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Premier League To Use Goal-Line Technology

Debates over whether the ball crossed the line or not will soon be a thing of the past in the Premier League with the news that goal-line technology will be used from next season onwards.

The Premier League is understood to be in discussions with two companies, thought to be Hawkeye and GoalRef.

Fifa has already confirmed that the technology will be used at next year's World Cup in Brazil, while this summer's Confederations Cup will also employ the system.

A spokesman for the Premier League confirmed that all 20 clubs must have the equipment in place for the first day of the new season, "including those promoted".

Hawkeye works by using six cameras to focus on the goal and when the ball crosses the line an encrypted message is sent to the referee's wristwatch within a second, if a goal has been scored. GoalRef uses sensors on the posts and crossbar which detect any change in the magnetic field when the ball crosses the line.

It is likely that the league will now choose one system and deploy it across all 20 clubs, with the same system likely to be employed at Wembley for England international fixtures in the future.

A Premier League spokesman said: "We are in advanced discussions with two of the companies who provide the systems and we are working on the basis of having goal-line technology in place for the start of the season.

"All clubs will have to have the system to ensure the universal integrity of the competition, including those who are promoted."

The Premier League will make its decision on which system to use based on cost and ease of use.

The move should take the pressure off referees whose decisions have been greatly criticised by clubs and fans in the past.

The most high profile case in recent years was a Frank Lampard strike for England against Germany in the 2010 World Cup. Germany ran out 4-1 winners, but the incident happened when England were only trailing 2-1.

The International Football Association Board - effectively the game's rule-makers - will meet in Edinburgh on Saturday where officials are due to be told that the first use of the technology at the Fifa World Club Championship in Japan in December was a resounding success.