In the wake of Sergio Busquets’ theatrics Wednesday, which resulted in a red card for Thiago Motta, Inter Milan fans were outraged and the Belgian referee, Frank De Bleeckere, was fooled. Little did the Belgian know that Sergio Busquets was putting on an Oscar performance in front of one of the largest live viewing audiences in the world. Over the recent years players, fans and coaches have been calling for FIFA to change its policy towards using cameras, sensors and other technological equipment to make better and more accurate calls during the game. It is only with the assistance of technology will FIFA be able to eradicate human error from the sport and not from the assistance of more referees.

While the Oscar winning performance put on by Busquets didn’t exactly win Barcelona a place in the final, it did convince people that players should be punished for such behaviors. One possible solution to eradicating these problems includes using cameras where trained personnel can communicate with the referee using a wireless headset during the game Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have been staunch supporters of using technology in games often being on the wrong end of a decision that could have been overturned with the help of some technological advancements. As we all know the game is continually evolving, new tactics are involved and quicker and stronger players take on the field. Sir Alex believes that, “there is no question that the speed of the game means technology or additional assistance should be used.” UEFA has experimented with using 5 referees during a match and FIFA hopes to use this idea in the upcoming World Cup. There are many supporters of using 5 referees during a match, including Soccer Legend Pele and UEFA President Michel Platini. There’s no doubt that the 2 additional referees behind the touch line will help, but it won’t solve all the problems.

“They have come out with a solution with one guy behind the goal but the best one is technology”, Arsene Wenger was quoted after Thierry Henry’s controversial handball. It’s situations like the one encountered last November, where Thierry Henry’s hand ball earned them a ticket to South Africa, which FIFA need to make sure never happens again. As unfortunate as these situations are, they taint the image of the sport and delegitimize the organization as a whole.

We can list volumes of incidents that have changed the outcome of a game because of something that the referee failed to call in the Premier League alone, but the fact that FIFA hasn’t been using any of the proposed ideas is unfortunate to say the least. FIFA has recently turned down a proposal that would help referees know if the ball crossed the line or not using lasers and sensors. The reason for rejecting this idea is that they wanted to protect the universality of the game, meaning that the way of the game is played in London, England should also be the way the game is played in Timbuktu, Mali. This is a noble and just cause, however, if FIFA doesn’t take enough action to ensure that the right call is made during the game they will have only themselves to blame if a faulty outcome were to happen this World Cup. Follow us here as well as twitter and facebook where we’ll update you on any technological advancements and World Cup results!

-Ahmed Ahmed