How this has taken so long to happen is beyond comprehension, but by all accounts, when the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meet today, goal-line technology is set to get the go-ahead.

The results of testing will be heard before IFAB today and are expected to approve the Hawk-Eye and the GoalRef systems. This means that the Premier League and Football Association can introduce the technology into their competitions. The move is undoubtedly a good thing, as almost every time a major competition takes place, a debacle about whether a ball has crossed the line or not occurs, and much moaning and gnashing of teeth follows.

The desire to bring in goal-line technology increased after Ukraine were denied an equaliser after the ball appeared to cross the line in a 1-0 defeat by England at Euro 2012. Even Supreme Soccer Leader Sepp Blatter has added his support to bring in the technology to help in similar situations.

The two types of techonologies being voted on are Hawk-Eye and GoalRef. The BBC explains:

Hawk-Eye’s system works by utilising six cameras per goal to track the ball on the pitch. The system’s software then uses “triangulation” to pinpoint the exact location of the football. If the ball crosses the goal-line then an encrypted radio signal is sent to the referee’s wristwatch to indicate a goal has been scored. In line with Fifa’s requirements, the whole process takes less than a second to complete.

And GoalRef:

GoalRef uses a microchip implanted in the ball and the use of low magnetic waves around the goal.The system then detects any change in the magnetic field on or behind the goal-line to determine if a goal has been scored.The process takes under one second with a message relayed to the referee.

The press conference announcing the decision can be watched live on Fifa.com at 16:30.

[Source: BBC]