Should Technology Be Used In Soccer?

Should Technology Be Used In Soccer?

Tell me what you think, should technology be part of the game of Soccer? As we get closer to the World Cup, this question will be a topic of discussion many more times. Soccer is a fast moving game, fast enough that even four referees have a hard time overseeing and controlling the game for ninety minutes. Let's face the reality, human errors are inevitable.

 We have seen many games lost due to errors by the referees. The most recent controversy has been the qualifying game between France and Ireland played on November 18th, 2009. Soccer fans have witnessed the unfortunate situation that disqualified Ireland from the 2010 World Cup and allowed France to be among the 32 participants next June. They refer to the incident as Thierry Henry's "Hand Of Shame", which stopped a ball from going out with his hands that gave ways to France 1-1 tie, therefore winning the series.

Do you also remember Maradona's "Hand Of God" goal? A goal he scored with his hands during the 1986 world Cup quarter final between England and Argentina. This was not the decisive goal of the game, because he later scored another goal that captured the win for Argentina.

Arguably, soccer the "beautiful game" might lose its authenticity; fans think the game of soccer, a.k.a "football", will lose its attractiveness if technology is introduced. But isn't it the signs of the time? Technology plays a big part in sport today; American football is a good example where technology (Video Replay) can affect the results of a game.

Many technology assistance methods are discussed and even tested; Video Replay, Goal Line Technology Ball (chip embedded soccer balls that let referees know when the ball crosses the line), Behind The Goal Referee is also a viable option. Whether you favor the idea or not, technology will forever change the beautiful game if it becomes a reality. This is becoming a necessary evil where human judgment lacks efficiency.