The company behind the Hawk-Eye goal-line technology has ‘apologised unreservedly’ after the system failed to award Sheffield United a goal despite the ball clearly crossing the line, during the first game of the Premier League return.
The Blades appeared to have taken the lead in their game at Aston Villa, on Wednesday night, when goalkeeper Orjan Nyland all-but-certainly carried the ball over the line, following a collision with his own defender.
However, referee Michael Oliver did not award the goal because he did not receive the customary notification from the Goal Decision System via his watch, which usually offers instant confirmation if the ball has fully crossed the line.
Now Hawk-Eye Innovations has released a statement expressing sorrow for the unprecedented incident, claiming the goalkeeper, defender and goal post obscured the seven cameras located in the stands and around the goal area.
Related: Which Premier League games are free to watch?
“The level of occlusion has never been seen in over 9,000 matches that the Hawk-Eye Goal Line Technology system has been in operation,” the company lamented.
The full statement is in the tweet below:
Hawk-Eye statement on the goal line incident during Aston Villa v Sheffield match this evening. pic.twitter.com/I2u5lqKMqe
— Hawk-Eye Innovations (@Hawkeye_view) June 17, 2020
Adding insult to injury for Sheffield United, whose battle for European qualification could be negatively impacted by the game that eventually finished 0-0, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited group has admitted the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) missed an opportunity to rectify the error.
In a statement, the PGMOL wrote: “Under IFAB protocol, the VAR is able to check goal situations, however due to the fact that the on-field match officials did not receive a signal, and the unique nature of that, the VAR did not intervene.”
Aston Villa, who are fighting against potential relegation from the Premier League will be breathing a massive sigh of relief after this one. Their rivals at the bottom end of the table? Well, let’s just say it’s unlikely we’ve heard the last of this.
It wasn’t working ?
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) June 17, 2020
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
