Despite proving to be a success at the Brazil World Cup, the country is still reluctant to embrace goal-line technology.
Nilson de Souza, the vice president of Brazil’s referee commission, says that unless all of top-flight stadiums employ the system, then none can do.
“This is an administrative issue,” he told Sport TV. “We have 12 stadiums with this capability. That is part of the legacy of the World Cup. The problem is that in Sao Paulo there are four stadiums but only one of them has the system in place.
“Our view is that there has to be equality. It’s not fair that one stadium has the equipment and another doesn’t.”
Unfortunately, for some clubs, the expense of fitting the remaining stadiums with the technology, is proving prohibitive.
A report by Folha de S.Paulo estimated the cost of fitting the remainder of Brazil’s top-flight stadiums with the necessary equipment at $280,000.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed last week that Brazil had been left $80 million in the World Cup legacy fund.
But Sergio Correa da Silva, CBF referees’ supervisor, said: “We have to have uniformity. We believe it would wrong to use goal-line technology in the Arena do Corinthians – which has the equipment – when we don’t have it in other Sao Paulo stadia such as Pacaembu and Vila Belmiro. The cost to put it in all the other stadia is too high.”
The topic has been the subject of controversy after Goias forward Esquerdinha had a goal ruled out in his team’s 0-2 defeat to Santos. Replays clearly shoed the ball had crossed the line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkYRxVdAdk4
