Friday, November 20, 2009 11:14 AM
FIFA out of touch with reality
Paul James
In appealing to FIFA for their final World Cup qualifying game against France to be replayed the FAI have in effect, exacerbated the awful error made in allowing Thierry Henry's goal to stand in Wednesday night's tense encounter.
FIFA should have had a rather difficult dilemma which, when you consider the options, it appears to many (including major culprit Thierry Henry) a replay would be the most sensible and satisfying solution.
The problem for FIFA in allowing a replay would be the aftermath of future appeals for incidents of a similar nature. As for the precedent of allowing replays to take place, one has been set in 2005. FIFA's contention that it is different is a case of semantics at this stage. A replay was justified then, just like it is justified now. The precedent has been set and I am sure FAI will consider appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on this issue.
For the record: Uzbekistan played Bahrain in an important World Cup tie in 2005. The game was replayed when the referee in the original contest failed to award Uzbekistan a penalty and instead gave Bahrain an indirect free kick.
By ruefully dismissing the Irish claims, it now leaves FIFA, France and Henry open to harsh and perpetual criticism particularly over the next eight months. Imagine France even contemplating winning the 2010 World Cup - it would all seem a bit fake would it not?
In reality, at some point in the future a similar recurrence of the incident will take place. So surely this magnified controversy is enough of a platform for FIFA to justify the introduction of video technology.
Knowing the historic stubbornness and rigidity of the FIFA hierarchy it may be difficult for them to accept but really on this one, their backs appear firmly against the wall. FAI, in a no-lose situation, have brought the issue of governing an actual football game, at the international level at least, back to the forefront of world football's conscience.
FIFA really only have themselves to blame for the difficult position they are now in. Regardles of their rather swift decision in declining the Irish appeal this is not going to go away. Unfortunately, failing to keep in touch with the realities of modern football as it appears on our television screens is an error that is now costly for all of us.
Let's daydream. Having the game replayed with the future commitment to use video technology for the officiating of all international soccer games would in one instant diffuse the whole problem. At the same time it would make our treasured sport of football so much more credible while alleviating some of the pain millions of football fans have to suffer as a result of unfair, "correctable", injustices.
It is bad enough being knocked out of a World Cup competition without the assistance of preventable policing errors. FIFA failing to do anything here leaves all football fans in the same old status quo position which in regards to legitimately winning games, remains needlessly contentious.