Bridging the widest gap in modern football

The game between England and German brought back memories of 1966 for the goal that never was, a looping Lampard effort that struck the bar and landed well beyond the goal line. These dicey couple of seconds highlighted an uncomfortable truth, that in more than four decades, the beautiful game has not changed a bit in the kind of controversy it courts. But as video technology advances, the gap between what the viewers see at home and the referee on the the pitch is widening at an alarming pace, to such as extent that Video replays at the stadia is no longer a luxury at the on-going FIFA 2010 world cup in South Africa, as the football governing body attempts to drag a dark wool over the frequent gaffes by the men in black.

While goal line technology has been at the fore front of those advocating the introduction of technology, the use of video replays tackle almost all the issues, including Tevez's goal against Mexico. And the fear that the flow of the game will be disrupted is in practice insignificant. As long as only the referee reserves the right to seek clarification from the fourth official, who would have a "sony" HD tube in front of him, play would only be delayed for seconds. This enhanced referee's perception, hawk eye you might want to call it, will erase most of the avoidable gaffes.

In addition, professional falls employed by football players to con the officials would gradually fade from the game as the players become increasingly aware that the fourth official possesses a technology to expose these fraudulent devices, which should serve as a deter-ant. High stake games have suffered enough, particularly from the antics of deceitful players. Video technology is so integral to the enjoyment of football and there is no reason why the referee should be left out. Natural in a modern sense implies the use of technology in one form or the other.