Goal-line system 'to be effective'

Football's leaders are confident the goal-line technology being introduced for the new season will avoid the same controversy that has recently engulfed cricket's Decision Review System (DRS).

The Hawk-Eye system uses 14 cameras to determine if the ball has crossed the line and will inform the referee within a second via their watch and ear-piece.

FA general secretary Alex Horne said: "There are distinctions with cricket.

"This is binary - has it crossed the line or not? We have some advantages."

Horne's comments came at a time when DRS is coming under intense scrutiny in cricket following a number of contentious decisions made with the aid of the technology during the current Ashes series.

The first use of the football system will take place at the Community Shield match between Manchester United and Wigan at Wembley on Sunday and it will also be used at all 20 Premier League grounds this season.

Speaking at the system's launch at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Thursday, Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore revealed there were 31 occasions last season where the system would have been helpful - three of those ended up with incorrect decisions.

He said: "It's a very exciting development in world football.

"It is a goal decision system - it is no longer just goal-line technology."

Referees will be informed of the decision via their watch - it beeps and vibrates - and there will also be a message to the ear-pieces worn by all match officials saying: "Goal, goal, goal."

Replays of goal-line decisions, taken using a high-speed camera, will be passed to broadcasters and also shown on big screens in stadiums.

However, Horne, who sits on the game's law-making body the International FA Board (IFAB) admitted he would take some convincing to go beyond goal-line technology.

He added: "I think we need to be very careful about what other decisions we think it is appropriate for.

"I don't want to undermine the referees and you can reach a position in other sports where referees are reliant on technology and their roles are a little bit confused. Offside decisions can be quite subjective."