Soccer: Goal-line technology has been approved as part of the laws of football in an historic decision by the International FA Board (IFAB). Two systems, Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, have been approved by the IFAB after passing a series of scientific tests.
Technology could be introduced into the Premier League as soon as the new year following the decision at a meeting in Zurich, but Irish teams are likely to be priced out of the move in the medium-term at least.
Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said they intended to bring goal-line technology in for the Club World Cup in Japan in December, next year’s Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Valcke said Fifa would pay for the systems - up to €200,000 per stadium - and leave them in place in the stadiums.
FA general secretary Alex Horne told a news conference in Zurich it was “a hugely important day” for football.
He said: “We believe that it is a great day for football. From an English perspective today is a hugely important day, it is a cause we have had on our agenda for a number of years. This is about having the right technology helping the referee in a relatively rare occurrence - the scoring of a goal.”
The systems will have to tested after they are installed in each stadium to make sure they are working properly before they are licensed for use.
The technology could be introduced to the Premier League by the new year.
"It is perfectly possible to introduce it halfway through the season," Horne said. "We have already got Hawk-Eye at Wembley, it needs to be calibrated and make sure it's working properly and licensed so we are nearly there and we could turn Hawk-Eye on quite quickly. The FA Cup would be our decision and we could say for the semi-finals and finals of the FA Cup we could turn it on, I don't think that is a very controversial decision.
"England is harder because we are part of someone else's competition so we would need Fifa to agree that we could use that in that qualification campaign. We need to go back and talk to the Premier League, everything I hear is that they want it. We might as well agree which one we want to buy and then nail a deal together."
Fifa president Sepp Blatter admitted he had changed his mind about goal-line technology after Frank Lampard's disallowed goal for England against Germany in the 2010 World Cup, and highlighted again after Ukraine were denied a goal against England in Euro 2012 despite the ball having crossed the line.
Blatter said: "For me as Fifa president it became evident the moment what happened in South Africa in 2010. I have to say 'thank you Lampard'. I was completely down in South Africa when I saw that it really shocked me, it took me a day to react. It happened again in Ukraine, and Ukraine can still not believe it now."
Blatter insisted however that there would be no move to introduce any video replays or other technology to rule on other decisions such as offsides, fouls or diving.
He said: "Other than the goal-line technology, football must preserve its human face."
Horne added: "Goal-line technology is where this starts and finishes for us. None of us think technology interfering with the free-flowing nature of football is good for the game."
FA chairman David Bernstein also hailed the decision, saying: "I think it is a momentous day and I'm proud to have been part of this decision-making."
Nobody from the FAI or the League of Ireland was available for comment.
