Goal line tech in full effect

Personally I think this is a good thing for the game. I think this is a very easy way to make sure goals that cross the goal line are counted correctly.  Refs get most calls correct but they are still human. 

I do not however think that that technology should be used for offsides/fouls/ANY other type of call.  The human element is part of the game period. Much like what baseball did with Instant Replay for home run calls only and not for outs/balls/strikes, FIFA is moving this issue in the right direction.

What do you guys think??


Via Press Association -FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke on Wednesday gave the final approvals for the use of goal line technology at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

The GoalRef and Hawk-Eye systems passed the final installation tests a day before the opening match of the tournament between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Auckland City FC, Valcke said on FIFA.com.

"It's a big day because it's the first time that the technology will be used officially in games," he said.


Soccer's governing body was against the use of any form of technology for many years but opened the door to a change in the wake of the 2010 World Cup, in which England was denied a clear goal against Germany when Frank Lampard's shot crossed the line.

FIFA will try out two systems, the U.K.-based Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, from Germany, at the Club World Cup in Japan, starting with Thursday's match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Auckland City.

"This is also an important day for us, because we will use one of the two systems we are using here in the FIFA Confederations Cup next year," Valcke said of the technology, which will be restricted to the goal-line specifically. "This is a kind of revolution. It is the first time that this kind of technology is coming into football.

"The IFAB (International Football Association Board) is there to ensure the 17 laws of the game are protected," he said in his statement. "It was their decision, and they were clear, to say that the technology is limited to the goal-line.

"We must ensure that when the ball goes into the goal, the referee must get the information that the ball has gone in. The referee has the final decision. The technology won't change the speed, value or spirit of the game."