Goal-Line Technology in the Scottish Premiership?
By Nick McAdam
Goal-Line Technology surprisingly seems to be a hot topic across all leagues in Europe.
Nobody really sees the need for it until it happens to their favorite club. An incident in a recent Hibernian contest has now sparked new discussion of the incorporation of the technology in Scotland.
In their derby against Hearts, Oli Shaw hit a beautiful ball that replays confirmed crossed the line. Yet, officials didn’t award the goal to Hibernian which resulted in the Edinburgh Derby ending in a scoreless draw.
Neil Lennon of course gave his thoughts on the need for the device in Scotland especially after his team could have won the game. Lennon told Sky Sports the following:
"“It’s well over the line,” Lennon said. “It’s a goal, everyone can see it, and you can tell by the way the ball comes out at the angle it does.“I know we’re on about video refereeing. Sky are here, if the fourth official goes and looks at a monitor he can say: ‘By the way, that’s a goal’.“This is a huge game. It’s live on TV and it’s making a mockery of the game sometimes.”"
The benefits of the technology are pretty clear. Goal-Line Technology along with VAR (Video Assistant Referee) surely help officials make the correct call. But the problem still remains with both technologies; the price.
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At the moment, only four leagues in Europe contain the use of both technologies. Those four include the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. What’s common between the four leagues is the amount of money they likely make each year, making technology costs much more simple.
The Scottish FA went on to respond to Lennon’s criticism by saying this to the publication:
"“It is something that we would be happy to embrace and support if there was a widespread appetite from our member clubs to do so.“However, the blunt reality is that the technology remains unaffordable to all but a few leagues as things stand, not to mention the likely cost some clubs would face in adapting their existing facilities to accommodate it.”"
It’s obvious that the league doesn’t have enough money to support it right now. However, this doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be something to not look into for the future.
GLT isn’t a need until something happens to your club, as mentioned before. It ultimately cost Hibernian 3 points in the standings, and it’s only a matter of time before it costs Celtic.
Keep an eye out for new developments on the issue.
Next: Scotland ready for new manager?
Should this technology be used in Scotland? Can the Scottish FA make it happen in the next few years? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.