Goal-line technology in Brazil, with Swiss cameras

Goal-line technology was put to the test for the first time during the France-Honduras World Cup match on June 15. It was difficult to tell with the naked eye if the French had scored, but the system – equipped with a special Swiss-made camera – showed otherwise. (SRF Tagesschau, swissinfo.ch)

The history of football is peppered with arguments about goal line incidents. But this is set to become a thing of the past thanks to goal-line technology (GLT), being featured for the first time as a back-up for match officials at the Brazil World Cup.

At the heart of the system is a camera with a specially designed sensor developed by the Swiss company Photonfocus, which has its headquarters in Lachen in canton Schwyz.

The technology involves seven cameras monitoring each goal line from different positions in the stadium. The cameras are connected to a high performance computer that evaluates the position of the ball to the millimetre. As soon as it enters the frame of the goal a signal is sent within a second to a device on the wrist of the referee on the pitch, allowing mathematical accuracy in football match results.