Soccer: Fifa today confirmed goal-line technology will be in place for the 2014 World Cup as it invited tenders to provide the system.
Sepp Blatter, president of world football’s governing body, had previously stated his commitment to bringing in goal-line technology for the tournament in Brazil.
It was trialled at the Club World Cup in December, and Fifa will now roll it out for this summer’s Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup.
Fifa said in a statement: “After a successful implementation of Goal-Line Technology (GLT) at the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan in December 2012, Fifa has decided to use GLT at the Fifa Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 and 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil.
“The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests. With different technologies on the market, Fifa has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil.”
Hawk-Eye and GoalRef both have Fifa approval and are set to compete against each other, and possibly other manufacturers, for the World Cup rights.
Fifa said: “The two GLT providers already licensed under Fifa’s Quality Programme for GLT, and other GLT providers currently in the licensing process (that must have passed all relevant tests as of today) are invited to submit tenders.
“Interested GLT companies will be invited to join an inspection visit to the Confederations Cup venues, currently scheduled for mid-March, with a final decision due to be confirmed in early April.”
The incoming technology will be designed to help match officials with critical decisions in matches, and its use appears to have been hastened by England being denied a goal in their defeat to Germany at the 2010 World Cup.
A shot from Frank Lampard hit the underside of the crossbar and replays showed it clearly crossed the line. However Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda did not award a goal, which would have been an equaliser. With the assistance of a goal-line camera, the costly mistake would not have been made.
Tennis and cricket at the highest level already feature the use of technology, with umpires and players able to turn to replays of key incidents for clarification.
Blatter said at the Club World Cup that Fifa would follow suit. HawkEye involves the use of cameras, while GoalRef is a more scientific system, involving a low-frequency magnetic field surrounding the goal and an electronic circuit in the ball, with goal confirmation being transmitted in a fraction of a second to a watch worn by the referee.
