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Goal or no goal?

February 19, 2013

World football’s governing body FIFA has decided on goal-line technology for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil to help referees make fewer mistakes. Different technologies will be competing - most of them from Germany.

https://p.dw.com/p/17h40
German goalee Manuel Neuer tries to block a shot by English player Frank Lampard during the World Cup 2010 (Archivfoto vom 27.06.2010). Die FIFA diskutiert nun ernsthaft über die Einführung von technischen Hilfsmitteln im Fußball. Wie Präsident Josef Blatter am Mittwoch in Singapur erklärte, werde sich das dafür zuständige International Football Association Boards (IFAB) auf seiner Sitzung im Oktober mit der Thematik beschäftigen. «Bei diesem Meeting werden wir über Torlinien-Technologie diskutieren. Es steht jetzt auf der Tagesordnung», sagte Blatter. Der Schweizer gilt eigentlich als Gegner von technischen Hilfsmitteln, hatte nach diversen Schiedsrichter-Fehlentscheidungen bei der Fußball-WM in Südafrika aber angekündigt, dass das Thema neu besprochen werde. Foto: Marcus Brandt dpa - Please refer to http://dpaq.de/FIFA-WM2010-TC +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++ pixel
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

FIFA announced it intended to install goal-line technology in all 12 stadiums for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"After a successful implementation of goal-line technology (GLT) at the Club World Cup in Japan in December 2012, FIFA has decided to use GLT at the Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 and 2014 World Cup," FIFA said in a statement published on Tuesday.

"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."

FIFA's rule-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), had already approved its implementation last year as a way to help referees clarify cases where it is not immediately clear whether a ball has crossed the line into the goal.   

Two systems passed tests and were used at the Club World Cup in Japan in December. FIFA confirmed they were both "successful" at the competition, although there were no incidents where it had to be used.

The two systems that have already been licensed and tested at the Club World Cup in Japan were the camera-based Hawk-Eye system, which is used in tennis matches and GoalRef from Germany, which uses magnetic sensors.

FIFA officials have now said that two new German systems had also completed tests and could soon be licensed for use.

"With different technologies on the market, FIFA has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil," said FIFA's statement on Tuesday, explaining that the technology for the Confederations Cup goal-line system would be made "in early April."

FIFA had long not been in favor of goalline technology, but changed its mind following the controversy at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 when a goal for England in the match against Germany was disallowed. Replays of video recordings showed that a ball shot by Frank Lampard had indeed crossed the line after bouncing down off the underside of the crossbar. Germany was already 2-1 ahead at the time, and won in the end 4-1.   

Many critics called for the use of video replays to help referees make decisions concerning goals, offside, handball and fouls.

However European soccer's governing body UEFA disagrees with the implementation of any technical assistance and instead prefers to employ two extra linesmen, one on each goal line.

rg/kms (Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP)