This article is a re-post and merge of my now defunct OurFootballBlog football writing blog from 2010 – 2011.
I did a bit of venting last night and decided it was probably blog worthy, hadn’t got round to making a start until I saw the news at lunch time regarding Frank Ribery. Fuming again I’ve decided to post.
Why oh why oh why oh why oh why oh why oh why, are FIFA and UEFA so dead set against using any small manner of technology available to civilisaion in order to help referees make the right decisions. Note my use of the word help, yes we should help referees, like we help accountants with calculators and lost people with sat navs. Granted they already have whistles, paper and pencils, perhaps we should offer some modern tech as well though?
This rant has been sparked on many levels, I’ll tackle them each.
Crystal Palace
With one game left and despite a 10 point deduction because of going into administration, they still have the chance to stay in the league. Unfortunately for them, if a goal by Freddy Sears hadn’t been disallowed earlier in the season they would now be safe. This was no small was it / wasn’t it debate, no players or posts in the way, said ball hit the back of the net. Oh yes, it hit the back of the net and bounced out, but both referee and linesman didn’t see that happen. Come of FIFA this is plain silly, goal line technology exists, it works and it’s used in other sports in differing ways, just get it added already so that we can help the referee to make the right decisions.
Birmingham City
This is the point that sparked yesterdays fury from me. In the midlands derby on Sunday, late on in the game, Roger Johnson makes an inch perfect tackle in the box, he doesn’t get a lot of the ball, but he gets enough of it to make it count. Referee gives a penalty, he gives a penalty for a poor tackle he thinks he sees, he doesn’t actually see it, because? It didn’t actually happen! For me here refereeing ignorance comes into it as well, he needs his wrists slapped frankly. In the name of fairness however why not let him see a replay so he can play the incident back and offer a thousand apologies to Johnson for doubting his ability, lets help the referee FIFA. By the time he’d sorted out the ensuing melee we’d seen the tackle 5 times over from different angles in our living rooms, you know what holds the game up more than checking a replay FIFA? Dealing with the fallout from bad decisions, let alone the consequences of those decisions months later.
Hey, we aren’t finished here yet, my rant continues on this one. Yesterday, Birmingham, were charged with failing to control their players over the incident. Now I’ve seen some protestations in my time and a couple of the Birmingham players were outraged, captain Steven Carr the most, but to fine the club and most likely some of the players because they implored the referee to think again about the god awful decision he just made is plain stupid. The referee and linesmen should be the ones getting charges thrown against them for not actually doing their job. FIFA, help us help our referees!
Frank Ribery
Personally, I’m not overawed by this player, but today I hear yet again of the single most stupid rule in European football existence. He was sent off in the first leg of the Bayern v Lyon tie, 1 match ban. This has been extended today by 2 more matches by a disciplinary committee. So now Ribery misses the Champions League final which if my feelings are anything to go by, may well be his one and only appearance there. This is just like Darren Fletcher last season and numerous gone before. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t a great Ribery tackle and Fletcher shouldn’t have even been sent off last year for the same ‘no replays allowed’ reasons, but can we not just accept that this is the pinnacle of a footballers career and for the sake of a mistimed tackle or refereeing error to just have a suspension amnesty for the final? By all means follow up on the punishments when the tournament starts again, but don’t snatch away such once in a lifetime opportunities from some of the most talented footballers to play the modern game. FIFA – speak to UEFA and get this sorted for everyone once and for all.
A Refs Mistake
I saw a Spanish league game a month or so ago, there was a penalty decision to make and players were protesting everywhere. I honestly don’t remember the outcome of the decision, but what I do know is the 4th official saw a replay on a monitor at the side of the pitch and then spoke over the radio to the ref. He subsequently changed his decision. To me and the commentator at the time – fantastic, the system works! However for the second half the ref came out minus earpiece. He’d had his legs slapped in a big way at half time, it’s not what the earpiece and media monitors are meant for. Rather than accept he made a right decision through the use of technology and to use it as a test case – the powers that be deemed they’d rather he made the initial wrong decision without any help. If someone can make sense of that please let me know.
My World Cup Hopes
If I have one hope in the World Cup it’s that either Germany or France make it to the final, just not both. That during the match there is a contentious decision to make against that team and that the referee gets it so wrong, so monumentally wrong that the whole world can see instantly that it was wrong, so wrong that it changes the game completely, late on the in the match and that the team loses. That Germany or France loses the World Cup final plainly because of a refereeing error that could have been fixed using technology. I want Mr Blatter of FIFA and Mr Platini of UEFA to see that happen to either of their respective countries this summer and for all the wrong reasons, I want them to change the rules regarding technology forever.
Before I forget, small shout out to Ireland who suffered litterally at the hands of France in qualifying for the World Cup. Perhaps if it was the other way around we’d have video technology already planned for the pending tournament.
