Technology Comes to Soccer

As reported in the New York Times and elsewhere last week, international soccer will be using modern technology to determine whether a ball has entirely crossed the goalline.  Although I have been against instant reply in soccer because it would disrupt the flow of the game, this move sounds like a positive step.  It certainly would have eliminated the controversy in the 1966 World Cup final between Germany and England, not to mention the 2008 U18 New Jersey State Cup quarterfinal.

There are two systems, Hawk-Eye and the less expensive GoalRef, which could be in place for the upcoming English Premier League season.  Most certainly electronics will be used in the 2014 World Cup.  Don't expect to see it at your local high school stadium any time soon, however.  The systems will cost an estimated $200,000 per stadium.