Techno goalie!

Genk goalkeeper Jan Moons used an earpiece to receive tactical information for the first time in the history of football in Genk's 1-0 Belgian league victory over FC Bruges last week.

Football's world governing body FIFA said they could not comment on its use until they had been informed of this experiment by the Belgian football federation (URBSFA) however article 4 of the game's laws only says a player's equipment must not put in danger his own security or that of others.

Genk have decided to repeat the test believing the pioneering use of the gadget in football, though it has been used for some time in other sports such as cycling, American football and motorsport, to have been a success.

Moons said: "Before we used the earpiece, the orders of the coach used to arrive about five minutes late because of the noise of the stadium. However on Friday against Bruges, we were instantly able to rejig our defence when the coach realized our opponents were using a lone striker.

"The information got to me instantly and I was able to quickly reposition my defenders."

Belgian national coach Aime Anthuenis has described the earpiece, made by a Flemish company, as a revolutionary discovery, though Alain Courtois, a director of Euro 2000 and a former general secretary of the URBSFA, said it was ridiculous.

The Belgian football federation confirmed there was nothing in the laws which forbid the use of such a gagged but were disappointed Genk had not consulted them beforehand.

Anthuenis said of the innovation: "This will bring about a real revolution in the world of football. If FIFA authorize it, I will definitely use it." Belgium's next match is against France on February 18 in Brussels.

Genk's Dutch coach Sef Vergoossen said: "At Genk, we started with the goalkeeper because he is the most available player to hear information without being distracted from his task, and also the best positioned.

"But I will extend its use to certain outfield players."

Courtois believed its use was ridiculous, claiming that on a football pitch, success should be left to the human factor without the aid of technology. This view on technology is in line with FIFA which has always been against the use of video playbacks in the sport.

Should the system become mainstream, it would no doubt create a whole new battle field with the use of scanners to intercept messages, as used in motorsport, which could transform a match into a technological chess game.