Cameras in football

The improvement of cameras in football

There are around 25 television cameras during a live football match which provide multiple angles for a live televised game. The first live televised game was in 1946 between Barnet and Wealdstone however it wasn't until 1955 and the introduction of floodlights into stadiums that football became regularly broadcast on television. In the modern day, there is usually live football broadcast on most days throughout the week on dedicated sporting channels such as Skysports. A football fan can also watch live football in 3D on their television if they have a 3D TV at home. 

Cameras can also help the authority's make retrospective decisions when a game is finished. As there are so many cameras watching the game most players can be seen the whole time therefore if a referee doesn't see for example a dive or an act of violence by a player then after a game a player can be punished even if the referee didn't see it. An example of this is when Fulham's Sascha Riether was banned for stamping on Manchester Uniteds Adnan Jaznuzaj after tv cameras picked up the footage after the referee didn't see it.

Recently, cameras have been implemented in the use of goal line technology. There have been many controversial moments in football due to the lack of goal line technology, the most famous probably being Frank Lampards 'goal' which was not counted at the 2010 world cup in south africa. The premier league now uses a form of goal line technology called Hawkeye which informs the referee via a watch if the ball has crossed the line or not. This is done after a specially fitted camera generates a still image of just the football and the goal line.