By David Fleenor

UEFA president Michel Platini is at it again going off about how video technology is not needed in the game of soccer. The latest statement from the former French international came from Monaco while attending the UEFA Champions League group drawing.

“For me, refereeing with five (officials) is a very, very good solution, and I will always defend it and with a lot of rigor as I believe it is the only solution,” Platini told the AP on Thursday. “In terms of technology, I’m very measured because I go on the basis that if you have an additional referee he can see it just as well as technology.”

Platini obviously missed or chose to ignore the Champions League playoff second leg match between Tottenham and Young Boys on the day before. Tottenham easily won 4-0 but the second goal – the goal many say really put the Hotspurs in the driver’s seat - came off a controversial handball by Jermain Defoe but missed by the five referees.

The striker clearly brought the ball down from a Gareth Bale chip with his arm and then spun off his defender – making an in vain plea for the correct handball call to be made – before firing home the second goal of the match.

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Many fans caught the infraction in real time and they all were in the know after replays but the referees, all five of them, kept their cool in awarding the goal while Defoe started his celebration on the touchline.

Does Platini dislike replay to such an extent he will not watch a recorded match or catch the evening highlights? How is he still saying that five referees will catch the infractions?

The solution to catch oversights like this one and others with the use of video technology is simple and should please the traditionalist, who don’t want to disrupt the ‘flow of the game,’ and the visionaries, who see video technology as the solution to all problems.

The new rule would read something like this: The 4th official can refer to video technology to overrule matters of fact when there is conclusive video evidence the incorrect call was made AND the call can be reversed before the ball is returned to play.

The new review would reverse Defoe’s goal and would also catch other mis-calls such as offside (e.g. Carlos Tevez offside goal against Mexico at the World Cup) or restarts (how many times does a ball glance off a defender and be incorrectly given as a goal kick as the referees miss the nick?) and even on fouls (an obvious dive to win a free kick could be reversed and given to the defending team).

Sadly for England fans the missed goal against Germany would not fall under the new rule as since there was no stoppage the play would not be reviewable although the referees could be given a mandate to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacking team on calls involving the goal line so they could be reviewed.

This use of video technology would be easy to implement and not change the run of play so why not make the change…so the calls are right.

HAVE YOUR SAY…
Do you think soccer should use video review? If so when should review be called on to potentially reverse a call? Talk about all soccer issues below.