Just outrageous. We have a linesman who cannot keep up with the ball relying on essentially guesswork to rule out a goal. Clearly, a goal, seen by millions was denied to England and Frank Lampard.
It takes seconds for technology to render an unbiased verdict. This does not slow down the sport at all.
“The door is closed. The decision was not to use technology at all,” said Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke.
There needs to be. There must be. The Luddites in FIFA need to lose their jobs on this one.
3 comments on “FIFA’s rejection of goal line technology is medieval”
As an American, we are use to technology being used to confirm goals (hockey), three point baskets (basketballs), touchdowns and field goals (American football), etc. We even use technology to correct mistakes as part of the game (American football). Even international sports uses technology (tennis). Of course, golf is the one sport that relies on the participants to be honest, but I think that is too much to ask in team sports. However, the use of technology to just ensure that a score is a score seems like a new brainer. Some say it would ruin the sport, but the sport is ruined when a single person can change the outcome without review. Charges of payoffs, bias, etc. remain. Can an Iranian ref be trusted in a match in which the USA or England is involved? Of course not. However, goal line technology has no bias. A goal is a goal. As for slowing the game down, look how much time is wasted after a goal in the celebration. And what about the headphones that the refs use? Isn’t that technology. The people at FIFA are idiots!! Just allow it to show whether the ball passes the goal line. This would help the ref spend more time on the other parts of the game like off sides and fouls (which is another matter of dispute).
FIFA can no longer have over one billion people know what the right call was and the one man on the field, who is making the call, be wrong. At some point, like Argentina’s offside goal I just saw – people have had enough, the error rate is unacceptably high (USA anyone?). I for one, would have welcomed Mexico simply walking off the field as a protest.
At least have it be like the NFL, a coach would have an option for video replay – perhaps once or twice a game. The easiest way though, is to have a video ref watching what we are and simply realy to the field ref what’s on the friggin TV. After all – what in god’s name are those microphones they are wearing being used for now?
If FIFA does not change it’s luddite attitude towards easily implemented technology-assisted referee’ing, The World Cup will soon become an anachronism. National teams will begin to pull their teams out of the competition. Or, as one previous blogger commented — teams will just walk off the field with every right and justification, when a video supported, irrefutably bad call is made against them.
This process will be accelerated if more erroneous game-changing calls are made into the quarter and semi-final matches — and, ultimately, in the final match. Can you imagine a goal like Lampard’s being denied in the Final!!!