Should Technology Be Used In Football?

Many sports have embraced technological advancements to aid officials

. American football, baseball, basketball, cricket, field/ice hockey, NASCAR motorsport and rugby league/union all use instant replay technology, whilst athletics and horseracing use technology for "photo" finishes. However, football, to date, has declined to use such technology and lags behinds other sports in this respect.

The lack of technology has been highlighted by a number of potentially "game-changing" mistakes by officials in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In the 2nd round, England were denied a goal as officials failed to see a Frank Lampard shot cross the line. Later the same day, Carlos Tevez was miles offside when scoring for Argentina against Mexico, yet the goal was allowed to stand. Similarly, video replays suggest that the Netherlands' 2nd goal in their semi-final against Uruguay was scored from an offside position.

Whilst the media appears to be in favour of the use of technology, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini seem firmly opposed to goal line technology and instant replays to aid football officials, making their introduction seem unlikely in the immediate future. However, having already brought about technological innovations in cricket and tennis, "HawkEye" sports-monitoring system inventor, Paul Hawkins, presents a simple, convincing argument for the introduction of technology to the world's most popular sport, "Technology helps people in every part of our lives. It's not there to replace humans, but to help them do their job with greater ease and accuracy."

Cost and consistency across all levels of the game appear to be the major concerns within the governing bodies. UK trials suggest that HawkEye can provide almost immediate accuracy within about half a second, but requires 6 cameras per goal for goal-line decisions, before any consideration of offside and other incidents. 12 cameras per stadium may cost up to $750,000 per club to implement. Given the current economic climate, few non-Premiership clubs could justify such an outlay, which would inevitably lead to problems of inconsistency in cup competitions if some clubs have the technology, whilst others have insufficient finances for its implementation. Hawkins counters the cost argument by offering to install cameras free of charge, acquiring sponsorship to recoup the outlay. He is also persuasive in his comments regarding consistency, arguing that, without the introduction of technology, the World Cup remains the same as a Sunday league game, with progress at the rate of the slowest.

Hawkins dismisses the governing bodies' argument that "controversy is good for the game" as "rubbish." He points out that fans do not watch to debate whether the ball crossed the line and that sport has an obligation to fans to make certain that results are correct. The HawkEye inventor also poured scorn upon FIFA President Sepp Blatter's alleged concerns that football technology is too complicated to comprehend, saying, "The cameras do all the work. I don't understand exactly how an aeroplane works, but I still get on board." Addressing technological issues from the spectators' perspective, Hawkins has made a particular point of noting that no infuriating delays would result from the employment of technology, with the speed of signal transmission from the cameras meaning less time taken than for an assistant referee to raise a flag.

by: Graham Worrall

POST COMMENT

Maximizing Your Chances Of Winning With Football Livescore Create A Room Just For The Football Enthusiast Darren Brent In Pop Art Umbro Football Boots Ad Performance Based Contracts For Football Players Characteristics Of Youth Football Players The Football Team That Has Boosted The City Of Lyon All About Football Shirts Football Shirts That Speak Your Mind Fantasy Football Draft Advice - Don't Get Caught Doing These Three Stupid Mistakes On Your Draft Day 1footballer.com - Get Scouted And Get Connected With Agents, Scouts, Players And Managers Chelsea Football Club- A True Giant Of English Football Youth Football Techniques Arkansas State Football Predictions 2010