that-wasn’t even his head was turned – not an easy thing to do. All we can do now is wait and wonder if robots from some factory in Taiwan will eventually replace referees. It would eliminate human error – but what about robot error?!
