Video technology

At least 5 times this season someone has brought up that football should use video technology. This is usually just after someone (usually playing for Arsenal) has been judged to have been fouled and play was left to continue and Wenger was furious as a result (I always find his eyesight a cause for concern. If I missed everything contentious that my team had done and yet, miraculously, could see everything done to my own team, I'd be getting my eyesight checked, but that's by the by).

The argument goes that it's used in rugby and cricket and doesn't disrupt the game. I would argue that it does, but rugby and cricket have more natural breaks (setting up a scrum for example) so it's less noticable. Football is a wonderful, fast flowing game and one of it's appeals is being aggrived when you don't get the breaks (hence famous songs involving fans questioning parental lineage and the referee). It evens itself out over a season (yes, even for you, West Ham fans - having spent millions on a new defensive partnership only to see them both out injured within a week - gutting).

Now, yesterday was a prime example of why video technology is not fool proof. Wilkinson scores a try for England. He certainly (and this pains me, but he played very well) deserved it. As he flew through the air to touch it down, some questions were raised if he had touched the flag on it's way (which would indicate he was out of touch and the try should not be awarded). Actually, it was his right leg that was on the floor in touch, certainly all of him from his knee down was well grounded before he touched the ball down. This should have resulted in no try being awarded, but yet, the video ref missed it and the try was given.

So there you go, video technology is good, but mistaked can happen - it's not the answer to all our prayers. Much better to allow mistakes in the heat of the moment and allow the game to flow, than to slow it up, and STILL have mistakes made.

And anyway, Wenger would still claim he'd forgotten to set his video and had missed it...