While American football fans have become accustomed to all sorts of high-tech innovations — from the refs’ review of instant replays to first down video markers — soccer has been notoriously wary of technology. Unlike American football, the world’s football (a.k.a.: soccer) is strictly old school; the center ref controls the game. There’s no more important decision than whether a goal is declared a goal. New chipped-ball technology aims to demystify those decisions …

Soccer’s governing body, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is getting ready to test new chipped-ball goal-sensing technology at this fall’s under-17 world championship in Peru. If the chipped-ball technology is successful it may find its way into the 2006 World Cup.

While the news may have hit the wire today, it wasn’t brand new news. FIFA agreed to the trial back in February.

FIFA’s Laws of the Game state that:

“A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the Laws of the Game has been committed previously by the team scoring the goal.”

As to when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line?

That’s always been open to interpretation by the center ref. A microchip in the ball and sensors in the goal would put an end to the question of whether the goal is a goal (or not). And once the goal thing is worked out, it won’t be long until they start calling out of bounds with the aid of sensors.

Playing devil’s advocate, why stop at just the ball? Why not put a chip on each and every player so that offsides penalties could be called with absolute precision?

On an international soccer note, don your USA soccer jersey and set that Tivo for the World Youth Championships on Fox Soccer Channel for the United States vs. Germany U-20 match at 2:30 PM EST on Tuesday. The US lads are sharp and fresh off a 1-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday.