Goal-Line Football Technology Approved! But Is It Really Cause For Celebration?
Surely this therefore signals an end to the costly, and in some cases comedic, refereeing errors seen of late. Or does it?
Much to the delight of everyone, the International FA Board this week unanimously approved the use of goal-line technology in the form of the Hawkeye and Goal-Ref systems. Surely this therefore signals an end to the costly, and in some cases comedic, refereeing errors seen of late. Or does it? The debate surrounding goal-line technology is one that has been ongoing now for some time, with opinions put forward from all sections of the football community at one point or another. In England however, the issue really came to the fore with that Frank Lampard goal against Germany at the 2010 World Cup. In the days leading up to the game FIFA had consistently defended their view that the basis of our game is one referee. Instead, they suggested implementing the additional assistants alternative suggested by UEFA President and Chief Adversary of goal-line technology Michel Platini. A system which involves referees assistants stood to the side of each goal with only an electronic wand with which to liaise with the referee. Indeed following the game, which England went on to lose 4-1 but perhaps crucially should have been on level terms 2-2 going into half time had that goal not been chalked off, FIFA refused to comment further on the issue and maintained their decision to experiment with the additional assistants. A system that, in addition to being in use for Champions League and Europa League games since 2009, was in place for the recent Euro 2012 tournament in Poland & Ukraine. During Englands final game of the Group Stages against co-hosts Ukraine however this system also sparked debate when Marko Devics shot appeared to cross the line before being swiped away by the boot of Chelsea defender John Terry. No goal was signalled by either the referee, linesman or the additional assistant positioned perfectly in line with the goal. Replays also showed Devic was in fact offside earlier in the move which wasnt flagged by the linesman. Indeed it was the failure to award that goal that finally prompted FIFA President Sepp Blatter to concede via Twitter that goal-line technology was now a necessity. Platini on the other hand used the incident as justification for not introducing goal-line technology, on the basis that technology would have awarded the goal but not highlighted the offside. On the face of it this may seem like sour grapes but he does make a valid point. The objective of both the Hawkeye and Goal-Ref systems is to inform the referee, in less than a second, if the ball has crossed the line. It is not however able to inform the referee whether or not a goal is valid. Indeed these systems are unable to identify incidents such as offside, a handball or even a foul in the build up to a goal and as a result the decision still depends upon the judgement and competence of the referee and his assistants. So is technology the answer? Michel Platini thinks not.