Speaking recently on BBC Radio 5 Live Barclays Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said FIFA is now “ready to listen” to requests for the use of goal line technology to settle disputes as to whether a soccer ball had in fact crossed the goal line.
Noting that it would not be possible to introduce the technology by next season Scudamore indicated there was no reason why it could not be implemented in time for the 2012/13 campaign.
There are two proposed technologies under consideration: the Roke Manor Research HawkEye system and Cairos Technologies' GLT system, developed in conjunction with Adidas.
The HawkEye vision system, already used in tennis, is a multi-camera, multi-processor system to visually track the path of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. It works on the principle of triangulation, using images and timing data provided by high speed video cameras placed at different locations.
Cairos' GLT system uses cables installed in the turf of the penalty area and behind the goal line. A magnetic field is generated which can be picked up by sensors in the ball. The sensors measure the magnetic field and transmit encrypted data on the ball's location to receivers placed around the pitch, which then send this data to a computer that determines whether the ball has crossed the goal line. If a goal is scored, a special watch worn by the referee receives a signal indicating the ball has crossed the goal line.
