RUFC - Is it time for technology in football?

Rotherham United have recently suffered some poor decisions from the officials.

We all know that the officials are only human but these days football isn't just a sport, which is unfortunate, it's a business.

So, is it time for goal-line technology?

Yes, we've been talking about this since the 1966 World Cup Final and the Geoff Hurst goal that we are still asking 'was it over the line?'

In recent years there have been many incidents that we know, if goal-line technology had been allowed, would have been different - none more than the goal that beat the Millers at Valley Parade last week. I don't know where the linesman was looking for this but you know when Andy Warrington runs over to confront him, there's something not right. Saturday's 'goal that wasn't' against Bury wasn't quite a conclusive. Friends sat near the incident (or as near as you can get at Don Valley) swear the ball was over the line before the defender got to it. Alfie thought it was a goal. I've seen it on a replay and really, from the angle on TV, I couldn't honestly tell.

There was also the Bobby Zamora 'goal' for West Ham against Blackburn a couple of years ago that went some way to helping the Hammers to stay in the Premiership. And, in January 2005, Manchester United's Roy Carroll wouldn't have been able to drop the ball over his goal line and juggle with it before palming it out. There was also the goal in the Watford v Reading game that the officials agreed that a ball that had rolled at least three feet wide had actually gone in the net.

And we all know stories like this.

With the speed footballers hit a ball these days you can't always say one hundred per cent that a ball has gone over the line and a linesman can't be there every second of the game - can he?

So, with technology available and which has been tested in other sports, is it time for football to move with the times?

There's a machine that can be wired up to say whether or not the whole ball is over the line (similar to the one they use in tennis) and there's always a hawk-eye slow motion replay (like in cricket or rugby) that maybe a fourth official could view.

Or would it spoil the game? Would football as we know it become a completely different game? Is human error part of our wonderful game?

Or maybe we just need more competent officials?


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