Goal: The Case Against Goal-Line Technology

After years of discussion, goal-line technology will be implemented into the soccer world next season.

It has been a long time coming. After years of discussion among managers and players, England's Premier League and FIFA have yielded. But, amid goal-line technology's acceptance, there are still people who believe the best technology system is no system at all.

Three years ago, the FIFA president Sepp Blatter — who has said goal-line technology would be used in this year's Confederations Cup and then in the 2014 World Cup — laid out eight reasons he thought goal-line technology should not be introduced. Today, the FIFA president would find it hard to keep his case for seven of eight points. Blatter asserted that the financial implications of installing the technology were too high; additional testing was required; that technology would interrupt the flow of the game; and even, that people like to debate controversial decisions. Now, the technology has been tested; it will not interrupt the flow of the game.

But as is often typical, FIFA has settled on one company to supply its system (the German-based manufacturer GoalControl) while the Premier League has chosen another (the British-inventedHawkeye).

But Blatter's first point stands. "The game must be played in the same way no matter where you are in the world," he said. "If you are coaching a group of teenagers in any small town around the world, they will be playing with the same rules as the professional players they see on TV." Goal-line technology removes this aspect; it creates a different set of the rules, providing something to clubs and players at the top of the pyramid that probably will not be available to those below.

Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, is a long-time opponent of goal-line technology, has already talked about the difficulties wide-scale implementation could cause. Last month, Platini said that in 280 stadiums used for Europe's top club competitions the technology would cost about $71 million "over five years" — money the Frenchman believes could be better spent elsewhere, on youth development and infrastructure, for example.

Platini is quick to defend the five-man officiating teams that oversee Champions League and Europa League matches, which have been criticized in recent seasons. No one is exactly sure what they do. Call penalties? Rule on goal-line issues? Indicate corner kicks or goal kicks? What they have in their favor is that they are humans, not machines, and assigning additional officials at every level is less of a challenge than a requirement for expensive hardware.

Ultimately, who gets to use the new toys? Surely teams in the second, third, fourth, and fifth divisions and beyond will be unable to bear the cost. So forget it Barnet, Bari and Bochum. The imposition of technology also raises questions about competitions like the F.A. Cup where teams like Arsenal and Newcastle travel to places like Crewe Alexandra and Torquay. Smacks of the who American League-National League interleague designated hitter fiasco.

The choices of FIFA and the Premier League appear to be a Betamax vs. VHS moment. Which system will win out in the long run? No one knows, particularly since neither has been used in competition. In the United States, opening the door to video replay in the N.F.L. has now led to every scoring play (nearly every play) subject to video review. They may get it right, but who has the time?

How necessary is goal-line technology?

The last controversy in a World Cup final was in 1966 when, coincidentally, England was the beneficiary, depending, of course, whose side you are on. Then again, when there is a question about the ball crossing the line, the imbroglio lives on and on and on (see Frank Lampard's shot against Germany in the 2010 World Cup. As Platini, a former star player said, these issues occur "once in a blue moon."

A strong case can be made to keep the game human, keep the game universal, and, in what is perhaps soccer's greatest appeal over sports that have adopted technology, keep the beautiful game simple.

What is your view of goal-line technology? Does it open a Pandora's box to more widespread use of technology in soccer? What were some of the more egregious goal-line calls you have seen or that you remember?

Jack Williams, a native of Wales, is pursuing a master's degree in journalism at Columbia University. Follow him on Twitter.

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