By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – The last will be first and the first will be last may have biblical origins but FIFA have applied the exact same philosophy to its decision to hand the landmark contract for goalline technology at this summer’s forthcoming Confederations Cup to the German company GoalControl.
Like Hawk-Eye, which has years of experience in a variety of other sports, GoalControl is camera-based and will now be considered to have stolen a march on its rivals in the race to strike deals with major leagues eager to follow FIFA’s lead. The company will also be used at next year’s World Cup in Brazil provided it meets the required standards at Confederations Cup, the traditional World Cup warm-up tournament.
FIFA’s rule-making panel, the International FA Board, historically approved goal-line technology last July after Hawk-Eye and GoalRef passed the rigorous testing process. The two systems were then used for the Club World Cup in Japan in December – the first time technology was employed in officially competition – but neither of them ultimately needed to be called into action and both have now been surprisingly overlooked.
Ironically, Hawk-Eye and Cairos tried unsuccessfully for several years to persuade football’s lawmakers to use their products, the latter in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer Adidas. Both were evaluated and rejected when technology was first considered but Cairos’ latest system, no longer linked to the sportswear firm, is similar to that of GoalRef, using magnetic fields with sensors that are activated when the ball crosses the line.
All four current systems that vied for the Confederations Cup contract met FIFA’s strict demand that a signal is transmitted to the referee’s watch within one second of a decision as to whether the ball has crossed the line. But clearly FIFA were more impressed with GoalControl which was licensed only one month ago and uses 14 high-speed cameras.
In a statement, FIFA said the cost of installation at the six scheduled Confederations Cup venues and the 12 World Cup stadiums was considered. “While all four companies had previously met the stringent technical requirements of the FIFA Quality Programme, the final decision was based on criteria relating more specifically to the tournaments in Brazil, including the company’s ability to adapt to local conditions and the compatibility of each GLT system in relation to FIFA match operations. The respective bids were also judged on cost and project management factors such as staffing and time schedules for installation,” it said.
Referees will still have the final say on awarding a goal while mandatory pre-game tests will give match officials the option to switch off the technology if they doubt its accuracy on the day.
GoalControl owner Dirk Broichhausen said its simplicity was key to it winning FIFA’s approval. “Our innovation, and also a difference looking to other competitors, is that we can use standard goals, balls and nets. There is no modification necessary,” Broichhausen said.
Although GoalControl has surged to the top of the league, to use football parlance, the other three systems will be keen to persuade other potential clients such as the English Premier League to choose them before next season begins in August.
Whatever Hawk-Eye thought privately, the company were publicly gracious in defeat despite originally coming to the table years ago and being repeatedly sent away to fine-tune their product. “Sport teaches us many lessons, including accepting defeat graciously and having confidence in your ability to bounce back strongly,” a statement said. “Hawk-Eye wishes FIFA and the appointed GLT supplier every success.”
Cairos – now named Cairos Technologies AG and the parent company of Impire AG – insisted a few weeks ago that its system was foolproof in all weather conditions. “The system is 100% accurate; even if the ball is covered completely the Cairos GLT System will decide correctly,” a statement said. “This makes it unique. Also, the system has only a minimum impact to the stadium infrastructure.”
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