Goalline technology is "set to be introduced into English football as early as the new year after two systems were approved by the game's law-makers," according to the PA. The EPL will begin talks with Hawk-Eye and GoalRef "about bringing the technology in as soon as midway through the season and it could also be used for the coming season's FA Cup semi-finals and final." FIFA President Sepp Blatter "admitted he had changed his mind about goalline technology" after a disallowed goal during the Germany-England match during the '10 FIFA World Cup. The issue was "highlighted again when Ukraine were denied a goal against England in Euro 2012 despite the ball having clearly crossed the line." Blatter said that there would be "no move to introduce any video replays or other technology to rule on decisions such as offsides, fouls or diving" (PA, 7/5). FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said that the organization "would pay for the installation of goalline technology ... for next summer's Confederation Cup in Brazil." The cost estimate for installing the technology is about US$388,000 per stadium (LONDON TIMES, 7/6).
LOGISTICS: In N.Y., Jack Bell notes the technology "will certainly arrive in time" for the '14 World Cup in Brazil. The decision to approve the goalline technology was a "landmark one for a sport that, unlike" the NFL, the NHL, the NBA and MLB, which have "been reluctant to tinker with rules or customs on the field." The Hawk-Eye system "has been used the past decade in cricket and most notably in major tennis tournaments." The system during soccer games "will employ six cameras at each goal to track the flight of the ball." Software is used to "triangulate the location of the ball, with an encrypted radio signal sent to a device worn by the referee if the entire ball crosses the goal line." The GoalRef technology "was tested in Danish league matches this past season." It uses a chip "embedded in the ball and sensors planted inside the goal posts and crossbar that emit electronic signals." Developers claim that GoalRef is "less expensive to install than Hawk-Eye" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/6).
