Sepp Blatter really has no intention of introducing technology into football has he. His desire is clearly to rely on the traditional method of human governance, the mistakes he argues provide talking points for fans. Also he says he wishes football at all levels to be officiated in the same way be it multi million pounds Champions League or your local pub team on a sunday morning.
The way he is going though is to introduce the addional officials behind each goal as trialed in the Europa League last season.
Well this is clearly ridiculous in the modern era, more and more man power whilst all forms of technical innovation are ignored.
The way ahead can be very simple and not involve goal line technology or microchipped ball at all. The straight forward way for the top level of football is to equip the 4th official with TV replay support. Move him from the dug out where his main task seems to be keeping the coaches in their coaching area and stick him up in the stand with a tv monitor.
What is the difference between the referee then consulting his linesman or 5th and 6th official behind the goal as will happen now or him consulting his 4th official who has tv replay technology to support his guidance.
This then keeps control with the referee but gives the team of officials technology support. It also allows the referee's interpretation of the law to remain intact but will allow clear measurable errors e.g. goal lines, throw ins, offsides to be accurately measured.
Personally I would go a stage further. Accepting the referee's interpretation must remain unchallenged i.e. was it a foul, was it deliberate handball etc. However where we are into scientific measurement i.e. was the ball over the line, was the player behind the last defender and offside, was the foul in the box etc. Then technology should be used to decide accurately the correct decision.
This could sit with the 4th official for the referee to call on but I would also follow the tennis method and give the team manager a limit say of 2 appeals each half to allow him to refer a decision on measurement i.e. was it over the line, offside etc.
We just want a fair result rather than some of the shameful occurences of error by officials we saw in the World Cup. It is so simple to implement and has been already by most other sports.
Football is the biggest and most popular sport on the planet, yet it's governance under Sepp Blatter is the most backward, but somehow I sense it will remain so, in my lifetime at least.
'Lampard's law' faces long wait after FIFA delay discussion on goal-line technologyBy Andrew Warshaw
Last updated at 10:03 PM on 24th July 2010
Comments (0) Add to My Stories Goal-line technology will not be introduced for at least another year, despite the controversy over Frank Lampard’s disallowed World Cup ‘goal’.
Football’s lawmakers are due to discuss the issue in October but only their full annual board next March can change the rules, with July 2011 the earliest date for implementation.
Last week, a preliminary meeting of the International FA Board (IFAB) in Cardiff extended the Europa League experiment of an extra official behind each goal to the Champions League.
The goal that never was: Frank Lampard's 'goal' against Germany was the main talking point of the tournament
Goal-line technology is on the agenda at the October session of the IFAB as a result of Sepp Blatter’s abrupt U-turn following Lampard’s disallowed ‘goal’ in England’s 4-1 defeat by Germany. He conceded that it would be ‘nonsense’ not to reconsider Hawk-Eye or a microchipped ball system.
Raymond Kennedy, president of the Northern Irish FA (IFA), which voted against goal-line technology earlier this year, said: ‘If there is a move to bring in technology, it would have to be ratified at the annual board meeting in March.
Buck stops here: FIFA President Sepp Blatter is yet to commit to serious discussion on goal-line technology
‘The situation would then be that it could only be introduced the following July at the earliest.’
Kennedy said the Irish would be prepared to support technology — but to judge the ball crossing the line.
‘We would give the basic principle serious consideration but my fear is that if they bring it in for one thing, they’ll eventually bring it in for all kinds of other things — like penalties and offside — and that’s going too far,’ he added
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1297392/FIFA-delay-discussion-goal-line-technology.html#ixzz0uhLPuFZ3
Author
