Two calamitous incidents on Sunday haven’t moved Fifa. The world football governing body has rejected calls for the introduction of technology to help on-field officials.
Referees failed to spot an England goal against Germany and an off-side goal from Carlos Tevez was allowed to stand in Argentina’s round of 16 win over Mexico.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter was at the Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, during the England disaster. But he is, apparently, not stirred by the English anguish over the disallowed goal.
Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke on Sunday ruled out the use of video technology in the foreseeable future. “The introduction of technology is definitely not on the table. A zero-fault system isn’t possible at the World Cup,” he said.
The Frenchman, however, added that Fifa could give its nod for additional assistant referees to avoid the recurrence of Monday’s mistakes. Uefa had used one extra assistant behind each goal in all its Europa League matches last season and Fifa appears to have been impressed with the results.
There is uproar in England over Fifa’s avowed aversion to technology. Frank Lampard, the victim on Sunday, was seething with anger. “It was a clear goal __ 40,000 people knew it and I knew it, but there were two people that didn’t. It certainly affected the game and we’re bitterly disappointed,” the Chlelsea midfielder was quoted as saying.
Predictably, English managers and former England players have joined the video chorus. According to BBC, British Prime Minister David Cameron has also urged Fifa to have a look at referral systems used in cricket and tennis.
The pressure on Fifa intensified a few hours later when another controversy erupted during the Mexico-Argentina match at Soccer City on Sunday. Video replays showed that Tevez was off-side when he opened the scoring for Argentina in the 26th minute. Despite vociferous pleas from Mexican players, the goal wasn’t chalked off. Italian referee Roberto Rosetti, who is the front-runner to blow the whistle in the final, ruled that the goal was valid after consulting his assistant.
Mexican coach Javier Aguirre has blamed the officials for his team’s 3-1 loss at the hands of Argentina at Soccer City. “Referees and linemen can take split-second decisions and can spoil everything and years of hard work. My players were disoriented after the first goal, which wasn’t our mistake,” he raged.