Referees call for reinforcements
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There has been much furor on recent weeks over the standard of refereeing in the Premier League, and UEFA appear to have made some proactive steps towards improving standards. During an U-19 match between Cyprus and the Czech Republic this week, extra match officials were employed to assist with penalty area decisions:
The two extra assistants are charged with identifying foul play in the penalty area and patrol a limited space near the goal, on or just either side of the dead-ball line. They do not have flags but alert the referee via headsets. (The sixth official is the current reserve referee, who continues in his traditional role of being shouted at by managers on the touchline.)
The new arrangement comes straight from the brain of Michael Platini, who mooted the idea ten years ago. The French have offered to trial the system in their league cup, suggesting world footballing organisations are willing to takeit seriously.
The idea is to provide a “human camera” for incidents that referees miss in the penalty area, but wouldn’t it make more sense to introduce an actual camera? A video referee would be much more relaible, and much more difficult to contest.
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Video technology might just spoil the excitement in football.
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(The sixth official is the current reserve referee, who continues in his traditional role of being shouted at by managers on the touchline.)
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