Premier League tries to beat Fifa to the goal-line technology

If the IFAB is satisfied with the speed and accuracy of Hawk-Eye or GoalRef, the Premier League's 20 grounds would have just six weeks to install the technology in time for the start of next season.

LONDON // The Premier League will consider using goal-line technology from the start of next season, with feasibility studies taking place even before the definitive decision by football's rule-makers in July.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has rejected six devices and approved two for a final round of testing in match scenarios before either can be sanctioned for use.

If the IFAB is satisfied with the speed and accuracy of Hawk-Eye or GoalRef to serve as aids for referees when it meets on July 2, the Premier League's 20 grounds would have just six weeks to install the technology.

The English Football Association, which is one of eight IFAB members, said that timescale would probably be too short for the teams to test and calibrate a system for use in competitive matches. But the Premier League is more optimistic, having been a long-time advocate of goal-line technology.

"We welcome the moves by Fifa and we would like to introduce it as soon as practically possible," Dan Johnson, the league communications director, said yesterday.

The league has already invested in Hawk-Eye's development of a device for football and also plans talks with GoalRef ahead of the IFAB decision. The discussions could ensure a deal is in place to allow the league to act swiftly after the vote in July.

Sony Corp's Hawk-Eye is a camera-based ball-tracking system successfully deployed in tennis and cricket. GoalRef, owned by a German-Danish company, uses a magnetic field with a special ball. Both systems send a signal within a second of the ball crossing the line to the referee, who will retain the power to make the final call.

Fifa is hopeful of using the technology at the Club World Cup in December in Japan.

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