The call for goal line technology has been gathering pace for years, but Blatter and the prats at the top dinner table refuse to recognise that the "beautiful game" has become ugly and rotten to the core. I know there has been many articles written comparing football to Rugby, but i really can't understand why they have not introduced a trial run in one of the leagues. In rugby the anticipation created by the 20-30 seconds when the TMO is making his decision only adds to the unfolding drama. It creates a fantastic atmosphere. However, IMHO introducing goal line technology will only go half way to fixing whats wrong with the sport. The sport is dying on it's feet. It's full of cheating dicks. Diving which was once blamed on foreign players is now sadly a common part of our game. Introducing goal line technology will not address this cancer in our game. After the Thierry Henry incident a few years ago i started to think of different ways of highlighting cheating and punishing those responsible. My simple solution is that the player should be asked by the referee. Now, hear me out. Refs are human and can't see every event that occurs. They are connected to a live mike and i think this is the key. If an incident occurs then the ref should ask the player "were you tripped"," did you handle the ball", "did you make contact" etc etc. The players answer would be heard by everybody through the refs mike. After the game the "discipline committee" would review key decisions and if the player is found to have lied then he should be really punished, e.g 5 game ban for first offense, 10 game ban for second offense and 1 year ban for third offense. The player would also be on trial in front of millions of people. I bet this would tighten up the game and bring a little bit of honesty back into it. Obviously the system would have to be tweaked but i genuinely believe there should be an "honour system". In the Henry case, i believe the player knowing that he deliberately fouled the ball would have had to say YES, my hand touched the ball. The consequences for cheating/lying would really hurt player and club. I know some of you would think that this could never work, but again look at rugby. The honesty in the game is fabalous and grown men are exactly that, men. Goal line technology is badly needed but so too is some system that addresses the cheating that is destroying the game.
I see one major flaw in your plan...... You are relying on the likes of John Terry, Rio and co to be able to put a sentence together.....cant see it myself !!
Think it would work if we had Jeremy Kyle and his team at all games to do quick lie detector tests for diving and cheating! A couple of wooden steps could be knocked up near the dug outs for him to kneel on when the results come in and we can go from there! The game would only be stopped for a day or two and those found guilty can deny the validity of the test, go to court, then appeal if necessary and all would be good in the world of football. guilty verdicts should result in either a public flogging, a hanging or for the most serious cases a 1 match ban!!
I'm not sure if you're proposing that the conversation between the referee and the player should be broadcast across the ground (and on TV) whenever there's a critical decision or not? I know that the language in the crowd leaves much to be desired, but I wouldn't want players' language to reach the ears of my kids as well. Further, when a player goes easily to ground he's filmed from just about every angle there is and the incident is replayed again and again at different speeds. It is there for all to see, but none of this bothers the player in question. They just ride out the storm. After all, their cheating has earned a penalty, or got a player sent off, or won the game. Punishing the offender or fining the club would only work if the penalty was severe, and I can't see the authorities having the balls to do this. Another problem is that a fine or a ban doesn't help the wronged team who've lost the game, suffered relegation etc. If the player is banned for a series of matches, then its the opponents for those games that benefit and not the wronged club. Their game is not replayed or the points awarded to them instead. I really don't know what the solution is unless we go for a zero tolerance approach and be prepared to really hit clubs and players where it hurts... and, as I've said, i can't see them going for it. P.S. If Taarabt goes over easily in the Chelsea penalty area and gets Terry a red card, let's admit it, we'll all be pissing ourselves laughing.
Yes we probably will but after that Taarabt will be a bit of a cheating sissy in my books. That is because im a old school football spectator and learn to watch my football during the time when diving was even more comtemptible and you have to hit someone or break his leg to be sent off. Oh it was certainly the happy days........
Retrospective action on cheats and divers might cut some of it out. If video evidence later proves a player has cheated, give them a straight red, they'll soon reconsider their approach when they start missing games. Players like Ashley Young and Daniel Sturridge would miss most of the season.
I can see and feel the frustration in your article nuts....but I feel your proposal is a little unrealistic. For me, I would have goal line technology...PLUS....for every goal, while the players and fans are celebrating, the ref would ask a "TV official" to tell him if there is any reason why he can't award the goal. As in cricket, if there is no clear evidence that a mistake has been made then the goal stands. All other decisions, bad tackles etc would stay with the on-field ref and if he misses something they can be dealt with later, as they are now! If this was in place yesterday, Derry would have been called back before he reached being half way off the pitch and a free kick awarded for offside!!
The use of retrospective bans in rugby has been a good one however they are only ever really awarded for cheating or coming in with a tackle that would be classed as GBH. I'd suggest in football to introduce bans for those who dive and gain an advantage (e.g. Young yesterday) but not those that dive and dont gain an advantage (e.g. Carroll against Newcastle last week). But then instead of the harsh bans Nuts suggested, I'd say a 3 game ban for first offence, 6 games for second and 10 game for third offence. However I would also dock the wages for the entire time the player was out but to the nearest month, so 1 month for 1st time, 2 for second, 3 for third time. Seeing as most of theses overpaid twats only seem to care about money, perhaps they'd be less inclined to cheat when faced with the prospect of losing half their year's wages. As for bad challenges, I'd introduce a standard 3 match ban for every Red card challenge not given but only if it could be proven the player should have been sent off by a panel comprised of say top referees but with no outside influence from clubs or the FA.
Agreed, but that only works if referees can get decisions right. As we saw only too clearly they are often incapable of doing so - we would end up with more injustice not less. The real problem is that for the most part referees have never played the game and cannot interpret what they see from a players perspective. All top flight referees should be former pros IMO.
Think you may find they may be slightly biased towards certain vlubs if that was the case...? And..you'd have to teach them to read, write and tell the time!!
Nuts! We do need new ideas in the game and some changes! Dunno about your suggestion, but we do need Goalline technology. I wrote on another thread that the way the game is going they should probably simply say that any contact in the box is illegal, and punishable by a penalty - at least this should be more clear and cut out some of the advantage being gained by cheating. Perhaps a penalty is too simple and should be replaced by a run in from 30 or 40 meters. But changes must be made - too many games are being decided by rubbish decisions, so many I reckon many games are fixed.
How about where a player has dived (Carrol v Newcastle) and it's proved by tv after the game they get an instant 15 game ban, cheating in games sorted overnight. If a lino or ref misses something as blatant as the offside yesterday/ Hill's goal/ Scums offside goal sat their punishmnet is relegeation to the conference and they have to work their way back up, incompetant and inept officials out of the game overnight. Or is this too simple?
Saw on the live text during the game a few people were tweeting suggestions for an 8 game ban if someone dives and it's deemed via video replays to be simulation. I kinda like the idea - it'd get the likes of Fergie, Wenger and yes, our own Mark Bowen making sure their players stay on their feet. The only problem is that it doesn't sort the issue during the game. I've also heard it suggested that teams should get one or two appeals per game, for blatant bad officiating - I like that idea, especially if the captain can call it to the ref's attention - Derry could have had a quiet word and it could have been sorted in less time than it took him to walk off the pitch yesterday. Finally, and another blinding idea, relegate Ref's and Linesmen (sorry Beth!) to the conference and make them earn their way back up - surely it's as much a privilege to officiate in the Premiership just as much as it is to play there?
To be honest I think it is all too difficult to make judgements always on whether a player has dived or not. I do think stopping the game to review film will take too long and in any case we all see how often we all disagree even though we have seen replays of a situation from every angle and in slow motion. Its why I reckon contact needs to be simply banned in the box, and a pen or run at goal given. Goal line technology is needed but I am sceptical that it can be used in open play, without slowing the game down too much.
I wrote this out of pure frustration. When so many people disagree with me then my idea can't be great. I still stand by my thoughts however, because i feel that any new system must put the responsibility back on the player. There is just too much dishonesty in the game. Take the pressure away from the refs and put it firmly on the shoulders of the people responsible, ie the players. In rugby, you can hear the ref talking to the players. Thats what i am suggesting. The punishment for cheating and then lying should be so severe that it really impacts on the player (either financially or playing time) and the club (player bans). This would clear the problem up instantly. The problem with goal line technology is that it will only deal with "did the ball go over the line or not", it will not solve all other problems that exist and will still exist even if technology is introduced. The players MUST be held responsible for their actions. Football is becoming more ugly by the day.
In rugby if something happens on the pitch the ref can "cite" a player and a panel looks at video evidence then decides what punishment if any is handed out, the trouble is the FA wont do anything like that because they'd have to admit their appointed officials are; a) incompetant b) make mistakes (like all humans) c) all of the above I do like the captain gets 2 reviews per game (like crcket) idea, how have we got to the stage where the richest, highest spectator game in the country is so far behind so called smaller sports. It's time the FA, UEFA, FIFA stopped worrying about lining their own pockets and started running football for the football fans
