Video Technology

Technology in football has become a big issue recently, after so many controversial decisions managers and players want to see the extra referee using video technology to help get the right decision. Some of the times, wrong decisions could mean a team losing their leagues top spot, or a team getting relegated because of the points lost due to the fact that the referee made the wrong decision at the time. We all feel sorry for the referee sometimes, he probably has the hardest job on the pitch, he needs to know when to act and what to do, but sometimes he gets the vital decisions wrong, and that is the main reason why we need to get video technology into football. In this post, I’ll be investigating the “for” points and the “against” points of video technology in football, in an attempt to help you make up your own mind whether the wonderful game of football needs this or not. I will be taking a non-biased point of view on things for this post, and I will be looking at the facts, so let’s get into it.

Fors

As with most things, there are good points and bad points, no matter what you think of there will be a good and a bad point at least. I’m going to address the good points about video technology in football.

Goal Line Decisions

This is probably one of the main reasons why the fans, managers and players want this sort of technology. There have been many times when there has been a goal line scrap with players bundling in and trying to clear the ball or score, and a lot of the time the referee can’t see through the crowd, and neither can the linesman, so a goal line camera could be just what is needed for this. One of the most controversial decisions in recent times is the goal that was given against Chelsea and for Liverpool in the Champions League Semi-Final in 2005, it is still a talking point for many of the fans, not just Chelsea and Liverpool fans but neutrals as well.

This is a great example, the video below is one of the examples that should be used in today’s game. It is all well and good Andy Gray talking about it after the game, but I’m sure the Chelsea fans wanted to see it during the game, the video shows the ball not crossing the line, now if the referee had this technology at hand it would’ve changed the whole game completely. So just take a few minutes to watch that and come to your own decision about it.

Spotting Off-The-Ball Incidents

Another great example of why it is needed in the game of football. A recent example of this was yesterdays Manchester derby. Cristiano Ronaldo went to the floor, and as the referee wasn’t looking Manchester City defender Michael Ball stamped on him in the stomach. Everyone who was watching it had seen the disgraceful stamp, yet as the referee didn’t Ball got away with it. With video technology the referee would’ve seen it and Ball would’ve certainly been sent off, which would’ve changed the whole complexion of the game. There have also been a couple of incidents where players have been impeded and the referee hasn’t seen it, which is something that could be stamped out with video technology in the game.

Offside Decisions

How many times have you seen a vital goal scored from a player who was in an offside position? Quite a bit I’m guessing if you are watching a lot of football every week. How many times have you seen a vital goal scored yet called back for offside when the player clearly wasn’t? The same answer as the first question I’m guessing. It is things like wrong offside decisions that can win a game or lose a game, whether it is a vital relegation battle, a mid-table game or a top of the league championship winning games, it still needs to be looked at as 3 points may be lost or won if the correct decision is made. An example of this is again, a Chelsea vs Liverpool game, this year in fact, when Liverpool were 1-0 up, Kuyt made a perfectly good run and put the ball in the back of the net but was called offside when he clearly wasn’t. Now this would’ve sent Liverpool through without the need of penalties, and if Liverpool had lost the game I’m sure the Liverpool fans and team would not be happy.

Against: Takes Excitement Out Of The Game

Maybe this is a silly point to some of you, but I have read around that people are against this because it will take the excitement out of the game. The post-match banter, the controversial decisions and the talk in the pub about the game would be affected and fans seem to think this is a bad thing. To be honest I don’t agree with this view, but other people may do and that is why I have put it in here. I personally believe that a fair game is more important than this; it would still be exciting but just without the silly decisions that could cost clubs a lot of money.

Stop the Flow of the Game

This is one of the views I do agree with. If the decision is a off-the-ball problem, the play would be stopped so the referee can make a decision, without video technology the little niggles off the ball wouldn’t be seen and the game can continue flowing, which is what makes football the beautiful game. I hate it when referees decide to stop the play for little niggles here and that, a little tap on the heel etc, so with all the stop/start that would happen if the video technology came in we would be in for more of it, and this is probably the only thing I can think of that I’m against in the talk of video technology.

Conclusion

My opinion is that video technology should be brought into the game. I want to see a fair game with the correct results. I’m sure fans don’t want to be heartbroken because their team has just lost the game because of a bad refereeing decision, so that is why the game should introduce video technology for the referee to make the decision instead. I hope this article has been helpful in you deciding whether video technology should be used or not. Thanks for reading.