World Cup: December 2011 Archives

About time, in my book, but then I'm an embittered Englishman (you'll recall the robbery that happened to the nation at the last World Cup):

BERLIN (MCT) -- World soccer chief Sepp Blatter expects goal-line technology to be introduced next season, and it also should be featured at the next World Cup in 2014, along with professional referees.

Speaking in various newspaper interviews published on Tuesday, Blatter said that FIFA is finally ready to make use of goal-line technology, pending approval next year.

"You must allow at least one of those aids, and that is goal-line technology. There are systems that combine accuracy, speed and are straightforward. We are ready to use this technique," Blatter told Germany's Bild.

Blatter, 75, reiterated that the International Football Association Board is to reach a decision on the technology in March and that it can be used from the 2012-13 season onward if approved.

FIFA long opposed modern technology gaining entry into the game, but enhanced technology and high-profile incidents -- such as Frank Lampard's shot at the 2010 World Cup against Germany, which went over the line off the bar but went unseen by the referee -- have led to a new approach.

"FIFA cannot accept again what happened in South Africa: a ball that was 70 centimeters in goal was called out," Blatter told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

If approved and successful, the technology will also be used at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, for which Blatter also announced professional referees.