FIFA approves goal-line technology

As technology continues to play a greater role in sports, soccer officials have approved a new system to help referees score the game more accurately. On Thursday the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which is the sport's international governing body, approved two goal-line technology systems that determine whether the ball has crossed the goal-line.

Hawk-Eye and GoalRef were the only two systems of eight tested that met FINA's standards, which are as follows:

• The goal-line technology applies solely to the goal line and only to determine whether a goal has been scored or not;
• The GLT system must be accurate;
• The indication of whether a goal has been scored must be immediate and automatically confirmed within one second;
• The indication of whether a goal has been scored will be communicated only to the match officials (via the referee's watch, by vibration and visual signal).

Hawk-Eye consists of six cameras to track the location of the ball and send a signal to the ref's watch when a goal has been scored. GoalRef implants a microchip in the ball and uses magnetism to detect when the ball passes the goal line. It too sends a signal to the referee.

FIFA has announced plans to employ this technology at the Club World Cup in Japan this December and Brazil's Confederations Cup in 2013. England's Premier League has said that they want to implement it "as soon as practically possible." If it's found to be successful, it would be used in the 2014 World Cup as well to reduce controversy due to disputed goals.

[via NYT, ScienceDaily, InEntertainment]

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