Big Brother Should Be Watching!

I hold former French soccer star and current UEFA President in very high esteem. What a player he was in his prime. But like many of his era, he is dead set wrong about not introducing electronic tools into adjudicating football matches. I have read his assertion that goal-line technology will lead to "PlayStation football, which is plainly ridiculous. Both rugby league and tennis have successfully integrated some form of technology to assist umpires and referees, and with great success. In tennis the spectators have become increasingly aware of the nuances of the game through players challenging calls made by chair or line umpires. To the betterment of the game.

He is however, considering an extra assistant referee, at each end of the field to help adjudicate on contentious points near the goal mouth. I agree that this can help, however, the human eye can still be fooled by a soccer ball moving at the speed of light. Michael Essien can hit the ball so hard and fast it can be past a referee in the blink of an eye, and human's do blink. But a camera, saved for specific and special moments, can slow things down and make the correct call. For the betterment of the game.

What must not be allowed to happen is to use technology to the point adopted in American football, which has become pedantic to the point of exasperation. There must be a good balance. I like the fact that NFL coaches have three call challenges per half. I like that a tennis player can challenge a call that they believe to be erroneous, but again, a limited number of times. Rugby league uses technology to determine whether a try has been scored according to the rules, but not on many other occasions. The key is making sure as much as is possible and as quickly as possible the correct decision is made. That means giving referees and umpires access to appropriate technology and teaching then when it is the right time to use it.