Blatter: Goal-line technology now a necessity
Reuters - Wednesday 20 June 2012, 11:04
FIFA President Sepp Blatter
said goal-line technology was a "necessity" after officials
controversially denied Ukraine a goal against England in their
Euro 2012 match on Tuesday.
Marco Devic thought he had equalised for the co-hosts to
bring them potentially within a goal of qualifying for the
quarter-finals but Hungarian officials waved play on after a
magnificent clearance from England defender John Terry.
Television replays suggested the ball had crossed the line
and Ukraine head coach Oleg Blokhin and his team were left
fuming while England conceded they had been fortunate.
Goal-line technology is expected to be formally sanctioned
by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), who
govern the laws of the game, on July 5.
Blatter used Twitter to make clear he supported that move.
"After last night's match, GLT [goal line technology] is no
longer an alternative but a necessity," wrote the FIFA
president.
FIFA has been trialling two different systems to help
officials know whether a ball has crossed the line.
England's friendly against Belgium last month was one of the
test matches for Hawk-Eye, the system used in tennis and
cricket, although it was not at the disposal of match officials.
A similar system called GoalRef has also been trialled in
two Danish league matches.