FIFA vs technology
Posted on March 22, 2008 Filed Under Headlines
FIFA ruled out the goal-line technology which helps in determining whether goal is scored or not, on Saturday.
According to English Football Association’s chief executive Brian Barwick, who supported this idea, “the idea is now dead in the water.” FIFA will sanction any further experiments into technological aids. Instead International Football Association Board (IFAB), the ultimate football law-making body, gave its approval for experiments to start this year with an additional assistant referee placed behind each goal to help the referee rule on contentious decisions.
Barwick said at a news conference after the IFAB’s annual meeting: “We are very disappointed. We were in favor of goal-line technology. But it is dead in the water. There will be no more experiments and it will not be back on the agenda next year — or in the foreseeable future.”
FIFA’s general secretary, Jerome Valcke said that the experiments using extra linesman would be applied this year in UEFA or FIFA tournament.
Two technologies were nominated by FIFA, Smart ball and Hawkeye camera technology. Smart ball is developed by Adidas and German Company Cairos, in which a microchip would be in the ball.
Whereas, the camera-based technology developed by Hawkeye company which is currently used in tennis and cricket.
Hawkeye Company’s managing director Paul Hawkins said: “I am absolutely stunned by their decision. It is completely out of the blue. A year ago they met and gave us four criteria to meet and we have met all of them, yet they have kicked it out now. A lot of money has been invested, a lot of time and effort and I am staggered.”
Welsh FA general secretary David Collins said: “We believe soccer is a game played by human beings, it’s a game with a human face and there was a feeling it would hinder the flow of the game.”
In other decisions, the IFAB agreed to standardize the dimensions of a pitch used for full international men’s matches to 105 x 68 meters.
(Reuters)
Related Posts
Comments
Leave a Reply
