The use of goal-line video technology remains on Fifa's agenda for October after football's governing body confirmed that its lawmaking panel will not discuss the issue at its meeting this week. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) meet in Cardiff, Wales, tomorrow but Fifa says "the only point on the agenda" is the continuing experiment with extra assistant referees behind the goals.
The system was tested in last season's Europa League. Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, last month said the IFAB would look at goal-line technology at their meeting this week, following his apology to the England and Mexico teams for the officiating errors that helped eliminate them from the World Cup earlier this month. On July 8, he said the matter would be on the agenda in October. Meanwhile, a Fifa delegation has arrived in Japan, the first stop on a two-month tour to inspect candidates for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Japan is bidding for the 2022 World Cup, as are Qatar, Australia and South Korea. England, Russia and the US are bidding for the 2018 or 2022 events, as are the joint ventures of Belgium-Holland and Spain-Portugal. Fifa has previously said it will reveal the 2018 and 2022 hosts on December 2. Elsewhere, Mohamed bin Hammam, the Asian football chief, has travelled to North Korea for two days of talks.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president arrived in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Sunday with two other AFC officials, an AFC spokesman confirmed yesterday. The official Korean Central News Agency dispatch did not say what the officials planned to discuss with the Korean sports minister. * Agency
