by Paul Macdonald

Created on: June 12, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

It's a tricky one this - I can see both pros and cons of introducing goal-line technology into our game but on the issue of something as vital to the match as a goal - let's not forget, this is the purpose of the game - the answer has to be a categorical yes.

People who are against the idea often put forward the reasoning that it will slow the game down, and eventually lead to the match being stopped for less important issues, such as offsides or yellow cards.

Is this case, however, Adidas have already patented a football with an internal monitoring system that can send a message to the referee as soon as the entire ball crosses the line. It would give the referee a simple yes/no - the game would not have to stop, no big screens required, no fourth official decision like in cricket or rugby, just a simple relay to the official to confirm whether the ball crossed the line or not.

Another foible the 'No's' to this ruling have is that poor refereeing decisions are simply part of the game, and that some of the mystery is lost by making decisions so clincally accurate. Fair point, but The 1966 World Cup Final was decided on a goal that did not cross the line, and with the money at stake in the modern game, if such an incident were to occur again it could have drastic ramifications for the unfortunate team involved. If a goal is scored, then it is a goal - there should be no room for manouvere on this point.

Fifa are more than happy to let fussy officials give free kicks every ten seconds for minor offences, which breaks up the flow of most matches anyway. Check the stats of most halves of football, and you will find the ball in play for only 28-30 minutes of the 45 minute half. Would it really be that disrupting to take little more than an extra five seconds to decide beyond any doubt whether a ball has crossed the line? Of course not.

Football is in danger of becoming an embarrasment, as so many other sports stride ahead with technology aiding decision making. Tennis has successfully incorporated Hawkeye to assist line judges in making the right call. Cricket and Rugby replay incidents that afffect try-scoring or wicket-taking. Yet Football, the world's most played sport, has controversial incidents across the globe every weekend.

Times are changing. The game is changing. It is time for the game to move forward and make sure the big decisions, the really crucial game changers such as goals, are unequivocally correct.

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