Goal Line Technology: Cursory Look At Efficacy Since Introduction
Written by Oluwaseun Oyediji
The Goal Line Technology (GLT) has been a major characteristics of major football leagues and international tournaments since introduction and ratification in 2012.
It’s over a decade since it has been in usage, but can one conclude that it has solved the problems of disallowed goals?
History
A lot of incidents led to the introduction of Goal Line Technology to the football mainframe.
Since time immemorial, balls crossing the goal line and returning to the field of play had been a Worrying case for match officials.
The straw which broke the camel’s back was Frank Lampard’s goal for England against Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This, as well as other incidents spurred the clamour for the introduction of GLT to football in order to solve the lingering issue.
The introduction went through diverse series of tests before confirmation despite criticism from certain quarters.
Usage
GLT involves the use of camera chip, implanted in the ball which will send message through a sensor to the centre referee’s wrist watch.
The match balls have a camera implanted in it alongside a communication means connected to the the wrist watch of the centre referee.
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Anytime the ball crosses the goal line, the ball will send a message to the referee’s wrist watch by means of vibration to indicate that the ball has crossed the line.
With that, the referee gets the message and points to the centre line to indicate that a goal has been scored.
There are two major GLT specifications; hawk eye and GoalRef but FIFA also had tests from Cairos Technologies in collaboration with Adidas and Goalminder.
Competitions Usage
Major leagues in Europe and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), as well as other continental Confederations tournaments now adopt GLT.
Leagues like the English Premier League (EPL), EFL Championship, French Ligue 1, German Bundesliga, Italian Seria A & B, and Dutch Eredivisie have made GLT a mainstay.
European club competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Europa Conference League, and UEFA Women’s Champions League are other leagues with GLT usage.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also adopt GLT usage for competitions.
Criticism
The adoption of GLT is followed by setbacks and criticisms of loss of human elements, costs, and failures.
Anti-GLT argued that the human element of errors is lost with the technology.
They believed that errors are a part of the game which made it open to discussions and debate but the introduction of GLT cancelled them.
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The installation and management of GLT is really expensive which makes it difficult for every league in the world to have.
Some leagues decided not to adopt the technology stating that it is meant for the rich leagues in England, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy.
Installation of GLT technology at inception cost between €250,000 to €500,000 and more which can’t be afforded by the lesser leagues and clubs.
There have also been cases of failures as far as GLT is concerned with attendant cases in England and France.
Former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter delayed the implementation of the GLT before he was deposed when he said that it is only 95% accurate.
With the above revelations, one tend to doubt the efficacy of the technology. Irrespective of the doubts, GLT has its success story.
It has helped solve the controversy attached to goal line issues. After the introduction of GLT, other technologies like the offside and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) are now mainstays in the game.
With these developments, it is expected that more technologies will find its way into football.
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