Goal Line Tech Unveiled In A Brazilian Stadium
Brazil, host of this year World cup has unveiled the goal-line technology at the famous Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
For the first time ever at a World Cup, the system would be used to help referees make the right calls if actually the ball has crossed the goal line.
The system makes use of 14 cameras sending digitalised pictures to a data room, sitting in the top of the football stadium.
“The system works 100 percent accurately and we have the possibility that the signals will be sent out after the cams have seen whether the ball crosses the line or not to send out to referees’ watch and the referee then decides at his sole discretion is it a goal or not,” said CEO of GoalControl, Dirk Broichhausen.
Broichhausen added that FIFA was persuaded to move to technology after an incident in the 2010 World Cup when England’s Frank Lampard was denied a goal against Germany, his shot hit the bar and officials failed to spot that it had bounced down just behind the line.
That would have tied the match at 2-2 but Germany went on to win 4-1.
“If I think about the Lampard goal when the whole of Germany was at first angry, we were then a bit relieved when the goal was not allowed. Now we have clear conditions at least for the goals. We still have all the emotions. We are very proud that we are the first chosen official goal-line technology providers for FIFA,” Broichhausen said, adding that he is convinced the world’s most popular game is on the verge of big changes.
“It is a positive moment, a historic moment and we all are football fans in this fine, wonderful country here, Brazil, and this is what we find here,” he said.
Referees will also carry out a number of tests on the equipment ahead of the games to make sure it is working properly.
The group leader of the FIFA Quality Programme, Johannes Holzmueller said, “In the preparation of this World Cup the independent test institute, Labosport UK, they have tested over 2,400 goal-line incidents in the several stadiums here in Brazil. All of these 2,400 goal-line incidents were correctly recognized by the system so yes we can trust the system. We are sure that it works 100 percent.”