Goal-Line Technology To Be Used At World Cup For First Time

For the first time in its history, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will feature goal-line technology used to determine whether balls crossed the line or not. FIFA announced that it will use the system developed by a small German company called Goal Control. The Goal Control system “uses 14 cameras – seven trained on each goalmouth – that are mounted on the roof of the stadium and can capture the three-dimensional position of the ball with high precision”. The system determines if the ball crosses the line or not, and if it does, then a signal is sent to a referee on a special watch.

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FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that it was an easy decision to come to and that “it is obvious that after the experiences so far at this (2010) World Cup, it would be a nonsense not to reopen the file on goal-line technology”. The most notable event in the 2010 World Cup was the Frank Lampard non-goal against Germany which would have equalized the match at 1-1 just before halftime. Instead, there was no goal given and Germany ran out 4-1 winners. The ball bounced at least two feet in to goal but was not given by the referee so thank goodness for technology that will take these decisions out of human hands.

The Frank Lampard “non-goal” in the 2010 World Cup:

Dirk Broichhausen, managing director of GoalControl, told The Associated Press:

"“Our main feeling is anticipation. The technology is mature and we are absolutely convinced of the system’s reliability. The World Cup is the biggest chance to showcase in football – it will put goal-line technology worldwide in the center of interest.” Source – FoxSports.com"

Technology and football have had a strange relationship in recent years with many governing bodies opting for another official behind the goal rather than video replay. This year’s World Cup will be the first with the video technology but will not use replay but rather the system implemented to make the calls. This is a new frontier for world football and the world will be watching to see how well this system works before it becomes more mainstream.

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