A topic that has been debated on many occasions; should we introduce goal-line technology to the beautiful game of football? (or soccer as some may be more familiar with)
As technology in sports continues to improve, and with the incredible capabilities it now offers, many worry that it will do more harm than good to the game of football.
Before FIFA finally gave Goal-Line Tech the go-ahead back in 2012, former president Sepp Blatter felt that the use of technology in football would hinder the human aspect of the game; the controversy and the conversations, the emotion and the energy, the tension and the turbulence.
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From one president to another, UEFA president Michal Platinti, when asked for his opinion, believed that goal-line technology would lead to “PlayStation football”.
Why Now
So why now have many clubs, stadiums and tournaments introduced goal line technology?
Well, let’s go back to the 2010 World Cup…
“It has been a fantastic first half, with the score currently standing at Germany 2 – 1 England.
England are pushing for that equaliser before the half; Frank Lampard picks up the ball on the edge of the opposition box, he executes a superb lofted finish over the keeper Manuel Neuer, and surely the ball is over the line!”
…Those of you who saw this game will remember that Lampard’s goal was not given. A goal that would have put England on level terms with their fiercest of rivals, a goal that would have changed the game.
This, along with the Ukraine goal that was not given against England back in 2012, proved to be a key shift in the opinions of many on the need for goal-line technology. It is now deemed a crucial aspect of the game.
The Decision
As announced earlier this week , UEFA will introduce goal-line technology at Euro 2016 this summer, and then in the Champions League and Europa League next season.
UEFA’s referee chief, Pierluigi Collina, has said the following regarding this recent decision;
“This is not a decision we have taken quickly – we have been looking at it for the last year and a half. We are convinced implementing goal-line technology will be a further step in better control of the match.”
Pierluigi Collina gives some background as UEFA considers adopting goal-line technology – https://t.co/Tmm77r0aAN pic.twitter.com/76jGJQV7o4
— UEFA.com (@UEFAcom) January 19, 2016
There is no doubt that goal-line technology will have a significant positive impact on the game of football; as much as we love to discuss controversial decisions, no one likes to see a goal not given purely due to human error, and now we don’t have to.
What’s next?
Ultimately, goal-line technology is a decision-making piece of technology. It is there to assist the referees in making the key decision; did the ball cross the goal line?
But what other decision-making capabilities can technology offer to the game of football? Sensors to identify handballs? Cameras to determine whether or not a tackle is worthy of a red card?
And then we look to other sports where goal-line technology could be highly effective; high-contact sports such as rugby and NFL.
Both of these sports currently use goal-line video replays, so why not now introduce goal-line technology?
A spokesman for Hawk-Eye (an organisation that specialises in innovative tracking software for sports) when speaking on the use of this technology in NFL said that the number of bodies usually surrounding a football at the goal line would render its system useless too often – Hawk-Eye requires at least 25% of the ball to be clearly visible throughout the play for it to register.
So perhaps at this moment in time, goal-line technology would not offer the same benefits to football (NFL) as it does to football (soccer). But as this technology continues to improve, I am sure it will be adopted by these high-contact sports; and just as a goal will always be a goal, just maybe, a touchdown will always be a touchdown.