Bundesliga Clubs Vote to Implement Goal-Line Technology

In a decision on Thursday, Bundesliga clubs voted to approve goal-line technology starting next season. The result in Germany now means that the German league will join the Barclays Premier League in implementing the expensive technology during its matches.

Bundesliga president Reinhard Rauball said during a press conference after the decision, “I can tell you that in regard to the introduction of goal-line technology has been decided and indeed with a score of 15 to 3.”

While most people associated with soccer around the world agree that the technology is ultimately a very useful tool, it appears as if the reason it is not more widely used as of now comes down to cost.

To install the technology in every Bundesliga stadium, manufacturer Hawk-Eye charges about €150,000. Other major leagues around the world (including La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and MLS) have all recently stated that the cost of the goal-line technology has prevented its use in their competitions.

AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani recently stated that that the Italian league should think hard about bringing goal-line technology to the Serie A. Galliani said, “The fault is ours (not using Hawk-Eye’s technology). FIFA allows us to use technology and we don’t do it.”

Galliani went on to say, “I invite Italian football to use the technology. Like in tennis, for example. There is nothing stopping us. Technology is not a bad thing. If there’s the technology there, let’s use it. I will begin the battle for it as of Monday (December 1^st).”

Hawk-Eye works by using high-speed video cameras at different angles to determine whether the ball crosses the line or not. There is also a microchip implanted into the soccer balls to work along with the cameras. For soccer matches, Hawk-Eye uses seven high-speed cameras per goal (14 per stadium).

La Liga chief executive Francisco Roca claimed in 2013 that the Spanish league would see how the goal-line technology worked in the Premier League (and perhaps even waited on the price of the technology to drop) before implementing it in his league.

Roca said during a statement in April of last year, “We are in favor of the system. We are not going to be so quick with goal-line technology as the Premier League. But I expect in the next two or three years to do something like this either with technology that we buy or maybe with technology that we create because we already have a system in place that can do something like this. We need to see which system is less expensive to put together or to maintain.”

With the success of the goal-line technology in the Premier League, it would not be surprising to see other top leagues around the world use Hawk-Eye’s technology in the near future.