Goalline technology really a no-brainer

I was sitting in the press box at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in 2010 when Frank Lampard clipped in a delicate lob from the edge of the area for England in their last-16 World Cup match against Germany, the ball bouncing off the crossbar and clearly landing behind the line inside Manuel Neuer’s goal.

There was a brief pause before the referee, in consultation with his assistant, disallowed the goal, to howls of disbelief from the massive English press corps that attends events such as this.

England, 2-1 down at the time, ended up getting hammered 4-1 by Germany, but as then-coach Fabio Capello pointed out, for it to be 2-2 at half-time would have meant a completely different match after the break. This was reportedly the final straw for Fifa president Sepp Blatter, with the world body now more determined than ever to get goalline technology through the production line.

The rest, of course, is history, with goalline technology now in effect across the game. As recently as Sunday, Sergio Aguero’s effort for Manchester City against Burnley was allowed by referee Paul Tierney, with science now ruling out any controversy.

It proved a potentially vital moment in the English Premier League title race, as, in the race for the Absa Premiership did the decision of Phelelani Ndaba to disallow Terrence Dzvukumanja’s effort for Bidvest Wits, with the score at 1-1 in the late stages of their clash with SuperSport United on Saturday.

The difference is that the Premier Soccer League does not have goalline technology, and Ndaba got his decision horribly wrong, as did Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda and assistants Mauricio Espinosa and Pablo Fandino in Bloemfontein.

Dzvukamanja’s shot bounced well behind the line in Ronwen Williams’ goal, and Ndaba initially gave a goal too, before changing his mind after consulting with his assistant. If Wits had got three points, it would have kept them right in the title race, especially as they could get another two points given to them by a PSL Disciplinary Committee, still to decide, at the time of writing, on the punishment to be handed out for Mamelodi Sundowns decision to field Wayne Arendse in a Premiership game on October 8 against Wits, when Arendse was not in their original matchday squad.

The point is that howlers such as that made by Ndaba should not be having any influence on the title race. The cost of goalline technology may well be the main reason why the PSL have not implemented it in their league, or shown any indication that they intend to do so. And yet this title race will now forever be tainted a little bit, by the fact that Wits should have had a perfectly legitimate goal given to them.

Ndaba could be hauled over the coals by the South African Football Association, and stopped from refereeing PSL games for a while, though Safa’s decisions over punishing referees are woefully inconsistent. And in any case, that will change nothing from the facts of Saturday’s game, which leave Wits feeling rightfully aggrieved. The best solution would be to stop these incidents from happening at all, whether with a professional refereeing body, better referee training or indeed, goalline technology.

Maybe Fifa could, with all the money at their disposal, spend some implementing goalline technology across the globe, given how it has improved fair decisions in the game.

All that remains is for me to encourage readers to enter our Phakaaathi Private Fantasy League, by following the competition rules on Page 7, for a chance to win fantastic monthly prizes. May, in fact, is your last chance to win, so go for it!

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