Fifa approves goal line technology
1 min read
Two goal line technology systems have been approved by Fifa that could be used in the Premier League as early as the 2012/13 season.
The Hawk-Eye and GoalRef systems have been welcomed by the Premier League for their ability to help make match changing decisions.
Hawk-Eye is already used in other sports such as tennis and cricket. It uses high speed cameras to track the ball on the pitch, then triangulation to pinpoint its exact location. It can report exactly where a ball has landed and create a record of the path it has taken.
Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute, GoalRef uses antennas to create low intensity magnetic fields in and around the goals. A tiny electronic device is embedded in the ball so whenever it passes the goal line it changes the magnetic field. This is detected and analysed by a processing unit which can precisely locate the ball to see if it fully crossed the line.
Both systems send an encrypted radio signal to alert game officials, with each process taking less than one second to complete.
