Football enters the space age
FIFA have rubber-stamped agreements with GoalRef and HawkEye, ensuring goal-line technology is now officially a part of professional football.
Extensive official testing by IFAB concluded in July and the board unanimously approved the two systems for usage and the signing of contracts heralds their arrival in leagues worldwide. England's Premier League is keen for their introduction for the 2013/14 season, providing IFAB alter the rules of the game accordingly.
Subject to final match venue tests, the first appearance of goal-line technology will be at this December's FIFA Club World Cup in Tokyo, with one systems in use in Toyota and the other in Yokohama.
Goal-line technology is expected to be in situ at 2013's FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
HawkEye, a British system of multiple cameras, is already used to assist tennis umpires and is familiar to TV viewers of cricket.
GoalRef, A Danish-German technology, relies on a microchip inside the ball being detected by an electromagnetic field behind the goal line.
Both transmit their decisions to the referee's digital watch within one second.
2012 FIFA Club World Cup participants 6-16 Dec 2012
- Chelsea
- Corinthians
- Monterrey
- Auckland City
- J-League winner (01/12/12)
- AFC CL winner (10/11/12)
- CAF CL winner (18/11/12)
(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile