oal-line technology will not be used in the Barclays Premier League next season, Football Association general secretary Alex Horne said on Wednesday.
Horne revealed tests into the accuracy of various systems would not be complete in time for the start of the 2012-13 campaign, with 2013-14 now a more realistic target.
The Premier League had hoped the current season would be the last to feature contentious goal-line decisions.
But the International Football Association Board (IFAB), who must agree any change, are not set to give the green light to any technology until after this summer’s European Championship.
Speaking at the Leaders in Football conference in London, Horne said: “I think that’ll be too late for season 12-13.
“I think it’ll be 13-14 because there’s then a big capital decision-making process for any league or any competition who want to apply it.”
Horne revealed there were eight or nine systems competing for licences and that all of them could prove successful, with individual governing bodies deciding which of them – if any – to employ.
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“There’s not going to be one technology for all of world football,” he said.
“Multiple technologies, if they meet the criteria, will be available then to go into the market and people will buy.
“IFAB will licence them as successful products and other products could join in later if they can reach the standards.”
He added: “Do you have one technology for a competition, do you have multiple technologies for multiple competitions?
“There are big, big decisions for competitions to take.”
Horne revealed the FA would reveal details of the tests that are taking place across Europe “over the next few days”, including “a video explaining all the testing”.
He added: “There’s a phase of testing that will run up until March that will establish in basic principles whether technology can actually achieve reasonable accuracy – 90%, 99%, maybe 100%.
“It’s happening live in stadia all around Europe.
“They can simulate light, they can simulate dark, they can simulate balls rolling across the line, balls being fired in from all different angles.”
FA chairman David Bernstein admitted there was “very little chance” of convincing FIFA and UEFA to extend technology beyond goal-line systems.
He added: “There’s no enthusiasm for it at all.”
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