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Towards justice and security in football
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Football is by far the most popular sport on the globe with a great capacity to trigger passion and high emotion among players and spectators.
All of which has thrown world football's governing body FIFA into a pickle over the past week-and-a-half.
First, there was the news that the bus carrying the Algerian national football squad was stoned shortly after their arrival in Cairo for a final qualifying game to decide which would make it to next year's World Cup in South Africa. Several Algerian players were hurt in the incident.
Then came the even more publicised brouhaha this week when France, in their return-leg play-off game in Paris on Wednesday, scored the deciding goal against Ireland after their striker, the universally acclaimed Mr Thiery Henry, had blatantly handled the ball.
To the neutral, the Egypt/Algeria case ended justly. Although Egypt won the game in Cairo 2-0, the result only left the two teams tied in every respect. Algeria then won the deciding game played this week on neutral ground in Sudan. It has since been announced that FIFA will investigate the stoning incident and there is the possibility of punitive action against Egypt. But it seems to this newspaper that FIFA would do well to ensure that in future the host country - which after all has responsibility for the security of its guests - forfeits the game once there is an offence of the type that occurred in Cairo.
That's the kind of message likely to cause irresponsible supporters to refrain from mindless violence. Obviously too, it would provide a powerful motive for host authorities to ensure security.
In the second episode in Paris, the Irish have demanded and pleaded for the game to be replayed - something both FIFA and France have now said will not happen. The situation has even led to exchanges at the level of the political directorate in France and Ireland. Mr Henry has been accused of cheating. And he, while apologising for his instinctive action in the heat of the moment, has made the very relevant point that it was the referee's job to disallow the goal.
The trouble is that officials on the field of play - be it football, cricket, tennis or any other sport - will not see everything. It is human to err. And in this case the Swedish referee, Mr Martin Hansson, and his assistants simply did not see the handled ball offence.
Most of the rest of us only saw it on television replay. There lies the problem. For way back in the past when the football fraternity agreed that the referee should have the "last word" there was no television replay to prove him wrong.
Today, television replay is not only readily available, the quality of the technology is improving all the time. It's the reason a number of other sports, including tennis and cricket, have adapted its use - though on a limited scale.
The nature of football dictates limitations in the use of replays. But in cases where, for example, a goal is awarded or a penalty kick is given, television replays can easily be used as an aid to facilitate the correction of errors. Had that been done on Wednesday in Paris, justice would have been quickly and easily served.
A key lesson of human history is that technology will not be denied. FIFA and the football fraternity need to accept that fact.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...N_FOOTBALL.asp
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Football is by far the most popular sport on the globe with a great capacity to trigger passion and high emotion among players and spectators.
All of which has thrown world football's governing body FIFA into a pickle over the past week-and-a-half.
First, there was the news that the bus carrying the Algerian national football squad was stoned shortly after their arrival in Cairo for a final qualifying game to decide which would make it to next year's World Cup in South Africa. Several Algerian players were hurt in the incident.
Then came the even more publicised brouhaha this week when France, in their return-leg play-off game in Paris on Wednesday, scored the deciding goal against Ireland after their striker, the universally acclaimed Mr Thiery Henry, had blatantly handled the ball.
To the neutral, the Egypt/Algeria case ended justly. Although Egypt won the game in Cairo 2-0, the result only left the two teams tied in every respect. Algeria then won the deciding game played this week on neutral ground in Sudan. It has since been announced that FIFA will investigate the stoning incident and there is the possibility of punitive action against Egypt. But it seems to this newspaper that FIFA would do well to ensure that in future the host country - which after all has responsibility for the security of its guests - forfeits the game once there is an offence of the type that occurred in Cairo.
That's the kind of message likely to cause irresponsible supporters to refrain from mindless violence. Obviously too, it would provide a powerful motive for host authorities to ensure security.
In the second episode in Paris, the Irish have demanded and pleaded for the game to be replayed - something both FIFA and France have now said will not happen. The situation has even led to exchanges at the level of the political directorate in France and Ireland. Mr Henry has been accused of cheating. And he, while apologising for his instinctive action in the heat of the moment, has made the very relevant point that it was the referee's job to disallow the goal.
The trouble is that officials on the field of play - be it football, cricket, tennis or any other sport - will not see everything. It is human to err. And in this case the Swedish referee, Mr Martin Hansson, and his assistants simply did not see the handled ball offence.
Most of the rest of us only saw it on television replay. There lies the problem. For way back in the past when the football fraternity agreed that the referee should have the "last word" there was no television replay to prove him wrong.
Today, television replay is not only readily available, the quality of the technology is improving all the time. It's the reason a number of other sports, including tennis and cricket, have adapted its use - though on a limited scale.
The nature of football dictates limitations in the use of replays. But in cases where, for example, a goal is awarded or a penalty kick is given, television replays can easily be used as an aid to facilitate the correction of errors. Had that been done on Wednesday in Paris, justice would have been quickly and easily served.
A key lesson of human history is that technology will not be denied. FIFA and the football fraternity need to accept that fact.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...N_FOOTBALL.asp