Soccer At The Desperate End

First, there was Germany-England. Now we have Bolton-QPR.

I know, I know, I never thought it would be possible to link the two matchups either. But it must be done.

Everyone remembers the World Cup imbroglio where a shot by England's Frank Lampard clearly crossed the goal line, but a goal was not awarded. That would have tied the match at 2-2. As it was, Germany went on to win 4-1, ending England's run in the tournament. Honestly, I think Germany was the stronger team and would have won anyway, but it clearly should have been a goal.

In today's match, QPR's Clint Hill made a great break to the ball on a corner kick and had a well-struck header that Bolton's goalie Adam Bogdan volleyed up against the crossbar and away from the line. Problem was, it had clearly gone a couple feet over the goal line. The assistant referee did not signal the goal, even though he had the proper positioning. He later claimed not to see it. There was a defender right on the post, but it still seems like he should have seen it cross the line.

The referee was not in a position to make the call either, although he was positioned correctly for a corner, with a vantage point that would allow him to watch for any fouls within the crowd in front of the goal.

Mistakes happen; unfortunately, both these teams are battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League, which would carry a significant financial setback.

Both teams clearly had nerves. Crosses and free kicks were hit too low and straight at defenders far too often--although American Tim Ream, a defender by trade, floated in a lovely cross for Bolton's opening goal. Bolton, by the way, went on to win 2-1, which makes the blown call all the more painful for QPR.

Goal-line technology seems inevitable. I am hesitant over anything that over-technifies* soccer--the omnipresence of television replays that expose every missed call by a referee, for instance--but I think it is a good call. It could actually remove some pressure from referees who are doing a tough job at a fast pace. Additionally, while I dislike the fact that sports are a business, it is not a fact that is going to change, and with so much at stake, I think it is important to make it as fair as possible. So if the goal-line technology can prove to be reliable, or if there is some sort of review process that allows questionable decisions to be reviewed--although such a review process probably wouldn't be feasible without interrupting the flow of the game--then I think it would be a good idea.

*my own term, and I stand by it.