FIFA's take on "human error"

This is old news, but an event that really struck me during this 2010 World Cup was the disallowed British goal, during the England Germany game. And thats saying something for a rugby woman, usually I couldn't be bothered about soccer's little qualms. Yet this time, I myself was aghast.

The ref of the E-G game, Jorge Larrionda has a 70% yellow card dispersal during his games, so the British did expect a bit of a tough ref. Yet when Lampard scored a goal that hit the top of the goal posts and clearly rebounded to pass the goal line (to all those viewers watching at home). This goal would have equalized Germany and Britain at the time with 2-2.



Yet after the goal was disallowed, the game seemed to simply go downhill for the British. Eventually, they lost to an embarrasing 4-1.



Would the allowed goal have changed the dynamics of the game? Perhaps. The team was disheartened and unfocused. Whether the equalizer would have upped their moods is something no one will know. In my opinion, Germany is the better team by all accounts, yet its the question of fairness, and correct treatment.

Now this is the part that annoys me. FIFA says that they kept the decision of the ref to disallow the goal on the grounds that it comes down to "human error."

Human error. That was something that is acceptable in the years where there was no technology. FIFA has all the capacity and more to implement technology! Yet they remain stoic in refusing to implement anything. If rugby can keep up with the times, then hell, FIFA can too. A worldwide sport on such an international level cannot become so suddenly archaic.

There is a solution, FIFA says. For the next world cup they have decided to fix the issue by appointing no, not just one assistant referee, but a few more. That, they reckon is going to solve every intricate problem.

As the English would say, it's bollocks.

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