Kick it over ear!

January 2004

BRUSSELS – A Belgian club has taken football well and truly into the 21st century with the introduction of the professional game’s first radio- controlled goalkeeper.

During a recent league match Genk fitted Jan Moons, their goalie, with an earpiece so that he could receive instructions from his coach while on the pitch.

Moons said the new technology had allowed him to react instantly to his coach’s instructions as the game evolved.

“Before we used the earpiece, the orders of the coach used to arrive about five minutes late because of the noise of the stadium,” the goalkeeper told French news agency AFP.

Genk’s coach Sef Vergoosen says he hopes soon to fit other players with earpieces.

The Belgian football federation said it does not think that earpieces are outlawed under international football rules. But it added that it would have preferred to have been consulted by Genk before the club took the decision to use the new devices.

World soccer’s governing body FIFA said would not comment on the use of earpieces until it was officially informed of the practice by the Belgian football federation.

Subject: Belgian news