FOOTBALL : Sir Alex Ferguson believes the row over video technology will be futile until the game’s powerbrokers change their own stance on the issue.
Sir Alex Ferguson believes the row over video technology will be futile until the game’s powerbrokers change their own stance on the issue.
As the Republic of Ireland continue to seethe over their World Cup dream being wrecked by Thierry Henry’s blatant handball at the Stade de France on Wednesday, a series of leading figures have called for match officials to be given more assistance in getting the big decisions right.
And Ferguson believes it is time FIFA and UEFA took a new stance on the matter, saying: “It will never be solved unless the people who run the game change their minds. It is not a matter of going round every player and coach in the world and asking their opinion because you would probably get the same one. We all think, as I do myself, that technology can play a part.”
He added: “It can help referees. But the stance is that they prefer human decision making. Until that changes, there is nothing you can do about it.”
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger backs Ferguson’s stance that officials should have more assistance and told ArsenalTV: “Football accepts that a billion people see it, one guy doesn’t see it and it is the one who prevails. It cannot work.
“We cannot accept that an obvious decision is wrong because we do not want to give ourselves all the needed help we can have in the modern game.
“Being at the game, I saw the referee giving a goal knowing that something was wrong and that is really sad.
“He didn’t see it, I can understand, the linesman didn’t see it, but they couldn’t get any help.
“In the end, he gave a goal, already knowing that it wasn’t a goal. We cannot accept that in our sport and you have to do something about it.”
