Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia to Feature Goal-Line Technology

There will be an information system through the scoreboards, where the crowd can see what VAR is checking.

Goal-line technology is making its debut in Spanish football more than four years after it was adopted by Europe’s other top leagues.

(Photo: Twitter/@VraiMerengue)

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) announced on Wednesday that it will introduce goal-line technology at its Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, despite it not being used in La Liga.

“This is a historic day for us because, for the first time in Spanish football, we are going to implement goal-line technology.”

Carlos Velasco Carballo, head of the RFEF referee’s committee

Velasco Carballo was speaking in Jeddah, where the four-team Super Cup kicks off later on Wednesday when Real Madrid play Valencia.

Referees will wear a watch that vibrates and displays the word ‘Gol’ when the ball crosses the line between the posts.

Goal-line technology is making its debut in Spanish football more than four years after it was adopted by Europe's other top leagues.

It was first used in two Japanese stadiums during the 2012 Club World Cup. The English Premier League adopted a version in 2013 and Italy, Germany and France followed suit in 2015, though the French suspended the technology after problems in January 2018 and switched to a different supplier for the following season.

Goal-line technology is also used in the Champions League, the European Championships and the Copa America, among other competitions.

Video assistant referee (VAR) technology was adopted in Spain in 2018 and on Thursday the RFEF announced that slow-motion replays used by the VAR official will be shown on the stadiums' big screens.

"There will be an information system through the scoreboards, where the crowd will be able to see what VAR is checking," explained Velasco Carballo. "The success of the VAR, now and in the future, will be based on transparency. If people understand what is happening, they will be more likely to accept it."