Blatter: Goal-line technology was too costly

ZURICH (AP) — The introduction of goal-line technology was rejected because it was too costly and wasn't universally applicable, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said yesterday.

The FIFA-dominated International Football Association Board rejected plans to pursue the use of technology at its annual meeting last weekend.

"The application of modern technologies can be very costly, and therefore not applicable on a global level," Blatter wrote on the FIFA website.

"Many matches, even at the highest level, are not even televised. For example, we have close to 900 preliminary matches for the FIFA World Cup, and the same rules need to be applied in all matches of the same competition.

"The rules need to be the same for all association football matches worldwide."

At FIFA headquarters in Zurich last Saturday, IFAB was updated on the latest developments on goal-line aides from Cairos, which has developed a microchip ball, and Hawk-Eye, which uses a camera-based system.

"If the IFAB had approved goal-line technology, what would prevent the approval of technology for other aspects of the game?" Blatter said. "Every decision in every area of the pitch would soon be questioned."

Blatter wants decisions kept in the hands of humans, saying that even computer evidence can be disputed.

"No matter which technology is applied, at the end of the day a decision will have to be taken by a human being," Blatter said.

"It is often the case that, even after a slow-motion replay, 10 different experts will have 10 different opinions on what the decision should have been."

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