Does LaLiga have goalline technology? What about other major leagues?

When Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal fired the ball towards the Real Madrid goal, Lunin tried his best to keep it out. To many onlookers – those on the pitch, in the stands, and others watching on their screens – it had appeared to cross the line. Remember that the whole of the ball needs to cross the whole of the line to count. But as the doubts floated around, the referee signalled that it was not a goal. Our Paul couldn’t believe it as he covered El Clásico live.

İlkay Gündoğan was quick to question the official. Others followed. Madrid players and their fans drew a huge breath of relief. But why was there any confusion anyway? Why wasn’t there goalline technology to provide a definitive answer?

Why is there no goalline technology in LaLiga?

The simple answer to that question is money. That’s right, ahead of the 2023/24 season, President of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, decided that the system, much like Tennis’ Hawkeye, was too expensive to implement. That left Spain’s topflight as the only major European league without it. Madness some would say.

The technology is already used by the Bundesliga (Germany), Premier League (England), Serie A (Italy) and Ligue 1 (France), along with LaLiga seen as the ‘Big Five’. The tech is also in play in the Dutch top flight, the Eredivisie, as well as the Championship, the second tier in England.

How does goalline technology work in soccer?

Several cameras encircle the goal, aiding the system in discerning whether the ball has crossed the line. Subsequently, an electronic device alerts the referee regarding the ball’s passage over the goal line.