subject: Forget The Eye Of The Tiger; Will Hawk-Eye Technology Hurt Or Help Andy Murray At Wimbledon? [print this page] Forget The Eye Of The Tiger; Will Hawk-Eye Technology Hurt Or Help Andy Murray At Wimbledon?
With the swift exit of England from the World Cup comes a renewed call for "goal-line" technology in football. If this "Hawk-eye" technology was first tested on Cricket pitches as early as 2001, with Professional Tennis approving its use in 2005, why is FIFA so far behind the times? Viewers watching on TV are already privy to super slow-motion replays, so why not use these video feeds to triangulate and chart the path of the ball?
Whilst goal line technology carries a 5% chance of inaccuracy, it is a far cry from the gross margins of error seen on the very obvious English goal during England's final game of the World Cup. FIFA claims that errors add to the dynamics and organic nature of the game, but the vast majority of fans and players alike want the misjudged calls from umpires and linesman to be corrected.
Looking into the past, the 2007 Wimbledon Championships implemented the Hawk-Eye system as an officiating aid on Centre Court and Court 1, with each tennis player being allowed 3 incorrect challenges per set. During the finals of Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal, the latter challenged a shot which was called out. Hawk-Eye's camera showed the ball as in, just barely clipping the line. The reversal agitated Federer enough for him to request (unsuccessfully) that the umpire turn off the Hawk-Eye technology for the remainder of the match.
FIFA may have a point. Perhaps the game should be left to human error, in turn preserving the raw nature of the sport. After all, there is more of a dialogue between two people, than man versus machine. If Hawkeye was used in 1981, we might well have missed John McEnroe's outburst of "You cannot be serious!", something that has defined him as a sports hero.
If this goal line technology has an effect, good or bad, on Andy Murray's performance this year at Wimbledon, you can bet that the debate on its use will continue to rage on.
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