EPL Leading with Goal-Line Technology, but Will Video Replay Soon Follow?

It is a moment in time that needs no introduction, that for some remains painful to recollect.

In the 39th minute of a 2010 World Cup quarterfinal between Germany and England in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Frank Lampard’s equalizer went unrecognized because the match officials didn’t see the ball cross over the line.

Having fallen behind to goals from Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski midway through the opening period, the Three Lions managed to cut their deficit in half through a Matthew Upson header in the 37th minute and then, they thought, restored level terms only two minutes later.

But neither Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda nor his assistant had seen the Lampard screamer pass more than a yard into the goal after smacking the cross-bar, and instead of going into the break knotted at two with their long-time rivals England concluded the first half a goal down—perhaps a fair reflection of the balance of play, but an incorrect scoreline, nonetheless.

They went on to lose 4-1.

On June 29, 2010, FIFA president Sepp Blatter apologized to the Football Association.

“I have expressed to them apologies and I understand they are not happy and that people are criticizing,” he said, adding, “It is obvious that after the experiences so far at this World Cup it would be nonsense not to reopen the file on goal-line technology.” (BBC)

It took the chief of world football’s governing body two days to acknowledge the need for easily implemented technology in order to prevent such mistakes from being repeated. It took his organization nearly two years to approve it.

Providing leadership

Had FIFA’s approval of the Hawk-Eye and GoalRef systems not come just two months before the start of the 2012-13 Premier League season the English top flight would almost certainly be going into its second campaign with technological aid.

But the extra year allowed both companies to perfect their technologies, and over the past few weeks the Hawk-Eye cameras were installed in all 20 Premier League grounds.

The most popular football league on the planet will never again put itself at the risk of guesswork and ignorance when it comes to goal-line decisions. Starting on Saturday when Liverpool welcome Stoke to Anfield, referees will have the necessary tools to ensure incidents such as the Pedro Mendes ghost-goal at Old Trafford are banished from the division for good.

In so doing, they are providing leadership on a controversial file that many other divisions are still avoiding. But they’re also merely giving their match officials access to the same technology fans have enjoyed for some time—a measure that will help prevent the sort of disconnect between the game and its supporters that opens up whenever Larrionda doesn’t spot a goal or Roy Carroll spills the ball into his own net.

Fans, don’t forget, are already used to having better and more up-do-date information than the referees who are managing the matches they’re watching have been permitted. Within seconds of an incident they are shown replays on their television sets, and social media can also communicate an error in judgement nearly just moments after the official has committed it.

When this happens—when the general public has access to technological aids that referees are compelled to go without—the game is thrown into disrepute. And when the game can no longer be trusted by a generation of fans that grew up playing video games and are watching instant replays on their mobile devices, it risks becoming a sideshow.

Slippery slope

There was another incident at the 2010 World Cup that generated significant controversy.

On the same day that Lampard’s goal was not permitted to stand in Bloemfontein, Carlos Tevez’ opener against Mexico was granted in Johannesburg. It never should have been.

In an obvious offside position when he received Lionel Messi’s pass in the 26th minute, the Argentina forward nevertheless headed the ball into goal—a goal that was given by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti. Blatter spoke about this incident, too.

“Personally I deplore it when you see evident referee mistakes but it’s not the end of the competition or the end of football. This can happen.”

He added: “The game must be played in the same way no matter where you are in the world. The simplicity and universality of the game is one of the reasons for its success.” (BBC)

And with those words he completely disconnected himself from large sections of the game’s fans.

Blatter has often fallen back on the “simplicity” and “universality” terminology in discouraging the introduction of technology to football. And while he eventually sanctioned the Hawk-Eye and GoalRef systems it was widely thought part of the reason for the delay was his belief, and the belief of other key decision-makers, that goal-line technology represented the first steps on the slippery slope toward full-scale video replay—the sort of replay that might have overturned the Tevez decision.

The thing is, universality simply doesn’t exist in the way football is played and officiated, and it hasn’t for some time. That match officials in Europe’s top leagues are already connected to each other via headsets is proof enough of this, and there will almost certainly come a time—whether Blatter wants to admit it or not—when those headsets are used to communicate a video replay decision from a booth inside the stadium.

When that time comes it’s more than likely the Premier League will once again provide an element of leadership, although it’s scary to think what sorts of incidents will first have to happen before it’s sprung into action.