How many more teams will be wronged?
In light of the recent blunders by referees, both locally and abroad, it’s time for Fifa to get with the programme so that the outcome of a game is not dependent on a single person.
Football’s world governing body is on record for its active opposition of of goal-line technology—or any other form of technology for that matter—and instead is toying with the idea of more touchline officials.
How many more teams will be wronged before Fifa president Sepp Blatter and his cronies in Zurich wake up to the fact that the reliance on human judgement is outdated and is in fact damaging to the beautiful game?
In recent weeks there have been several instances where referees have got it wrong, most notably in the recent World Cup qualifier between France and Ireland. Thierry Henry’s deceptive handling of the ball would not have been amiss on a rugby field and led to the French scoring the decisive goal—ensuring they will be in South Africa next year.
A simple referral system, where dubious calls can be dealt with by the fourth official would have cleared up any doubt about Henry’s actions and prevented the furore that erupted following the game.
Barely a week later, the consequences of poor refereeing was brought closer to home in a match between Santos and Kaizer Chiefs. The Cape Town side scored what they, and the audience watching at home, thought to be a definite goal, only for a Chiefs player to head the ball out of the goal when it had clearly crossed the line. They were robbed of the point that a draw would have given them, setting them back in the title race.
While some may argue that the use of technology may slow down the pace of the game, I feel it will improve the standard of play, as most footballers would think twice before they stick a cheeky hand out to trap the ball if they know there is less chance they can get away with it.
