German company given FIFA goal-line technology licence

GLT systems will be in use for the Confederations Cup in Brazil in June German company GoalControl has became the fourth supplier of goal-line technology (GLT) to receive its FIFA licence, AFP has reported. The GoalControl system utilises 14 high-speed cameras installed around the pitch that continually track the position of the ball in three dimensions - using X, Y and Z co-ordinates - once it nears the goal-line.
Once the ball crosses the goal-line, an encrypted signal is then immediately sent to the referee's watch.
FIFA has put the system out to tender and last month announced that two providers - Britain's Hawk-Eye and GoalRef of Germany - had already been licensed under its Quality Program for GLT.
Hawk-Eye, which like GoalControl uses a number of cameras, and Goalref, which works by using magnetic sensors to determine whether the ball crossed the line, both had successful trials and were deployed at the Club World Cup in Japan in December.
German company Cairos, whose system is also centered around a magnetic field similarly to GoalRef, then became the third licencee on Monday as part of efforts to reduce controversial refereeing decisions.
One or more successful GLT systems will be in use for the Confederations Cup in Brazil in June. A final decision on which technology will be used will be taken in April.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has pushed for goal-line technology ever since he watched Frank Lampard denied a legitimate goal in England's defeat by Germany in the 2010 World Cup.
On Thursday, the English Premier League announced that its clubs would be obliged to set up goal-line technology systems in their stadiums from as early as next season.