A few possibilities here:
3 referees who make a majority vote. One could argue we have linesmen but when the ref doesn't listen to them :(
Use the camera replay on difficult decisions.
OR
Just have Pierluigi Collina ref every important match! (even though he scares me)
Oh and off topic how about a decent pitch surface too.-- not-arf, Jun 24 2004 urs meier http://www.swissinf...ect=105&sid=5038623urs meier [not-arf, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004] This sort of stuff always comes out after you team have lost. Get over it. Spain felt the same way in 96 when England went through. It is part of the game and it tends to balence out over a period of time. The only rule change I would like to see is proper time keeping. In most games the ball is only in play for about 60 minutes.-- sufc, Jun 24 2004 Come on! that ref made some of the worst decisions I have ever seen! In the first half he gave loads of free kicks to the Portuguese and hardly any to the English, and that was irrespective of the number of fouls committed. He can't see everything either that or he wasn't looking. The third possibility which I really dont want to belive is that he had a bias....-- not-arf, Jun 24 2004 It's not the first time it's happened and it won't be the last. Introducing camera replays will slow the game down even more which is not something I want to see. The ref tonight made some bad decisions but no worse I see week in week out at grounds around the country. What you are doing is coming out with a knee jerk reaction because your team have lost instead of looking at the tactics employed by Portugal and the shear lack of creativity by England. If you have 3 refs and 1 says it was a goal, another doesn't and the 3rd didn't see it what do you do then ? Rugby league has been ruined by the introdution of camera replays and I don't want to see the same thing happen to football.-- sufc, Jun 24 2004 The world is full of whingeing poms. Anyone would think you invented soccer, not the French!-- ConsulFlaminicus, Jun 24 2004 IMO having cameras on the players is an excellent idea and I think has probably only not been done due to weight penalties and injury risk.
It is a shame that camera replays are not used to verify decisions quickly using independant arbitrators.-- originalsen, Jun 25 2004 I am satisfied that we did what we needed to. We beat the portugese, but we never had a hope against the ref. Re. this happening frequently, that doesn't make it right, and it certainly shouldn't happen in a game this important. If there was any justice, then UEFA would get an independent panal to look at footage from the match, fine the ref (just as players are fined for cheating), and allow a replay. Regardless of how we played, we won that match fairly and shouldn't be eliminated.
Oh, and Rooney was unable to contribute, cos whilst fouling another player (he allowed himself to be stamped on by a Portugese defender), he was injured and had to substituted!-- MikeOliver, Jun 25 2004 ConsulFlaminicus: NO the French did not invent football. The Scottish invented it. Which most people don't know, they also had the first football association.
MikeOliver: did Rooney try and foul, I thought he was just after the ball.
originalsen: yes, that's what I had in mind. Not the ref going off to watch a screen! ;)
sufc: The Portuguese tactics were good, but their players were getting tired. The English had an astounding defence, the ammount of repelled attacks was amazing. yes it's not the first time it's happened and it may not be the last. Doesn't that highlight the problem!
So it's goals that count, Right?
There is still a large underlying problem here which could have been prevented, although it's too late for England (again). Let's not let it happen to any team again.
I agree that a change which slowed down play significantly would be unacceptable.-- not-arf, Jun 25 2004 [not-arf] - no, Rooney didn't try and foul. He got stamped on in the portugal penalty area, and the ref gave a free kick against him.-- MikeOliver, Jun 25 2004 Rant?-- bristolz, Jun 25 2004 Yeah, but a justifiable one.-- MikeOliver, Jun 25 2004 Not here.-- bristolz, Jun 25 2004 Since this has become a place for rants - heres one for you - Oh - what a surprise! England crash out. English fans cry foul - blame everyone but their team. I have never seen anyone who takes defeat worse. Accept that your guys were outplayed for most of the game by Portugal. They deserved to win. Your guys chose to sit on their one goal lead - to what consequence? Most unbiased (read: non-British) football fans agree that the goal should have been disallowed - even the BBC said that 99 times out of 100 a ref would disallow that when it is that close to extra time. I am tired of crying Brits whinging about how "we were robbed". Get a life - go cry on Henman Hill.-- energy guy, Jun 25 2004 Actually, I agree with [bristolz] here (despite my comments). This isn't a football forum and out of respect for that I have removed my annos.-- harderthanjesus, Jun 25 2004 I respect your decision harderthanjesus, I didn't realise I had created a monster. Even though it smelled of fish because of all those foreigners who don't give a crap till it happens to them. And frankly no, England played a good match. And were a team more than capable of winning the tournament. But that aside, most other referees who have seen the footage have agreed it was a goal and not a foul. That decision is categorically bad and wrong, but shit happens and the next logical step is to prevent it which is what this is about. Not a rant but an inspiration for change borne from injustice, something that created the free world. . .-- not-arf, Jun 25 2004 OMG, you gotta see this it's about Urs Meier from a swiss website. http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=5038623 Love the bit about ASDA and the glasses.-- not-arf, Jun 25 2004 I agree whole heartedly with you [not-arf]. This decision was wrong. Also, this idea is a legitamate one. Despite this, I don't think it's the solutions would help as they would delay game time too much and break up the fluidity of the game (not to mention costing too much in referees fees). How about, instead, if a controversial decision is made it can be analysed by a group of referees after the match and if it is considered to be wrong and grossly affecting of the games outcome then a rematch can be called or even a special mini-match lasting 30 minutes. As for the pitch surface, I suppose they could play the games on astroturf (though a lot of players would be lost to horrible skin trauma).-- harderthanjesus, Jun 26 2004 I like the minimatch idea. This situation would only occur if the wrong decision made the difference between the overall result. As for the pitch, well thats just the sand under the stadium of light, the pitch moves! Most pitches are turf on soil. Occasionally (esp in usa) they make a fake pitch by decking an arena with wood and pitching the entire surface! That was funny, it bounced a bit but was overall ok. Of course the idea of analysing the results would leave fans in limbo, "well did we or didn't we?" and dampen the celebrations (I bet the Portuguese partied after that one). They did well, just a shame about the shadow of doubt. :/-- not-arf, Jun 26 2004 Actually [not-arf], the Australians had the world's first football association, being Australian Rules Football. The Scots may have had the first soccer association. There was even an Aussie Rules league fluorishing in the Clydeside docks in the late 19th century.-- simonj, Jun 27 2004 Surely using video replays before disallowing goals and awarding penalties wouldn't slow the game down by very much. It's not as if they happen a lot during a game.-- RobertKidney, Jun 28 2004 Sorry, there was some kind of sports match somewhere?-- RayfordSteele, Jun 28 2004 //NO the French did not invent football// [not_arf]...and the Consul lands another big one!-- ConsulFlaminicus, Jun 29 2004 MikeOliver - Nope you're wrong, watch the replay again and you'll see that the portugese defender never touched Roony. He simply put his foot down awkwardly and turned his ankle over, which caused his boot to come off. However, I totally agree on the ref quality which he proved in this instance - by giving a free kick to Portugal! And what offence was that for Ref? "Leaving boot dangerously on pitch"?-- goff, Jun 29 2004 random, halfbakery