How Goal-line Technology Revolutionized Football
Hussian Mohammed
English Technical Description
4/14/2021
| Table of contexts | Pages |
| Intro/History | 1 And 2 |
| Representation of the game | 3 and 4 |
| New Technology | 4 and 5 |
| Pictures | 6 |
| Bibliography | 7 |
The beautiful game or as the world calls it football is one of the highest international sports in the world. Almost every country has its own league with different teams fighting for number one and obtaining glory. In Spain, it has La Liga, England has the Premier League, and the United States has the MLS. The origin of the sport is a topic that is argued over the ages, some say the first signs of football were in Africa, while others believed it was in China. “Records trace the history of soccer back more than 2,000 years ago to ancient China. Greece, Rome, and parts of Central America also claim to have started the sport; but it was England that transitioned soccer, or what the British and many other people around the world call “football,” into the game we know today (How Soccer Originated, 2021)”. However, nobody disagrees that the first modernization of the sport came in England with a league consisting of gentlemen. This league was made for the higher class of society (men) to play in the beautiful game and to win trophies. Occasionally local teams made up of factory workers would play in the league to compete against the higher class. This league started the main foundation of how we play the game and how it affected history and why so many people love the beautiful game. However, due to human error football matches would be fixed (rigged), and referees would not count points, despite being in the goal. Action was needed to make no room for human error, a way for it to be impossible to make a mistake and it would take almost a century for new technology to be added to fix this problem.
In the beginning of modern football in the 1900s, the league regulators and the key people who started the league played for one team and their title glory was very corrupted as they had the power to change the rules. A local team did the unthinkable and recruited two players from Scotland whose football ideology would change the game forever. “The tactical exposition in The English Game is clunking preposterous, but it’s not without substance: the passing game the northern teams came to favor (in part because they were smaller than their better-fed public-school counterparts and so would have been seriously disadvantaged if they had no way of maneuvering the ball away from physical clashes) was very different to the head-on charging practiced by the game’s progenitors (Wilson, 2020)”. “Pass the ball, move the ball” is the famous phrase used by the top elite coaches of the modern football world today, but it originated 100 years ago. “and it would go on to change, spreading across the world. The English game became the Austrian game, the Hungarian game, the Argentinian game, and, particularly, the Uruguayan game. It became everybody’s game, interpreted differently by every culture that embraced it. (Wilson, 2020)” Football was not just a game to these locals; it was something to look forward to since they grew up in poverty-stricken households. The league originated during the industrial age where new technology was revolutionizing humanity. This does not mean that the lives of people were very happy, most workers would work 10-hour shifts with very little pay and could barely support their own families. It was not just for the rich anymore, if a local poor person has talent and trained, they can become glorious and even help their own dying communities. Teamwork, passing the ball where there is space, and taking advantage of it, make the game so entertaining to anyone that watches. Simple football is the best, but also the hardest to do, and when a team performs like that it shows the passion in the game.
Now the identification of the name would not really matter in most cases, but it is absolutely absurd not calling this a football. The whole sport revolves around your foot and kicking the ball only the goalkeeper is the exception. The whole world calls it football, however, in American culture, a football would be considered an egg-shaped ball, and it is used by hands. To identify the terms used in soccer it can be very difficult and hard to understand when learning English. A combination of British and American cultures is also seen not only in football but in other sports. The start of major leagues in the United States was because of the influence of British football. However, British football was not a major factor and did not appeal to many Americans as they popularized other sports such as basketball. Americans love to be unique, and you can see that in everything they do. The metric system is still not even in place throughout the United States even though it is the most accurate in science. American with little use of anything to measure something, that building will be about three tractors wide and five tractors up. It is very funny and entertaining to watch and listen to the different methods an American would use to measure something but not use the metric system.
The phrase “The beautiful game” is mentioned a lot when talking about football and that is no coincidence. The excitement of the game brings communities together and shows the true power of a sport. The unpredictability of the game is absolutely breathtaking to watch. Scientists have been studying for both for a long time and concluded there are some things that seem impossible to do become possible. Not one person can fully explain the science behind the game, so the best option is just to sit back and enjoy. Figure 1 represents a football, and the first image that pops up in my head of a football is the classic, Adidas Pentagon pattern. The classic black and white patterns represent the simplicity of other sports behind it. Black and white represent the past because the old technology was not capable of producing color, so in most pictures, we associate black and white images of the past. The soccer ball consists of a magnet that will inform the referee if the ball has passed the line for a goal on his watch. This is a revolutionary breakthrough in soccer history to make the game fairer and even to be played in the professional level. Football has a rich history and will always preserve it for future generations and advance their skills.
Goal-line technology has played a key role in advances in Soccer. “Goal-line technology or GLT is the use of technology to determine if the ball has crossed the goal line or not. The information quickly transmits within a split second to a special watch worn by the referee to ensure immediate response and no forms of interference in the game. GLT is a recent addition to soccer. It was only in July 2012 the International Football Association Board approved the use of goal-line technology provided it does not interfere with the game. As FIFA maintains, the objective of GLT is not to replace the role of the officials, but rather to support them in their decision-making. Because of its high cost, the technology is used only at the highest levels of the game. Other than FIFA World Cups, GLT has used the top European domestic leagues. (Datta, 2018) ” There are many devices required for the placement of the goal-line such as: “Several systems operate with magnetic fields. For these systems, cables are placed underground and around the goal, and the ball has elements of the technology inside. The interaction between the receptors in the ball and the magnetic fields created through the underground cables allow the software to calculate the exact position of the ball and determine when a goal has been scored. (Football Technology, 2013)”
In conclusion, goal line technology was admitted to many professional leagues and has improved the game and made it fairer. However, recently in a world qualifier match, Portugal was tied against Serbia, and during the last couple of minutes Cristiano Ronaldo, a well-known soccer player, scored a last-minute goal against Serbia. “Cristiano Ronaldo was left fuming after his late winner for Portugal was wrongly chalked off in the game against Serbia” (Ajith, 2021). However, the referee did not realize that the ball crossed the line and a Serbian defender slid and cleared the ball. The goal should have stood, and this would have led Portugal one step closer to qualifying for the world cup. However, due to the lack of technology the referee disallowed the goal and the match ended in a draw 2-2. Critics were furious that a world cup qualifier event did not have goal line technology put into place and the Portuguese national team was in disbelief. To keep matches similar to these not repeating GLT was put into place and made the football community more than happy having a fairer game. Technology was created to help humanity and avoid human error. Therefore, playing a key role in allowing for the advancements in not only football but in mankind.
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Bibliography
- Datta, Anusuya. Location tech and soccer: Goal-line technology is all about precise positioning, 2018, https://www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/goal-line-technology-precise-positioning/#:~:text=Goal%2Dline%20technology%20or%20GLT,of%20interference%20in%20the%20game. Accessed 19 June 2018.
- Fellowes, Julian, creator. The English Game. Netflix, 2020.
- FIFATV. “FIFA QUALITY PROGRAMME FOR GOAL-LINE TECHNOLOGY.” FOOTBALL TECHNOLOGY, Fifa, 2013, https://football-technology.fifa.com/en/media-tiles/fifa-quality-programme-for-goal-line-technology/. Accessed 5 December 2013.
- Wilson, Jonathan. “The English Game.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/apr/04/the-english-game-netflix, 2020. Accessed 4 April 2020.
- Wood, Robert. “Soccer History Timeline.” Topend Sports Website, 2021, https://www.topendsports.com/sport/soccer/history.htm. Accessed 13 4 2021.
- Sportskeeda. “Referee offers apology to Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal over disallowed goal against Serbia.” Serbia v Portugal – FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar Qualifier, Shambhu Ajith, 2021, https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/news-referee-offers-apology-cristiano-ronaldo-portugal-disallowed-goal-serbia#:~:text=Referee%20offers%20apology%20to%20Cristiano%20Ronaldo%20and%20Portugal%20over%20disallowed%20goal%20against%20Serbia,-Modified%2030%2. Accessed 30 March 2021.
Reflection Technical description
April 30, 2021
The technical description essay touched upon many points from the origins of football, and how it has progressed over time. I have been playing soccer for almost 15 years and it has been a true passion of mine as a young child. My love for football has grown exponentially and it has motivated me to become a football coach today. It inspires and motivates me every day to see young children have a love for football just as I did. The audience I was reaching out to is you, the professor. The genre used throughout the paper is informational, which is in regard to a specific topic being football. The main purpose of the technical description essay was to discuss the positive impact of goal line technology in football, and how it prevents human error from occurring.
The tone of my paper was very optimistic, and serious while discussing different factors of football. The purpose of my paper was also to educate the audience/reader on goal line technology, since it is rarely spoken about. The setting touched upon various countries and how they are trying to incorporate goal line technology in their leagues. Since football is a popular sport played amongst many people, football experts are always on the search for new technological advances to better the accuracy of games.
This particular assignment helps me achieve the course learning outcomes in various ways. Since I am very passionate and intrigued by football, researching about this topic was a breeze for me. My academic skills in drafting, revising, and editing have greatly improved over the span of a couple of months. I even learned how to properly cite sources after completing my research.
