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Smart ball not ready for 2006 World Cup
Who's to blame for this balls-up?

By Reuters

Published: Tuesday 06 December 2005

The smart football containing an electronic chip will not be used at the 2006 World Cup, FIFA said Monday.

FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi said: "The technology is not yet ready."

The technology, which was designed to rule out mistakes on goal line decisions, was first tested at the Under-17 World Championship in Lima, Peru, in September.

An Adidas spokesman said: "We knew of this decision in advance of course, so we are not surprised nor are we disappointed."

The tracking system, being tested in partnership with Germany-based Cairos Technologies, "can be applied to any ball that we manufacture", the spokesman said, "so it has not affected the development or production of the ball to be used at the World Cup finals, which we believe will be the best ball ever used in the tournament".

The official tournament ball will be unveiled during the draw ceremony on Friday evening.

It contains a microchip, about 1.5cm, which sends out a radio signal when the ball crosses the touchline, as if it had touched an electric fence.

That signal is relayed by up to 12 antennae positioned in the corners of the pitch to a computer, which then sends a message to a watch worn on the referee's wrist in less than one second.

Adidas is "still developing the tracking system, and when we are convinced it is 100 per cent bulletproof, 100 per cent perfect, then that will be the time for it to be used", the spokesman added.