It will help eradicate poor decisions about whether the ball has  crossed the line.

Football history is littered with such controversies, including one of Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick goals for England  in the 1966 World Cup.

England featured again when a Frank Lampard goal against Germany wasn’t given during the 2010 World Cup.

That incident shifted Fifa president Sepp Blatter from his long-standing opposition to goal-line technology.  No doubt the clincher was Ukraine’s disallowed goal against England at Euro 2012.

 There is still  resistance, including from Uefa president Michel Platini, who warns of “playstation” football.

It must never come to that. Blatter and company are drawing the line at the goal-line and that’s where it should stay.

Neither spectators nor players want to see games slowed down or interrupted unnecessarily.  Given that one of the approved systems, Hawk-Eye, has been used for years in tennis and cricket, operators know how to minimise delays.

While the technology promises certainty, there is less clarity about where and when it will be used. Cost is a major factor, with Goalref and Hawk-Eye coming in at more than R2-million each. And licences will be issued per stadium, for a year at a time.

Therefore it is unlikely that the technology will be in frequent use, especially in lower leagues, at least until the cost comes down. While the English FA is keen to get started, Uefa may hold out despite Fifa’s view.

However, the point is that the wall of resistance has been broken. 

The 2014 World Cup  may spawn its own controversies but there will be fewer goal-line errors by refs.