[caption caption="the-soccer-essentials.com"][/caption]
Soccer is what I’d normally call it although association football is its real name. A sport loved by many and participated by almost every country. It’s a simple game where the objective of the game is to kick the ball into the opposing net. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to use his hands, the rest must battle with their feet, passing, shooting and dribbling. It isn’t uncommon for things to get messy especially in high stakes matches where everything and every play matters. Tempers are thrown and dirty tackles are made and there are times when the referee doesn’t make the right call. A big point to mention is the referees aren’t allowed to see the tv’s replays after a foul or goal, occasionally leading to game changing decisions. Should FIFA do something to change this and what’s the meaning behind it all?
It’s a big responsibility placed upon FIFA as their decision affects people in different regions, developed and developing countries. The quote from Sepp Blatter FIFA’s president a few years before he was sacked,
"Let it be as it is and let's leave [football] with errors. The television companies will have the right to say [the referee] was right or wrong, but still the referee makes the decision – a man, not a machine."
FIFA puts great emphasis on their referees plus the 2 additional assistants calling for offside and out of bounds. The referees must be athletic and sharp. They are trained within the organization and those who perform well are recommended to host prestigious games. There’s also many awards and honors for being a referee.
In some ways it makes soccer a simpler matter. Technology is abundant in wealthy nations capable to afford the large screens, retractable stadium ceilings and high definition millisecond replay system. But not every stadium has this. Having referees dictating the game makes it ideal for everyone.
There’s also the reason that replays will disrupt the flow of the fast paced game. While a normal game of soccer is 90 minutes, the action is continuous. To have the game to stop after every close call or tackle would most likely lengthen the duration and slower the pace. It would be boring. In baseball, basketball and American Football there are timeouts, pauses and somewhat calm phases throughout the stages of the game. That doesn’t make them less difficult, they’re just completely different. In soccer to last a full 90 minutes the players are trained for endurance while the latter games require for short bursts of full power.
So the real question here is; can FIFA ignore technology forever? And what if the day comes when the whole world is watching when a referee makes a game changing misplay causing riots everywhere. Or maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.
http://sports.stackexchange.com/questions/179/why-is-fifa-against-adding-instant-replay-to-the-game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referee_(association_football)
Â
