RSS
ATOM
Black Attack: Video Refs – Just Say No
Alan Black is back with his unique slant. This time he takes on the issue of video replays being implemented.
Oct 15, 2009 11:46:26 PM
By Alan Black
The World Cup Final, 1966: England’s Geoff Hurst strikes the ball off the underside of the bar. As fast as a bullet, it lands over the line if you are English, and on the line if you are German. The Russian referee looks to the linesman. The linesman looks to the Queen of England sitting in the stands. Maybe he saw his head on a pike at the Tower of London. He indicates goal.
On his deathbed, the Russian linesman confesses. He didn’t like Germans much. He remembered the War.
Do we need video referees? It would eliminate this type of prejudice, herald an age of fairness, and soccer would be most boring. Let’s face it, when fifty thousand pairs of eyes inside the stadium see one thing and the referee fails to notice, the stands explode with debasing officialdom. What a loss to the choir if we can’t sing, "the referee’s a wanker" because he can correct his mistakes through television replay. Futbol is like burglary. "We were robbed" - every fan has said it. And you never recover the goods. The grievance morphs into a grudge against the benefactors and makes for bitter rivalries.
And where would TV correctness end? Was it a penalty? Or a free-kick? Did he use his hand to score a goal? Maradona would not be a Saint in Argentina if video ref had been around to sever the Hand of God at Mexico '86. Thousands of replays of the incident throughout the years would never have happened, TV pundits would have had less to talk about, England and Argentina would be less angry at each other. Longevity of grievance is a rocket booster for match ups. Soccer needs tragedy.
So, putting the video ref debate on the scales of Justice, we rob futbol of its core. Mistakes, regret, and thievery - are all supreme in the beautiful game.
Alan Black, a Goal.com contributor, can be reached through his website at AlanBlack.info
Want more from Goal.com delivered right to your door? Introducing "Goal.com Magazine." Subscribe now!
The World Cup Final, 1966: England’s Geoff Hurst strikes the ball off the underside of the bar. As fast as a bullet, it lands over the line if you are English, and on the line if you are German. The Russian referee looks to the linesman. The linesman looks to the Queen of England sitting in the stands. Maybe he saw his head on a pike at the Tower of London. He indicates goal.
On his deathbed, the Russian linesman confesses. He didn’t like Germans much. He remembered the War.
Do we need video referees? It would eliminate this type of prejudice, herald an age of fairness, and soccer would be most boring. Let’s face it, when fifty thousand pairs of eyes inside the stadium see one thing and the referee fails to notice, the stands explode with debasing officialdom. What a loss to the choir if we can’t sing, "the referee’s a wanker" because he can correct his mistakes through television replay. Futbol is like burglary. "We were robbed" - every fan has said it. And you never recover the goods. The grievance morphs into a grudge against the benefactors and makes for bitter rivalries.
 |
So, putting the video ref debate on the scales of Justice, we rob futbol of its core. Mistakes, regret, and thievery - are all supreme in the beautiful game.
Alan Black, a Goal.com contributor, can be reached through his website at AlanBlack.info
Want more from Goal.com delivered right to your door? Introducing "Goal.com Magazine." Subscribe now!
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
28 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
RANKINGS: Top three American players all have the week off
Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan were both out of action but remain the top two names on the board.
-
RIGG: Banega joins list of humorous self-inflicted soccer injuries
Professional soccer players injure themselves in a variety of darkly humorous and preventable ways. Banega, by forgetting the handbrake, joins an extensive list.
-
COHEN: When is it time for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger to part ways?
Arsenal's Wenger and Chelsea's Andres Villas-Boas are on the hot seat, and people need to accept that Robbie Keane would rather play in a top league than MLS.
-
ROSANO: Club America secures win emblematic of tight Clausura race
Club America won at home for the first time since August, but coach Miguel Herrera acknowledged the need for improvement. Pachuca coach Efrain Flores lamented the tight result.
-
FOX Soccer Plus free preview - EPL, UCL, Serie A and more
Sign up for FOX Soccer Plus today for access to Premier League, Champions League, Serie A and over 600 exclusive events!
Advertisement
Advertisement
