UEFA president Michel Platini has zero faith in video instant replay or goal line technology. And to divert the topic the head of European soccer is instead praising his newest solution to the blown call being the recently installed five-official system.
The president went as far as to say that the new, unproven system that applies two extra officials for each match is “the only solution” to the problem. And this is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.
First off, this new five man system has yet to be successfully completed for one entire tournament. Claiming that it is the “only solution” will only mean that Platini is destined to look like an idiot sometime this year. The World Cup was bad enough, but the Champions League last year was just as poorly officiated regarding the big match mistakes. Can Platini really guarantee that his extra officials will not blow an off-sides call? Or what about quickly missing a ball crossing the goal line like this summer?
The truth is that sports are impossible to predict and anything can happen at any moment. Announcing to the public that you have already fixed the problem without any statistical proof is not only foolish it is completely biased considering it is coming from the guy that is supposed to judicially choose what is best for his sport.
It is clear to me that Platini holds a personal grudge against video replay because of its controversial nature with football purists. The truth is that video technology and substantial physical proof of what happened will always be the “only solution”. Referees are only human and whether you have one on the pitch or one hundred the chances of a mistake will always be prevalent.
The only way to truly erase any shadow of a doubt on a critical play is to review it in slow motion, multiple times in your most comfortable arm chair of your home. Just ask Howard Webb this (see next article) and he will tell you all about the benefits of doing exactly that.
No system is ever the final solution, but instant replay is one heck of a start.
