Law-makers open door to rescue Germans over goal line technology
ZURICH: German football has been offered the helping hand it needed, with perfect timing, to hurry along the introduction of goal-line technology into the Bundesliga writes KEIR RADNEDGE.
Two incidents this season have raised the level of debate over introducing GLT into German football as the English Premier League has done. The most recent was last week when Leverkusen’s Stefen Kiessling was awarded a goal even though he ball had entered through the side net.
Earlier this year, however, Bundeslga ceo Christian Seifert said that the tolerance of 3cm for the ball crossing the line was too inexact for him and his colleagues from the clubs.
Now the annual business meeting of the law-making International Football Association Board has approved changes to the new 2014 Testing Manual, including a higher standard of a 1.5cm margin of error for the accuracy of GLT systems.
Feedback
An IFAB statement said: “The changes were based primarily on FIFA’s experience of using GLT at the FIFA Club World Cup 2012 and FIFA Confederations Cup 2013, as well as the feedback provided to the board by the Premier League who have been using GLT since the beginning of the current season, and provide further evidence of how technology is constantly improving.”
The new manual comes into force in April 2014 with a transition period of six months in which new installations can be tested according to the 2012 or 2014 Testing Manual. As of October 2014, all new goal-line technology installations will have to meet the higher standard of the 2014 Testing Manual.
In other decisions IFAB agreed to widen its consultation system and become registered association under the Swiss civil code thus falling in line with world federation FIFA.
The meeting chaired by FIFA president Sepp Blatter – as host – agreed to a foundation meeting being held on January 13 when the new statutes will be approved and the registration process required by Swiss Law completed.
The 128th IFAB annual meeting will take place in Zurich, Switzerland from February 28 to March 2. Hosting is undertaken on rotation between all parties to IFAB which comprises FIFA and the four British associations.
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