Premier League chiefs will urge the sport's rule-makers this week to consider using video technology pioneered by Hawk-Eye to end uncertainty over goal-line decisions.
Hawk-Eye systems are used to judge dubious line calls in tennis, and also on
television coverage of international cricket.
Referees' chief Keith Hackett and Premier League general secretary Mike Foster
will present proposals to the International FA Board meeting in Manchester on
Saturday.
Hackett's video presentation will include the Manchester United v Tottenham
two seasons ago when goalkeeper Roy Carroll clearly spilled a long-range shot
from then-Spurs midfielder Pedro Mendes over the line but a goal was not given.
Hackett said: 'We are working with Hawk-Eye in order to seek approval from the International FA Board to run an experiment to test out a version of goal-line technology.
'We believe we are putting forward a strong proposal that underlines what is
available and how we want to experiment to gather data to accurately determine
the quality of the product.
'We are suggesting a possible alternative to the other proposals with a
reputable business company, Hawk-Eye, which already operates in top-level tennis
and cricket.
'The system operates with cameras and computers linked directly to the
referee, providing immediate information without interference, so we believe it
fulfils all the criteria.'
The Premier League believe around 10 matches in the top flight have an
incident where goal-line technology could clarify whether the ball had crossed
the line or not.
Hackett said it was often impossible for assistant referees to have the
correct viewing angle to judge.
He added: 'I will demonstrate to the IFAB the example of Manchester United v
Tottenham two seasons ago where there was a shot from a long distance.
'The brief for the assistant referee is to stand level with the last defender
and for him to have also been in the correct position to judge whether the ball
had crossed the line - well he would have had to be an Olympic 100m record
holder to have been in that position.'
Some purists believe goal-line technology is a step in the wrong direction but
Hackett is insistent the time has come for the game to modernise, but only in
terms of judging whether it is a goal or not.
He said: 'Football is ultimately about scoring goals and the question I would
ask, is would people be happy with the World Cup final, the most prestigious
match there is, being decided by an inaccurate result? We want goals to be a
decision based on fact, not opinion.'
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who is the most important member of the IFAB, has
made it clear he supports the introduction of goal-line technology.
Blatter said: 'When a goal is scored the goal should be given - this is a
priority and there must be a system.'
The IFAB will also hear updates from other experiments - the one being
championed by adidas is a `smartball' system with a micro-chip inside the ball,
while the Italian and French federations are proposing separate systems using
cameras linked to computers.
