Goal line systems agreed for Ligue 1

LIGUE 1 football will start using ‘goal line’ technology next season to avoid controversy over whether a ball went into the goal or not.

The board of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LPF), which runs France’s main professional leagues, decided unanimously to bring in one of two camera-based methods as of the 2015/16 season, said its president Frédéric Thiriez.

The LPF will now have discussions with two operators of these systems; British firm Hawkeye and the German Goalcontrol.

Their systems both use a number of high-speed cameras that are used to track the position of the ball. In the Hawkeye version the referee then receives an alert on a watch, within a second, saying whether it was a valid goal or not. An alternative ‘goal line’ method uses an electronic circuit in the ball together with a low magnetic field around the goal.

The aim is to avoid arguments, such as happened recently when OM complained of a goal being “stolen” when what they said was a valid goal was refused during a match against Lyon. The opposite also happens when dubious goals are allowed.

Goal line technology has been allowed in international football since 2012 and is now used in the English Premier League and was used in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil last year. It will start to be used in Italy and Germany from next season as well and will be used in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada this June.

While the technology is claimed to avoid mistakes, it is similar to one used in tennis, which has been claimed to be sometimes inaccurate by stars like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Other critics object that it takes away some spontaneity from the game or that it is more entertaining to leave an element of doubt giving fans a chance to discuss whether they agree with the decision the ref made.

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Photo: Lionel Messi