No technology for football

Fifa President Joseph Sepp Blatter has defended their decision not to introduce goal-line technology.

In an annual general meeting held on 6 March in Zurich, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) decided to keep things as they are, but committed to continually monitor other means of supporting referees.

In his Presidential column on Fifa.com, Blatter explained that the organisation's goal was to improve the quality of refereeing, making referees more professional and better prepared, and to assist referees as much as possible.

"No matter which technology is applied, at the end of the day a decision will have to be taken by a human being. It's often the case that, even after a slow-motion replay, 10 different experts will have 10 different opinions on what the decision should have been," said the Fifa president.

"If the IFAB had approved goal-line technology, what would prevent the approval of technology for other aspects of the game? Every decision in every area of the pitch would soon be questioned."

He added: "The simplicity and universality of the game of association football is one of the reasons for its success. Men, women, children, amateurs and professionals all play the same game all over the world.

"This means that the game must be played in the same way no matter where you are in the world. If you are coaching a group of teenagers in any small town around the world, they will be playing with the same rules as the professional players they see on TV."

There have been numerous calls from various entities, including commercial and the players themselves, to introduce technology that could help referees. But Blatter concluded that apart from the major costs of experimenting and testing of the technology, they are not prepared to take away the responsibility from the man in the middle.

"Fans love to debate any given incident in a game. It's part of the human nature of our sport."