Technology Needed to Help Referees
Football Officials Require Assistance in Making Crucial Decisions
Sep 2, 2007
The opening weeks of the Premier League football season have once again illustrated the need for the introduction of technology to assist referees in their decision making.
Controversial Decisions:
In the game between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield the visitors were awarded an unnecessary penalty which earned them a point. On the same weekend David Healy’s last minute equaliser for Fulham against Middlesbrough wasn’t awarded as the assistant referee incorrectly deemed the ball hadn’t crossed the line. Both officials were rested for a week from their duties in the Premier League.
Last season saw a number of similar problems and it is now almost three years since Pedro Mendes scored the ‘non-goal’ of the season at Old Trafford when the officials failed to realise that his forty yard effort had crossed the line by at least a metre before being pulled back by Manchester United’s goalkeeper. Almost everyone in the ground, including the fourth official and Sky who were televising the game, knew it was a goal but the referee waved play on. Even the television crew had awarded the goal to Tottenham on their on-screen display, showing how quickly and clearly technology can be used to make a decision.
Referees under Pressure:
A new season but the same old problems are occurring with referees making grave errors of judgement in crucial matches. With the rewards for success increasing every year referees are under greater pressure than ever from players, managers, supporters and the media.
The officials also come under continual scrutiny with television cameras at every game and any controversial incident can be studied in slow motion and frame by frame freeze action from a multitude of different angles.
New Technology Needed:
Football is dragging its heels by refusing to embrace the technology that is available to assist the referees. Other sports have been able to accommodate the technology and have benefited from it – both rugby codes, cricket, tennis and even beach volleyball are using the technology to ensure that the referees and umpires make the correct decision more times than not. However, even with this aid, they are not infallible as has been shown in some high profile rugby international games.
Controversial decisions are nothing new - they have always occurred and are part of what makes sport so interesting, creating discussion and argument. However, with so much at stake in modern sport, nothing is left to chance – training methods, kit, equipment, tactics, preparation, diet have all been improved over the years – but little action has been taken to assist the referees in their decision making.
After any high profile and controversial refereeing incident, the authorities will make all the right noises about investigating ways to provide support for the officials but then it all goes quiet and nothing happens. It is now over forty years since England won the World Cup at Wembley. The question arose – did Geoff Hurst’s goal cross the line? Forty years on – in a similar situation in a World Cup final, the referee would have no further assistance than the referee had in 1966, yet the equipment is there that could be used in making such decisions.
While the new technology that FIFA are looking for, to indicate if a ball has crossed the goal line, is not yet available, there are cameras available at every top class game which could be used by an official in the stand to advise the referee on potentially controversial decisions.
The argument against such assistance is the matter of time – it would take too long and break up the flow of the game but such waiting time would avoid the unseemly sight of players arguing and jostling officials.
The time has come for the football authorities to act to ensure that the referee’s decision is final and accurate.
