Why Referees need help!
The standard of refereeing is different all over the world but there's little doubt they all need help and the sooner the better! At the end of the day they have to make a split second decision that ultimately can change the course of the game. In this modern day, football is very far behind other sports in embracing modern technology.
Simply put, the official in charge is human and mistakes will happen; why ignore the technology if it's available?
Some referees give out yellow cards for the most needless of things; again it's a split second decision that has a knock on effect.
It could be a second yellow which would obviously see the player sent off: or a fifth yellow card which would lead to a suspension.
Football fans are the ones who feel it last; they want to see the best players playing for their team.
Bringing in replays would give the person with the whistle far better angles than just the one that took a split second; it would certainly cut down on 'needless' yellows.
Surely it will stop a lot of this 'dying swan' cheating, or diving if you like. It's a part of game that really needs to be stamped out. Players that make out they've been shot, not by a sniper but a firing squad; in theory they'd tripped over untied laces and worse it's their own!
FIFA and UEFA who move about as fast as a snail on strike, can see there's a problem and decide to abandon any high tech and instead add two extra officials who are about as useful a chocolate teapot, they stand on the line, I mean what's the point?
Players that have a reputation can often be booked just for being the player they are, hard to believe but they are human, the referees I mean and they read the papers too. With the use of replays then maybe they will find the reputation is a bit harsh.
Recently retired Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes was often accused of being 'dirty' in his tackling yet TV replays showed on at least three occasions he'd won the ball fair and square and yet he was carded for it; at least this way we'd find out if the reputation is deserved.
Manchester United scored three goals at Craven Cottage and all three goals looked offside, but again it depended on which angle you saw it. The sun in the linesman's eyes didn't help the situation; I don't think the sun would have much affect on the technology.
The huge question is will it disrupt the game of football as we know it?
The game has to move forwards just as other sports have. With each new rule then time will have to be allowed, a penalty decision should only take seconds.
Maybe borrow the idea from cricket and have a fourth referee, just to decide on camera replays?
The beautiful game needs to come into the twenty first century. The fan base and money is in the game so why not?
One of the reasons is Sepp Blatter; a man that is doing nothing to bring the game forward. He is happy to see it in its present form. If suggestions are made that bring the game of football forward he makes sure both himself and the board veto it.
Dinosaurs ruled the world sixty five million years ago; one is still going and has a job as the head of world football.
Referees need help and the game as a whole will benefit from modern technology; while we have the clowns running both FIFA and UEFA very little will be done.
A camera on the goal tells the officials if the whole of the ball has crossed the line and so far it's proved successful; I can see that as the only change that will happen for a good few years to come.
My fear is football will be left behind unless something is done soon; sadly it won't and it's the beautiful game that will suffer.
Written by Paul Moore, a football fan.