THE OTHER SIDE
Our Lips Are Sealed
This weekend saw the meeting of the FIFA top brass in Switzerland to discuss potential rule changes which could go a long way to radically altering the game we all know and love.
The summit garnered a fair bit of interest as rumours abounded something big was in the offing. Various reports suggested Blatter was ready to abolish the offside law, supposedly having spoken at length with the head of the International Hockey Federation about the effect scrapping the rule had on that game. No, I didn’t either. Also high on the agenda was a debate on whether video technology had a place in the game, with a vote given to the home countries FA’s on whether the change would be brought in.
Other, frankly ludicrous suggestions were put forward. A ‘green card’, the awarding of which would see the offender dispatched to the sin bin for a couple of minutes was mooted. An idea of the keeper being able to use his hands when coming up for a corner in the opposition area was presumably a joke and Roberto Martinez, a manager who despite a Latino suaveness has always appeared slightly mental confirmed this suspicion by saying any goal scored from a set piece should only be worth half. Martinez, who on reflection possibly suffered an extreme attack of the vapours in the past few days followed this up quickly by suggesting that it was high time Charles N’Zogbia got a World Cup call up. For England.
In the end, the upshot of the sojourn to Zurich was simply business as usual. The offside plan didn’t make it to the table and ideas wild and wonderful weren’t given the light of day either. The headline grabber however was plain for all to see. FIFA went one step beyond simply ruling out video and specifically goal line technology by stating comprehensivelythe proposal was emphatically out of the question for the considerable future and halting all existing trials. In a fine example of tragic-comic timing, the ruling was passed at pretty much exactly the same time as Birmingham’s Liam Ridgewell was denied a goal that was about a foot over the line in an FA Cup Quarter final at Portsmouth.
On one hand it is a relief FIFA ruled out widespread video technology in the game. The idea of regular stoppages whilst video officials mulled over contentious decisions as in the rugby codes didn’t translate well to football. Arguably the game is at its best in the immediate aftermath of a contentious decision with the crowd worked up and the team buoyed by a sense of injustice. It is one of the things which makes the game as exciting as it is and provides debate and argument which greatly increases interest in the periods between the matches themselves. The old maxim big decisions generally balance each other out is generally true when the game and pitch as a whole is taken into account in the long term.
It is however, baffling why goal line technology as a stand alone rule change is dismissed out of hand. The technology, once developed, is almost instantaneous and the decision helps make is so specific it would have minimal disruption to the game but potentially huge implications for sides. Whilst an average game could see, for example 3 or 4 stoppages based on broader video replays (penalty decisions, red cards, offsides etc...) which would greatly alter the flow of the game, it is hard to imagine more than 3 or 4 instances in a season (per team) when there is serious doubt as to whether a ball has crossed the line.
Using United as an example, I can only think of two this season where there has been any degree of controversy and whilst every goal line clanger is analysed to death by Sky Sports, how many have there actually been this season? Ridgewell and the one involving Palace at the start of the season Neil Warnock (no you wouldn’t believe it, honestly?) wouldn’t shut up about for weeks and that’s about it really.
The rule change would have been minor to the game as a whole, has very few obvious drawbacks and could make the difference between staying up and going down, or as England have demonstrated in years gone past actually winning a World Cup. Surely it is now time to give it a try at the very least?
Overall though, for once FIFA deserve some credit. The head of the Scottish FA who had voted in favour of overall video technology sneered at ‘traditionalists’ who he claimed were holding the game back. However, why vastly overcomplicate what is at its heart a brilliant, simple, hugely enjoyable game? Sometimes new doesn’t necessarily mean good and there is a great (we’ll not go as far as beautiful eh?!) game there that needs protecting.
Normal service will no doubt be resumed next week.
***********************
The media ‘interest’ in the England team moved into the hitherto unvisited area of espionage this week with news a six hour meeting (I hope they stopped for curly sandwiches and stilted conversation with Ken from accounts during that mind) was bugged at the England team hotel. Rumour is apparently ‘rife’ discussions between the players included sex scandals and potential bonus payments. The revelation folk are spending their time when they should be paying attention in meetings gossiping about affairs involving colleagues and possible pay rises is of course a bombshell to the British workforce who find the very notion beyond their wildest recognition.
Joking aside, where did the demand for the bug coming from? Mossad appear to have their hands full modelling Alan Partridge’s latest tennis collection so by the power of deduction, you would have to suspect the British press would be the likely customer. For once, you would hope they would leave the national team alone to concentrate on the job in hand. Tournament after tournament, the press has done it’s best to stir the shit and throw a spanner in the works of whatever chance England have of actually winning something.
Mind, if they get knocked out in the group stages I think it is the very duty of our free and noble press to let us all know that Gareth Barry is a pervert and Wes Brown has an unnatural relationship with canines.
Just leave it be till then, eh?
PERCY ALMS
The summit garnered a fair bit of interest as rumours abounded something big was in the offing. Various reports suggested Blatter was ready to abolish the offside law, supposedly having spoken at length with the head of the International Hockey Federation about the effect scrapping the rule had on that game. No, I didn’t either. Also high on the agenda was a debate on whether video technology had a place in the game, with a vote given to the home countries FA’s on whether the change would be brought in.
Other, frankly ludicrous suggestions were put forward. A ‘green card’, the awarding of which would see the offender dispatched to the sin bin for a couple of minutes was mooted. An idea of the keeper being able to use his hands when coming up for a corner in the opposition area was presumably a joke and Roberto Martinez, a manager who despite a Latino suaveness has always appeared slightly mental confirmed this suspicion by saying any goal scored from a set piece should only be worth half. Martinez, who on reflection possibly suffered an extreme attack of the vapours in the past few days followed this up quickly by suggesting that it was high time Charles N’Zogbia got a World Cup call up. For England.
In the end, the upshot of the sojourn to Zurich was simply business as usual. The offside plan didn’t make it to the table and ideas wild and wonderful weren’t given the light of day either. The headline grabber however was plain for all to see. FIFA went one step beyond simply ruling out video and specifically goal line technology by stating comprehensivelythe proposal was emphatically out of the question for the considerable future and halting all existing trials. In a fine example of tragic-comic timing, the ruling was passed at pretty much exactly the same time as Birmingham’s Liam Ridgewell was denied a goal that was about a foot over the line in an FA Cup Quarter final at Portsmouth.
On one hand it is a relief FIFA ruled out widespread video technology in the game. The idea of regular stoppages whilst video officials mulled over contentious decisions as in the rugby codes didn’t translate well to football. Arguably the game is at its best in the immediate aftermath of a contentious decision with the crowd worked up and the team buoyed by a sense of injustice. It is one of the things which makes the game as exciting as it is and provides debate and argument which greatly increases interest in the periods between the matches themselves. The old maxim big decisions generally balance each other out is generally true when the game and pitch as a whole is taken into account in the long term.
It is however, baffling why goal line technology as a stand alone rule change is dismissed out of hand. The technology, once developed, is almost instantaneous and the decision helps make is so specific it would have minimal disruption to the game but potentially huge implications for sides. Whilst an average game could see, for example 3 or 4 stoppages based on broader video replays (penalty decisions, red cards, offsides etc...) which would greatly alter the flow of the game, it is hard to imagine more than 3 or 4 instances in a season (per team) when there is serious doubt as to whether a ball has crossed the line.
Using United as an example, I can only think of two this season where there has been any degree of controversy and whilst every goal line clanger is analysed to death by Sky Sports, how many have there actually been this season? Ridgewell and the one involving Palace at the start of the season Neil Warnock (no you wouldn’t believe it, honestly?) wouldn’t shut up about for weeks and that’s about it really.
The rule change would have been minor to the game as a whole, has very few obvious drawbacks and could make the difference between staying up and going down, or as England have demonstrated in years gone past actually winning a World Cup. Surely it is now time to give it a try at the very least?
Overall though, for once FIFA deserve some credit. The head of the Scottish FA who had voted in favour of overall video technology sneered at ‘traditionalists’ who he claimed were holding the game back. However, why vastly overcomplicate what is at its heart a brilliant, simple, hugely enjoyable game? Sometimes new doesn’t necessarily mean good and there is a great (we’ll not go as far as beautiful eh?!) game there that needs protecting.
Normal service will no doubt be resumed next week.
***********************
The media ‘interest’ in the England team moved into the hitherto unvisited area of espionage this week with news a six hour meeting (I hope they stopped for curly sandwiches and stilted conversation with Ken from accounts during that mind) was bugged at the England team hotel. Rumour is apparently ‘rife’ discussions between the players included sex scandals and potential bonus payments. The revelation folk are spending their time when they should be paying attention in meetings gossiping about affairs involving colleagues and possible pay rises is of course a bombshell to the British workforce who find the very notion beyond their wildest recognition.
Joking aside, where did the demand for the bug coming from? Mossad appear to have their hands full modelling Alan Partridge’s latest tennis collection so by the power of deduction, you would have to suspect the British press would be the likely customer. For once, you would hope they would leave the national team alone to concentrate on the job in hand. Tournament after tournament, the press has done it’s best to stir the shit and throw a spanner in the works of whatever chance England have of actually winning something.
Mind, if they get knocked out in the group stages I think it is the very duty of our free and noble press to let us all know that Gareth Barry is a pervert and Wes Brown has an unnatural relationship with canines.
Just leave it be till then, eh?
PERCY ALMS