FIFA has set a target date of July 2012 to approve goal-line technology systems that could be introduced before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Soccer's governing organization said Tuesday that candidates must pass two more rounds of tests at a stadium of their choice. FIFA said the results will be presented to its rules-making body in July 2012.
The goal-line debate reignited days earlier with another major error by match officials. Chelsea's Frank Lampard scored against Tottenham on Saturday, with replays showing the ball had not completely crossed the line. Chelsea won 2-1 to keep alive its Premier League title hopes.
It was Lampard's ''ghost goal'' against Germany at the 2010 World Cup - his shot not counting for England despite bouncing down off the cross bar beyond the goal line - that persuaded FIFA President Sepp Blatter to end his long-standing opposition to technology. Blatter apologized to English officials after watching Germany's 4-1 win in South Africa.
Technology companies bidding for approval must tell FIFA in the next month if they want to take part in tests scheduled from September to December.
FIFA wants a system that is ''accurate, is not complicated and allows making real-time decisions,'' Blatter said from a regional soccer meeting in Miami. Blatter said the technology could be used for the 2014 World Cup and individual federations could adopt it earlier.
Systems achieving 90 percent accuracy in ''simulated match scenarios'' could be invited for more tests in March-June 2012. Ten systems were tested at FIFA headquarters in March but their accuracy was unacceptable.
Hawk-Eye, the Sony-owned company whose ball-tracking technology is used in tennis and cricket, declined to participate because its system uses cameras that need to be set up in a stadium.
