La Liga, the top football league in Spain, is set to remain the sole major European league without ‘goal-line technology’ as President Javier Tebas deems the implementation too costly.
Unlike the Bundesliga, Premier League, Serie A, and Ligue 1, as well as the Eredivisie and the Championship, LaLiga has yet to adopt this technology.
The English Premier League paved the way for this change nearly a decade ago, prompted in part by Frank Lampard’s contentious disallowed goal against Germany during the 2010 World Cup.
Subsequently, leagues in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands all introduced goal-line technology by 2015.
This system involves installing multiple cameras around the goal area to determine if the ball has crossed the line.
The information is then relayed to the referee via an electronic watch, ensuring accurate decisions regarding goal-scoring situations.
Despite calls for its implementation, Spain seems poised to enter another season without this technology.
El Larguero reports that Tebas is reluctant to allocate the required £2.6 million for the necessary changes.
This decision comes even after a recent controversial incident during Atletico Madrid’s 3-3 draw with Espanyol.
The match showcased the potential benefits of goal-line technology as it remained unclear whether the second goal had crossed the line.
While LaLiga employs VAR, the absence of the specific camera setup required for goal-line technology prevented the strike from being conclusively ruled in or out, resulting in the goal being awarded.
Espanyol, subsequently staging a remarkable comeback to secure a draw, believed that the absence of this technology may have cost them two points.
Following the match, the club issued a statement calling for the result to be invalidated due to the contentious goal awarded to Antoine Griezmann.
