Incidents such as Frank Lampard's disallowed
goal in the 2010 World Cup have added to the impetus for introducing
goal-line technology
Goal-line technology could be used as early as next season in the Premier League, according to the Football Association.
The general secretary of the FA, Alex Horne, told the BBC
that if one or more of the systems currently being tested works then the
laws governing football are likely to change."I think goal-line technology would be a huge boost for the game," said Horne.
"For years we've thought this was a good addition to referees' armoury."
Nine systems are currently under review by an independent testing authority employed by Fifa. A final decision is expected to be made in July 2012.
Horne recently indicated he believed the 2012-13 season would come too soon to see goal-line technology adopted.
Lee Sharpe on goal-line technology
"It's possible we could see [goal-line technology] in the Premier League as early as 2012-13," he said.
"It's easy to make mistakes and we've all seen examples where the referee and assistant referee can't see if a ball has crossed the line or not.
"We need to support them in decision-making."
Fifa were previously opposed to the use of technology in football, preferring that decisions remained in the hands of match officials.
That opinion changed following England's game against Germany in the 2010 South Africa World Cup when Frank Lampard's shot on goal was wrongly adjudged not to have crossed the line.
Football's law-making body, the International Football Association Board, is due to assess the results of the current testing phase in March at a meeting in London.
Companies that have matched the strict criteria laid down by Fifa will then be invited to a second phase of testing which will take place between March and June 2012.
IFAB is then due to meet again in July 2012 when a decision on whether to allow goal-line technology will be made using the data from both test phases.
Fifa, who act on behalf of the rest of the world, have four votes.
IFAB decisions must be approved by three-quarters of its members, which means Fifa's approval is necessary for any change to the law.
With that deadline of July 2012, Horne did admit it could take too long for everything to be fully tested.
He added: "Whether there is enough time for the technology to be bought, paid for and put into any league or competition for next season, I'm not sure.
"It would be really tight - but it might be possible for next season."
Other sports have already embraced technology with the Winchester-based company Hawk-Eye providing tennis players with the ability to challenge line calls.
They are now seeking to extend their expertise to football and their goal-line system was assessed on Tuesday with all nine competing companies due to be analysed before the end of the year.
The Adidas-backed firm Cairos, whose system utilises an electronic sensor inside the match ball and electromagnetic strips buried under the goal and penalty area lines, are also in contention.
Fifa's testers will travel to League One side Rochdale on Thursday to test "Goalminder", the brainchild of inventors Harry Barnes and David Parden.
Barnes and Parden, both Bolton Wanderers fans, were outraged when a Gerry Taggart goal for their team was disallowed in 1997 and the club went on to be relegated.
Fourteen years later their system - which will retail initially at around £100,000 for a set of two goalposts - uses up to 24 high-definition cameras embedded inside the goalposts.
They claim that the cameras can detect almost instantly if a ball has crossed the line. The information collected by the cameras is then verified by a computer using three-dimensional imaging software located next to the pitch.
If a goal has been scored, an encrypted signal is sent to the referee's wrist watch which triggers a vibration and a visual notice.
Crucially the entire process takes less than a second, ensuring there is no delay to the game.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15866363.stm
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