Fifa: Technology Could Grace 2006 World Cup

[Shivek]

Goal-line technology will be used in next year's World Cup finals if an experiment later this month proves successful, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Thursday.

Four stadia are being fitted out with adidas' 'smartball' technology for the FIFA Under-17 world championships in Peru which will see the referee sent a signal every time the ball goes out of play or into the goal.

Delegates from the International Board will attend the tournament to monitor the experiment and a decision on introducing the system for the World Cup will be taken at a meeting in October.

Blatter told a media briefing in London: 'We will definitely use the technology in Germany next year if the experiment works in Peru.

'The International Board will attend that last week of the competition in Peru in order to see how the system works.

'We will then make a decision at a meeting in Zurich in October.'

The tournament in Peru will see 32 matches played with the smartball system where the ball contains a microchip which sends a signal whenever it passes over sensors in the touchline.

The referee is alerted by a device worn on his wrist and should then be in a position to make the correct decision.

The FA, one of the members of the International Board - the body which governs football's rules - have already indicated they will back efforts to bring in the technology in time for next year's World Cup in Germany.

The system should bring an end to controversies over goal-line decisions such as the one in 1966 which helped England win the biggest prize in football.

Blatter added that FIFA were reluctant to go any further down the road to bringing in new technology.

He said: 'This goal-line technology is enough. Football must keep its human face and must accept errors. If we start to make it too scientific this game will lose its fascination.'

I dont think that this is gonna work out. What do u guys think?

[lovejoy]

Goal-line technology will be used in next year's World Cup finals if an experiment later this month proves successful, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Thursday.

Four stadia are being fitted out with adidas' 'smartball' technology for the FIFA Under-17 world championships in Peru which will see the referee sent a signal every time the ball goes out of play or into the goal.

Delegates from the International Board will attend the tournament to monitor the experiment and a decision on introducing the system for the World Cup will be taken at a meeting in October.

Blatter told a media briefing in London: 'We will definitely use the technology in Germany next year if the experiment works in Peru.

'The International Board will attend that last week of the competition in Peru in order to see how the system works.

'We will then make a decision at a meeting in Zurich in October.'

The tournament in Peru will see 32 matches played with the smartball system where the ball contains a microchip which sends a signal whenever it passes over sensors in the touchline.

The referee is alerted by a device worn on his wrist and should then be in a position to make the correct decision.

The FA, one of the members of the International Board - the body which governs football's rules - have already indicated they will back efforts to bring in the technology in time for next year's World Cup in Germany.

The system should bring an end to controversies over goal-line decisions such as the one in 1966 which helped England win the biggest prize in football.

Blatter added that FIFA were reluctant to go any further down the road to bringing in new technology.

He said: 'This goal-line technology is enough. Football must keep its human face and must accept errors. If we start to make it too scientific this game will lose its fascination.'

I dont think that this is gonna work out. What do u guys think?

i think its a great idea ,if it works

it would stop disputes and cut out human error

they should also start using video as they do in rugby as a mistake by a ref can sometimes cost a team the match and a trophy

a bad ref can spoil a game and also a ref cant see everything so i think the game would benefit from using modern tech

[mrbojangles]

i think its a great idea ,if it works

it would stop disputes and cut out human error

they should also start using video as they do in rugby as a mistake by a ref can sometimes cost a team the match and a trophy

a bad ref can spoil a game and also a ref cant see everything so i think the game would benefit from  using modern tech

I concur. People say it will slow down the game but i don't think so. In fact it can add to the excitement, like in Cricket or Rugby, where all the crowd watch as well and then wait for the "OUT" or "NOT OUT" or the "TRY" or "NO TRY".

[Spit the Dog]

Yeah, it is a great idea. You just have to look at last season when Roy Carroll scooped the ball out of his goal against Spurs. It will help erradicate poor decisions like this.