The Football Association has confirmed goal-line technology (GLT) could be used in The FA Cup next season.
An update on the GLT project was presented to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Edinburgh on Saturday, following the historic decision to approve its introduction at the IFAB Special Meeting on 5 July 2012.
The IFAB agreed each competition organiser should have the autonomy to decide whether they wish to use GLT in individual matches, or all matches of a tournament.
FA General Secretary Alex Horne said it could be used for FA Cup matches next season, particularly those played at Premier League grounds or the Semi-Finals and Final, as well as The FA Community Shield.
He added that the matter would go before The FA Cup Committee but that the belief was GLT did not have to be present in all stadiums before it could be approved for use.
Horne said: “It isn’t a [final] decision but it is my view is that the technology in the building favours nobody.
"It is there for both teams to use, it is part of the infrastructure of the stadium. Therefore I would allow them to switch it on. It is a simple rule, it doesn’t advantage anyone. If it is in the building, turn it on.”
The meeting also agreed that the decision whether to allow replays of goal-line incidents for broadcast purposes and/or on stadium giant-screens, is to be made independently by individual competition organisers.
Four GLT systems have so far been licensed with GoalControl this week following Hawk-Eye, GoalRef and Carios in meeting the FIFA requirements. Hawk-Eye and GoalRef were used at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan last December.
The FA has been a leading proponent of goal-line technology for many years and sanctioned testing at last June’s England v Belgium match at Wembley.
Among the other items for discussion was the usage of electronic performance monitoring systems. The Board agreed to form a consultation group, comprised of medics, coaches, former players and IFAB Technical Sub-Committee members to review this matter further.
In relation to the Laws of the Game, IFAB approved a clarification of the wording of Law 11 (Offside, Interpretation of the Laws of the Game). The IFAB agreed that the current wording is not precise enough, regarding “interfering with an opponent/gaining an advantage.” The new approved wording can be found in the agenda on the FIFA website.
Brief reports were also provided on Additional Assistant Referees, and the decision approved last year related to Law 4 (The Players’ Equipment) with regards to the headscarf – to allow a trial, non-mandatory period – the IFAB reiterated that a final decision will be made at next year’s Annual General Meeting.
Finally, a proposal to review Law 8 (The Start and Restart of Play “Dropped Ball”) was postponed for further consultation, with a new proposal to be presented at the 2014 Annual General Meeting. An agreement was also made to form a working group to review the full Laws of the Game to improve clarity where appropriate.
Amendments to the Laws of the Game taken today by the IFAB come into effect on 1 July 2013.
The 128th Annual General Meeting will take place in Zürich, Switzerland between 28 February - 2 March 2014.
