Run That By Me Again?

Not many people like Sepp Blatter. He’s a pundit’s dream, though. When he speaks, the words often bypass his brain and just spill out willy nilly. In 2004, out of respect to more conservative nations whose sensibilities might be offended by topless men running about in fits of rapture, he implemented the keep your shirt on rule . Then, in the same year, he recommended that the women’s game consider dressing their players in more revealing kits to attract male fans.  He has publicly lambasted a referee’s performance in a World Cup match and ridiculed the Irish FA for seeking compensation for the Thierry Henry handball fiasco.  No matter how poor his aim, shooting from the hip is rare from someone of this stature.  And make no mistake, he is a man of stature.

"Erin go bragh!"

The FIFA boss has been hailed as the second most powerful man in the world, superceded only by the President of the United States. Blatter has stared leaders of nations straight in the eye and made them back down. He has survived numerous scandals, accusations of corruption and bouts of foot in mouth disease to hold on to his post for twelve years. He is perhaps the most effective politician of our generation. That’s why it’s so troubling that he refuses to bring the game into the twenty-first century by permitting replay technology in major competitions.

On March 6th, the International Football Association Board, chaired by Herr Blatter permanently closed the door on all consideration of the issue. How he managed it is a mystery but he even got the Irish to vote with him. This less than four months after the Hand of God II played a pivotal role in eliminating the Emerald Isle from World Cup contention. Several bottles of Bushmill’s 1608 must have been involved.

Reason...

... or fear of change?

Diego Maradona, of course, was the villain in the original Hand of God. The remake stars Thierry Henry, admittedly cast against type. George Santayana wrote, in The Age Of Reason, that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Blatter, though, seems to give more weight to another George. It was Orwell who warned in 1984 that “Big Brother is watching!”

FIFA’s position, as put forth by its president was based on five points: “the universality of the game, the human aspect, the nature of the game, the financial aspect and the extended use of technology.”

FIFA Statement on Instant Replay Technology

The universality of the game refers to FIFA’s policy requiring the game to played by the same rules in every region and at all levels. It isn’t, though. Rules for overtime differ from competition to competition, as do rules for deciding draws in two legged ties. The Carling Cup plays one off matches throughout, except for the semifinals which are a home and away tie. The FA Cup employs replays if there is a draw but not in the final. Promotion and relegation formats vary from one country to the next as well as from level to level. For a time, MLS settled draws with the thirty-five yard shootout.   There are countless variations to the rules of the game.

In any event, we are not debating changing how the game is played but how it is officiated. Pub leagues often play with just a referee who is expected to keep track of the ball, offsides and the game clock all by himself.  Obviously, that is down to affordability.  Why, though, if the game can be played with less officials can it not be played with more?

In the political arena, Sepp Blatter is a tactical master equivalent to Sir Alex Ferguson or Fabio Capello in the dugout. If the facts don’t back him up, he is willing to misdirect , obfuscate or just out and out lie.

Blatter next tries to throw replay proponents off track with what he calls the human aspect. He reasons that ultimately a human must make the final decision, so why not leave it to the referee on the field? Well, Sepp, the simple answer is that the referee will remain the final arbiter. However, being human, he cannot see everything that happens on the pitch. Sometimes, his view is impeded or he is distracted by a separate incident.

A fifth official in a video booth can quickly inform the man in charge when he has missed something.  A wireless radio network already exists between the four officials on the pitch.  How much trouble would it be to add a fifth?  Consider Didier Drogba’s goal on the weekend at Old Trafford.

Drogba hits the game winner as the flag stays down

Within twenty seconds of the goal, a replay was shown on the telecast, revealing that he was clearly offside. I repeat, within twenty seconds. Had the flag been raised, Kiko Macheda’s late goal would have equalized and Man U would still be top of the table. That is a massive error with just a handful of matches remaining in the season. In effect, the linesman’s mistake has taken United’s destiny out of their hands.

Would a video review have taken the decision away from the referee?  No.  While Chelsea players were still congratulating Drogba in the corner, the referee would be given the necessary information to make the correct call.

As another wrinkle to the human aspect, Blatter notes how fans love to debate every incident in the game. Wouldn’t it be better for the game if the debate went like this? “Golly, the referee almost missed that handball. It’s a good thing we have instant replay or Ireland wouldn’t be in the World Cup!” In any event, when a referee is at his best, he remains invisible. His purpose is to provide integrity, not entertainment.

Next up, El Jefe claims that the nature of the game would be imperiled by video review. That is to say, the flow of the game would be endangered.  ”The clock should not be stopped to review a decision,” Blatter says. I agree completely. What we are discussing is reviewing critical plays, where the outcome of the game hangs in the balance; in essence, blatant handballs and offsides that lead directly to goals or balls which cross the goal undetected by officials.  In most of these cases, the action has already been stopped and has to be restarted by the referee.

Before we go into that, however, let me tell you about another man who is even more despised as the leader of his sport than Sepp Blatter. This nefarious evildoer being none other than the commissioner of the National Hockey League, Gary Bettman. A beady eyed, nasal toned, snake oil salesman, Bettman has managed to draw the ire of an entire nation.

When he was hired away from the NBA in 1993 (five years before Blatter assumed the mantle of FIFA), he made it his mission to make ice hockey a force in America at the expense of the country in which the game is a religion. He granted expansion franchises and moved small market Canadian clubs into the southern states. Unfortunately, people living on sunny tropical beaches or in the desert have proven to be largely uninterested in sitting in near freezing temperatures to watch a game played on ice.

Which...

... is which?

The Blackberry billionaire, Jim Balsillie, a passionate hockey fan who would pass any other league’s fit and proper persons test, has tried and failed to purchase three different franchises, hoping to move them to the profitable southern Ontario hockey market. Bettman has thwarted him at every turn, much like Snidely Whiplash plotting to destroy Dudley Do-Right.

Despite all the enemies he’s made pursuing his agenda, Bettman has managed to get at least one thing right.

On his watch, the NHL , which televises all of its games, has adopted a very effective instant replay policy. Every goal is reviewed on the spot, not just in the arena but also in the league headquarters in Toronto.  Tiny cameras are installed in the goalposts and in the back of the goal to offer views of each play from various angles.  The only time play is halted is when there is doubt that the puck has completely crossed over the goal line.

Admittedly, in the condensed space that is a hockey goal, with a goaltender and several players trying to either keep the puck out or jam it in, tracking an object three inches in diameter can be difficult.  It can take one or two minutes to render a decision.  That isn’t likely to be an issue in football, though.  The goal area is much larger, as is the ball itself, the latter also being much easier to track than a hockey puck, even in a congested six yard box.

If a ball crossed the line undetected, play would not be likely to continue for more than thirty seconds before the fifth official would notify the referee.  Play could then be stopped, the goal awarded and the lapsed time added to injury time.  If a goal is awarded which clearly does not cross the line, is scored by a player obviously in an offside position or results directly from a blatantly handled ball, then the matter would be corrected as earlier suggested in the Drogba hypothesis.

Please note that I have taken pains to suggest that only the most glaring errors should be corrected. If a play remains in doubt after a maximum of sixty seconds of review, it should be left to stand as called on the pitch.

The nature of the game is very important. Uninterrupted play, natural athleticism and tactical possibilities combine to make football the beautiful game it is.   A lack of integrity mars that beauty, however.  Players and managers are always seeking to improve their performance.  Officiating should be open to methods of improvement as well.

Money is another argument that Blatter tries to make against instant replay. No surprise there. Swiss bankers are famous for holding onto every penny under their control. Review would be prohibitively expensive, too, if it were implemented across the board, as the FIFA chief suggested would be required in his statement. It doesn’t need to be, though.  Instant replay should only be implemented in major competitions and leagues where television is in place for every match.  In fact, if given access to the replay footage for broadcasts, the television networks would likely contribute to the cost, if not pay for it completely.

All of the major leagues in Europe including the Premiership, Championship, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga televise all of their matches.  The finals of the FA and Carling Cups are televised as well.  So, too, are the Champion’s League, the Europa League, the Euros, the UEFA group stages and playoffs and, in America, MLS.

In fact, MLS would be an excellent place to test instant replay.  I am not suggesting FIFA should just jump into the deep end with its eyes closed, after all.  Dipping their toes in to test the water would be fine to start.

"Check the videotape!"

The extended use of technology is Sepp Blatter’s final argument. As the FIFA president states, “It would not make sense to stop the game every two minutes to review a decision.” True enough but it’s not even within the scope of reality that a critical play would occur that often. With a competent officiating crew, such incidences might occur once or twice in a match at most.

It’s a basic tenet of human nature, though, that when you give someone an inch they’ll try to take a yard. Agree to review goals that might have been handled or been offsides and plays where the ball might have crossed the line and people will lobby for reviews to determine whether a corner or goal kick should be awarded. Allow that and the clamor will be to review whether a foul occurred inside or outside the box.And so on and so on.

At some point you do have to say enough is enough. FIFA has just said it a bit too soon.  The debate needs to be revisited.  Hopefully, that will not be precipitated by yet another Hand of God, this time in South Africa.

Martin Palazzotto

Martin Palazzotto’s day job is in the yachting industry.  Having to live in close quarters with Brits, Scots, Kiwis, Aussies, Saffers and various Europeans for much of his adult life has irreversibly encoded the culture of football into his DNA.  He currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, where, unfortunately for you, his access to soccer is limited to cable and the internet.