Say goodbye to "ghost goals"

The FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) has added an incredible piece of technology in the goals of the 2014 World Cup, known as Goal- Line Technology (GLT). This is the latest method of determining when a ball has completely crossed the goal line with the assistance of electronic devices, at the same time it helps the referee in their decision of awarding a goal or not. The controversy regarding the Germany vs. England match in the 2010 World Cup (4-1), in where  a bad call from the referee allowed the germans to win the match, has risen the awareness about this issue and the need to find a good solution to make the game fairer.

The system, which incorporates a total of 14 cameras (7 for each goal), is already making the difference in the 2014 World Cup. Johannes Holzmuller, Coordinator of FIFA's Quality Program says, "the objective of implementing this technology in the field is to help the referees when making decisions in the game". Sometimes, it's not always obvious whether or not a ball has crossed the line or not. Not even with a television camera. Therefore, this technology will reduce the number of blind spots in the game while minimizing the margin of error.

The new system, which is run by the german company GoalControl GmBh, substitutes the vision of a human eye (16 shots per second) and the only point of view that the referees have for high speed cameras that capture 500 shots per second and cover all of the possible angles of a soccer ball.  The cameras, located around the field at a high distance, immediately capture the position of the ball in three dimensions when it's approaching the goal, at the same time it sends the data to a software of a computer unit located inside the stadium. If a ball goes across the line of one of the goals, all of the four referees in the game receive a signal in their hand watches in less than a second. In other words, there is no margin of error.

"The most important thing" Holzmuller says, "is that the number of incidents and bad calls will be reduced while improving the fairness of the game". Also, this technology will be used by 12 stadiums in the World Cup, with a margin of error less than couple of millimeters. This technology also represents a major improvement for people that bet on the game. Sometimes, winning or loosing money depends on whether a goal is in or outside the line. Therefore, it is important that this technology makes the game more accurate and precise at all times. The system that the technology relies on is revised by both FIFA agencies and the referee of the game before and after the game. They also have the choice of not using it in the game, if they find something suspicious or that generates doubt.

The technology always runs offline, meaning that nobody outside of the stadium can manipulate the system through the Internet. This is a new piece of equipment that has been put to the test in earlier competitions like the 2013 Confederation Cup in Brazil as well as other tournaments in England and Holland. Finally, it is safe to say that FIFA is aiming to make the sport as fair and accurate as possible for both the teams and all the fans out there. Thank you FIFA.