FIFA gives referees 'final word' on goal-line technology

Soccer's governing body isn't that big on technology, which is why you occasionally see the odd refereeing mistake (or two). Fans may have hoped that the goal-line experiments at this month's Club World Cup would be the dawn of a new era in which computers are trusted as final arbiters. But it's clear that FIFA isn't ready to go that far just yet. Secretary General Jerome Valcke has announced that referees will get to decide 90 minutes before kick-off whether to use the Hawkeye and GoalRef systems, and will have the authority to overrule the systems' evidence during the game. We're still hopeful that the men in black will accept the help of this technology, but if they don't, we may have to switch to a more computer-literate past-time.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/fifa-goal-line-duh/

good. leave the game as it is ffs

It seems to me that it's just fan boys and journos who give a crap about this. People talk about the amount of money involved making it important that decisions are right, but who cares about the amount of money involved? Football's done ok for 150 years without it

Originally Posted by Switching Off

It seems to me that it's just fan boys and journos who give a crap about this. People talk about the amount of money involved making it important that decisions are right, but who cares about the amount of money involved? Football's done ok for 150 years without it

Tbf mate, the managers and players themselves also bang on about it whenever a call has gone against them. I couldn't really give a toss but something has to be the complaint du jour I suppose. Wonder what's up next.

It's cliched now but they do even themselves out. For every refs mistake that costs a team a point there's a dozen made by the team themselves.

As long as it's instant - ref gets a buzz in his ear when the ball crosses the line or something - I don't see why it shouldn't be used.

However, if there's any stoppage at all, and everyone ends up £#%&!ing clapping like at Wimbledon, it can £#%&! right off.

Originally Posted by Zorg

As long as it's instant - ref gets a buzz in his ear when the ball crosses the line or something - I don't see why it shouldn't be used.

However, if there's any stoppage at all, and everyone ends up £#%&!ing clapping like at Wimbledon, it can £#%&! right off.

Gooooooooooooooalll!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Sloppy

Gooooooooooooooalll!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Sloppy

Gooooooooooooooalll!!!!!!!!

I think it's about time it was brought in. 2 cameras in the top corners of the goals looking along the line. It would be almost immediately that a 5th official could say yay or nay to it being a goal. That's the only thing I'd be in favour of technology/instant replay being involved in though.

Originally Posted by Sloppy

Gooooooooooooooalll!!!!!!!!

People just didn't realise what a great footballer Cliff was until he proved he could do it on a sodden Wednesday at Wimbledon

Technology *should* be brought in for this, because there is no bigger miscarriage of justice in football (people may recall when Bolton were relegated because of a non-goal, basically - and how would we have felt if we hadn't won last weekend when it SHOULD have been 5-3??)

But, thus far and no further.

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

people may recall when Bolton were relegated because of a non-goal, basically

Bolton were relegated because for 38 games they were gash. They can't say they deserved to stay up. It's their own fault for leaving themselves in a position where they had one game to save their Premier League status, given all that can go wrong in one game.

If anything, they could say the fact that Jonny Evans put Holden out for a year contributed more to their demise, but there's not a lot they can do about that.

Shit happens, and every team has enough opportunities to make sure they are in a position where it doesnt make a difference.

Originally Posted by Switching Off

It's cliched now but they do even themselves out. For every refs mistake that costs a team a point there's a dozen made by the team themselves.

That's not exactly an apples to apples comparison though. Whatever result a team get due to their own mistakes, they deserve. If a ref fails to spot the ball crossing the line and thus chalks off a perfectly good goal, that's an injustice.

Saying that, has anyone mentioned that all RvP had to do was NOT volley from 4 yards directly at the one defender behind the line? Hell of a missed sitter.

Originally Posted by Switching Off

Bolton were relegated because for 38 games they were gash. They can't say they deserved to stay up. It's their own fault for leaving themselves in a position where they had one game to save their Premier League status, given all that can go wrong in one game.

If anything, they could say the fact that Jonny Evans put Holden out for a year contributed more to their demise, but there's not a lot they can do about that.

Shit happens, and every team has enough opportunities to make sure they are in a position where it doesnt make a difference.

I'm talking about the 1997-98 season - they drew 0-0 at home to Everton when they had the ball crossing the line (by some distance IIRC, just like at Reading last Saturday) but no goal given. At the end of the season, of course, Everton edged them out on goal difference......

I hate the Inbreds just like most top reds, but that was simply wrong.

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

I'm talking about the 1997-98 season - they drew 0-0 at home to Everton when they had the ball crossing the line (by some distance IIRC, just like at Reading last Saturday) but no goal given. At the end of the season, of course, Everton edged them out on goal difference......

I hate the Inbreds just like most top reds, but that was simply wrong.

Switchers will hit you with the 'They had 37 other games to make it up' line.

But what about Cup finals or semifinals? Promotion/relegation playoffs?

It's small potatoes to have a microchip in the ball and a buzzer that alerts the ref when it has definitively crossed the line. It wouldn't slow play down at all. What's the downside?

Indeed - one recalls that fairly outrageous Bulgarian (?) non-goal at Euro 96

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

Indeed - one recalls that fairly outrageous Bulgarian (?) non-goal at Euro 96

Not to mention....

Will make a pretty boring game even more boring.

Human error>boring

Originally Posted by Switching Off

It's cliched now but they do even themselves out. For every refs mistake that costs a team a point there's a dozen made by the team themselves.

What a ridiculous argument