Recently, IFAB released an agenda for its 126^th Annual General Meeting and it appears that the delegates will have plenty to discuss, including eight proposals and amendments to the Laws of the Game. Among the items for discussion – one that we want to highlight here – is the use of the Goal-Line Technology (GLT). As many of you may recall, FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, was initially opposed to the implementation of the GLT technology because, he thought, it would remove “the human face” from the game. However, following the World Cup match between England and Germany during which Frank Lampard was denied a goal, Blatter warmed up to the idea of using the technology. In that crucial game, the referees failed to award a goal to Lampard even though the replays clearly showed that the ball, after hitting the underside of the crossbar, bounced down behind and crossed over the goal-line. It’s too bad that it took yet another disastrous referee decision for FIFA to seriously consider the GLT technology. But, better late than never!

Now, we are the first ones to admit that FIFA is right about taking a cautious approach to the GLT technology. We don’t think that this cautious approach is primarily motivated by concerns over accuracy and reliability of the GLT technology. It seems to us that the widespread use of the technology, for example in tennis, shows that the technology works. We think that FIFA’s biggest concern stems from the fact that soccer – unlike many other team games – is the game with relatively very few interruptions. We agree that excessive number of stoppages to review referees’ decisions would transform and, simply put, kill the game. We believe, however, that the instances where the technology could be used and the amount of time necessary to determine whether the ball crossed over the goal-line would be – or should be – limited.

Thus, while we support the use of the GLT technology, FIFA must implement rules that protect the integrity of the game and its free-flowing uninterrupted nature. Let us know what you think and rules and/or limitations FIFA should place on the use of the GTL technology.

LINKS: IFAB News