With a trinity of football leagues coming on board to use goal line technology, there’s one league that’s said no. La Liga is now one of the few major European leagues not using the tech but the president believes there’s a good reason why.
What it all comes down to is dollars and cents, or if you’re playing in this league – euros and cents. Javier Tebas, President of the league, says that the cost of bringing in the tech would far outstrip the benefits.
The primary benefit of this detection system is the increased clarity for bettors online. They have clear cut indictors of the rules of the game and whether a ball crosses the line. Online gambling and football are inexorably linked now, as more calls come for transparent operating on the pitch and online
More detection is now in place to find those abusing these systems and prevent them from profiting. It’s now in the remit of organisers to ensure that dodgy refs or players looking to win cash can’t do so. Fairness for players can be achieved by only using PayPal casino sites or betting locations, for example the ones at paypal-casinos.co, so that payouts can be monitored.
The technology was first brought into the Premier League back in 2013 and just last year the major Euro leagues took it on too. The Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A all took on the goal line detection in 2015. They seem to feel like the tech is worth it for the peace of mind of the viewing public and the refs.
Although the technology will be in place for the Euro 2016 finals, it won’t find a home within La Liga anytime soon. Until the cost of installing, calibrating and monitoring the system comes down Tebas won’t splash out on it.
Aspersions have already been cast on the league for match fixing and not doing enough to detect it. The president assures the public that they are conducting all of the relevant investigations but couldn’t name names or dates. He appears to be hoping that the bets recorded, which were flagged by adjudicators, will be nothing more than coincidence.
While other leagues go forward with the changes, Tebas may have little choice in the future but to bring the detection system into place. Players are already bristling at the betting allegations so they may demand something to placate them.
