Having rumbled on for years, the advent of goal line' technology' in top-flight professional football has moved one step closer today as FIFA have authorised two systems into the final phase.
Now licensed for worldwide use, Hawkeye and GoalRef can now officially provide their products to professional leagues and competitions.
Adopted into the rule-book by the' International Football Association Board – or IFAB, the final approval for two systems has been pending since their submission in March.
FIFA laid out stringent guidelines for the systems – such as a 100% accurate result must be given in less than a second – and of the number of systems that made it to ‘phase two’ testing, Hawkeye and GoalRef are the only two to gain official authorisation from FIFA.
A FIFA representative has stated, “This milestone means that the companies now have authorisation to install their technology systems worldwide”
How does Hawkeye work?
Hawkeye positions six cameras over each goal that triangulate the position of the ball on the pitch. Should the entire ball cross the line, a signal is instantly sent to the referee’s watch, allowing him to make the correct call.
Niftily, the signal is encrypted, meaning that false signals to dupe officials are neigh-impossible to generate.
How does GoalRef Work?
Goalref is a little more sci-fi in it’s execution. A microchip is implanted in the ball (we can already hear the players moaning about that one!) and the system uses low-level magnetic waves to detect the ball’s position in the goalmouth – including whether it has crossed the line.
As with Hawkeye, GoalRef takes less than a second to compute it’s decision and wirelessly transmits the outcome to the match officials.
When Will it be Brought in?'
Both Yokohama and Toyota City in Japan are currently being outfitted with systems from both suppliers, where the FIFA Club World Cup will play showcase to their capabilities in early December.
As for the Premier League – the constant delay in licensing and amount of time needed to have all 20 Premier League clubs means that we might not see goal line technology in Britain until the start of the 2013-14 season.
Each system in each club must pass an extensive testing phase in order to be used in official matches, according to FIFA – and might prove to be a big ask for top-flight clubs in the midst of a busy season.
Happy to see goal line technology just one month away from being brought into the game?
Or has the overly drawn-out process left a bad taste in your mouth?
Let us know in the comments!
the hawkeye seems better, though i suppose more expensive. the goalref chip in the ball might become damaged; but i hope everything turns out ok, its unbelievable how even with refs behind goals they cant tell if the ball passes.