Application of Technology in Football - Is It Necessary (yet) ?

Next October, FIFA as the highest ruling body of international football, will held a conference concerning the application of technology to help the referee and the linesmen in making their decisions. Is the application necessary? Well, I personally disagree. But of course, as a footballmania, I have my own reasons

Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal when England faced Germany in the last 16 round of the 2010 FIFA WorldCup has re-raised the discourse for the use of technology in football to assist the referees in making the right decisions. The ball has crossed Manuel Neuer’s goal line for about a yard in, according to the video replay, but neither the referee Jorge Larrionda nor the linesmen Pablo Fandino saw it. And after the match was over, with 1-4 defeat of England from Germany, the pundits in England showed their dissapointment about the disallowed goal, followed by the same thing from the people of England. And they yelled out for technology to be used in football to FIFA.

Actually, Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, has shown his disagreement about the application of technology in football to help the referees, a couple of months ago. But after the Lampard’s incident, also with Carlos Tevez’s controversial offside goal against Mexico the night before England v Germany match, he apologized both to England and Mexico for the negligance of the referees which disadvantaged the 2 countries, and circumstancially caused them to take the early flight home. Blatter then, promised to organize a hearing about the application of technology to assist the referees next October.

Some of the football fans who are against the discourse, surfaced the question, “is it necessary?” or lesser, “is it necessary, yet?” Well, because I’m a part of that footbal fans, I also disagree with the application of technology in football to assist the referees in making decisions. But I have my own personal arguments, which are maybe mutual with any other conservative football fans like me.

There are 2 types of technology which are being planned to be applied in football, first is the video-replay playback. The application of this kind of technology simply relies on the video records of a match. In a professional football match, the television cameras are installed in the stadium to broadcast the match, live. In a high-prestige match such as the World Cup Final, or UEFA Champions League Final, there are over 30 camera spots fixed in the stadium where the match is being held, so the viewers can feel the drama and the tension from the match. Those cameras are assigned to capture the moment of action from the players in the field during the match in order to be broadcasted live to all over the world. And the records of those captures are also used to help the referees when he/she hesitates in making their decisions. That means, the referees can consult the 4th official to see the replay video of the action, where his hesitation in making decisions occurred. And after seeing the replay the referees could make a decision or change a decision he/she has made. The application of this kind of technology is already being used in American Football and Basketball.


The second is the goal-line technology. This is the type of technology which the football fans of England force to be applied, concerning Lampard’s disallowed goal. The goal-line technology requires cooperation between the match competition officials with the match ball producers. To aplly this technology, the ball that been used in a match has a chip planted in its core. The chip is the trigger for the motion cencors which are sited in both goal posts. So when the ball crossed the goal-line, the chip triggers the censors and the censors transmits the information to the 4th official or directly to the referee, informing that a goal has been scored, so the referee can validate the goal. World football has shown several contoversy concerning the “Phantom Goal”. The term refers to a goal which has been validated by the referee, although the ball hasn’t completely crossed the goal line. On the contrary, but still on the same concern, many goals had been disallowed by the referee because he/she thought that the ball hasn’t completely crossed the goal-line, eventhough the fact says the other way.



The reason why I disagree of the application of video-replay technology is because I think it is ridiculous if a football match, with its fast pace and dynamic plays, has to be stopped for the referees to consult the replay video of the action. Maybe yes, the referees could make a better and fairer decision after see the replay video, but the viewers also could loss the tension and the pace of the game, and the match would be boring to watch.

And about both types of technology, I think not every football association in the world could afford the high cost from the application of the technologies. Video-replay with camera spots and goal-line with chip planted inside the ball? Definitely expensive! Major European Leagues maybe could afford it, but how about the poorer countries? I don’t think so.

And just like any other conservative football fans, I think all the decisions that had been made by the referees are as fair as it could be. Referees are human too, and they are prone to make mistakes, they are imperfect. Besides, are we ever realized that controversy in football makes it more interseting to watch? What made England against Germany matches are intense? “Wembley Goal” incident! And what made Argentina against England matches are full of revenge? “The Hand of God Goal”!. So, what could minimize the mistakes made by the referees beside technology? Well I think an addition of referees could be affordable and wholely applicable in every football match in the world. One referee should be posted just behind the outside goal-line, so there will be 5 referees in a match. Those additional referees will have the duty to help the main referee in determining a goal, and also judging inside-the-penalty-box incidents.

As a football fan, all I can do is hoping that the FIFA conference next October would produce the right and fair decision to football. Just like their motto, “For the good of the game”.

¡ hasta luego !
(^c^,)