FIFA Approves The Use Of Goal Line Technology

Pin It Now!

FIFA has finally given its nod to the clamour for the use of Goal Line Technology at international matches. This approval will finally lay to rest the controversies that have followed and almost completely robbed the round leather game of its beauty and shine.

A lot of soccer pundits, coaches, players and fans alike had thrown their weights behind the quest for the introduction of the goal line technology because of the human errors that have plagued the game for several decades. Some referees had erroneously awarded crucial goals where they ought not to have been awarded, while others had denied teams of vital goals that eventually made them lose matches they should have won.

One good case study is the crucial goal scored by Frank Lampard in their match against Germany in South Africa 2010. The centre referee erroneously ruled it wasn’t a goal and England ended up losing the game by a whooping 4-1. Perhaps that goal would have made a whole lot of difference in that decider.

Another good example was the goal ruled in favour of Chelsea FC in their FA Cup semi final match against Tottenham Hotspur. The replay showed that the ball did not cross the goal line. This went on to dampen the morale of the Spur players. Of course they lost the match to Chelsea by 5-1.

Just recently, at the EURO 2012 Championship, a legitimate goal scored by Ukraine against England was cleared from inside the post by John Terry after it had crossed the goal line and the referee ruled that it wasn’t a goal. Ukraine needed to at least draw that game; but they lost it by a lone goal which led to their early exit from the tournament. The list is endless.

FIFA had hitherto argued that introducing a goal line technology would rub the game of it human input and beauty. But its introduction became inevitable when it became obvious that the round leather game was heading for a major crisis if nothing desperate was done.

In the match between England and Ukraine, a fifth official was even standing directly behind the post, yet he could not see when such a great goal was scored. Perhaps he allowed his emotion to overrule his sense of judgment and as such his inclusion in such match could not be justified.

My greatest excitement is that human emotion will no longer play a nasty role in deciding the outcomes of matches to some extent. The technology will officially be introduced during the FIFA World Club Cup in Tokyo, Japan in December 2012. It would also be used during the confederation Cup in 2013 and finally at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

How Will This help Football

The introduction of the goal line technology would go a long way at helping to reduce those errors that had trailed the game of football for decades.
1. Accurate decisions: This technology combined with the input of the centre referee and his assistants would assist the officials at arriving at accurate decisions during football matches.

2. No sentiment: Before now, some referees had awarded or cancelled crucial goals based on emotion and sentiments. They had indirectly favoured the teams of their choice and punished the opponents. But with this technology, such emotions and sentiment would be ruled out completely. The technology would not support or oppose any team; it would only award a goal based on merit.

3. Lesser argument: Arguments in the pitch of play would be reduced to a large extent. Players, fans and coaches had always questioned the accuracy of the decisions made by match officials. But when the decisions are now jointly made by both humans and electronic devices, such arguments would definitely reduce.

4. No more blaming of referees: The blames that had come to centre referees at crucial matches would be minimized as they would no longer award goals in errors. All goals would be thoroughly scrutinized before they are awarded. Any team that loses a match would do so on a level play ground.

5. True Champions: When goals are awarded in error, the true champions would not emerge at the end. When potential champions are eliminated as a result of human error, the eventual champions would not be seen as people who truly deserve to be champions. But when goals are awarded on a clean note, true champions that would be respected by all would emerge.

However, this is not to say that the technology would be 100% perfect. Issues that need to be considered include whether the technology would be powered by batteries, electricity or solar energy. In case of power failure or mechanical fault, there is bound to be error in results. In such cases, the final decision would be made by the officials.

FIFA Approves The Use Of Goal Line Technology