FIFA studying goal-line technology proposals

World football’s ruling body FIFA are currently poring over a raft of proposals that could finally end years of goal-line controversy.

FIFA initially asked 17 companies to submit proposals for goal-mouth technology that would allow referees to determine, almost immediately, whether the ball has crossed the goalline.

According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on Monday, only 13 different submissions were made to FIFA by the end of last week.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said here Monday that FIFA would seek to create a system that could alert the referee as soon as the ball crosses the goalline, for example via a transmitter “on his watch”.

The IFAB, which determines the rules of the game, could raise the matter during meetings in Cardiff on October 20, although no decision on the issue will be made until the IFAB general assembly on March 4, 5 and 6, also in Cardiff.

FIFA have previously rebuffed all demands to use video technology to resolve contentious refereeing decisions, despite it being successfully implemented in other sports such as tennis, cricket and rugby union.

Their rationale has been that it would disrupt the free-flowing movement of the game.

However calls for goalline technology have increased, especially in the wake of a glaring World Cup blunder in South Africa when a goal scored by England midfielder Frank Lampard against Germany was disallowed.

If Lampard’s goal had stood, England would have pulled level 2-2 in the match. After the goal was disallowed Germany went on to win 4-1, while England were sent crashing out of the tournament.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on August 11: “I have said if we have an accurate and simple system then we will implement (it), but so far we have not had a simple, nor an accurate system.”