Platini reiterates support for five-officials
Reuters - Tuesday 26 January 2010, 20:52
VALLETTA - UEFA president Michel Platini
has repeated his belief that the addition of two match officials
represents the best way to minimise refereeing mistakes.
"Having two extra pairs of eyes is better. It certainly
helps to reduce mistakes," Platini said after arriving in Malta
on Tuesday ahead of this week's UEFA Executive Committee
meeting.
UEFA is experimenting with five-man refereeing teams in this
season's Europa League matches.
"We speak a lot about refereeing but we also have to
recognise that football has changed a lot over the years,"
Platini told reporters.
"If I committed a handball offence in the box 20 years ago
probably nobody would have noticed but nowadays it's different
because there are so many television cameras filming the match
and these expose every refereeing mistake.
"If we look back at the famous France versus Ireland (World
Cup 2010 play-off) match, the referee didn't see what Thierry
Henry had done (when he handled the ball before setting up
William Gallas for the decisive goal)," Platini added.
"I believe that the best way to improve refereeing is by
having more match officials monitoring the game.
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"It's also more feasible than telling a national association
to spend 200,000 euros ($281,800) on television cameras.
"Personally, I believe that the human element (in
refereeing) is better than technology."
The additional assistant referees (AARs) are positioned
beside each goal specifically to help the match referee judge
whether players have dived in the box, fouled each other at
corners or if the ball has crossed the goal-line.
The experiment with five match officials in this season's
Europa League is on the agenda of the first UEFA Executive
Committee meeting of 2010 on Thursday and Friday.
If the experiment is a success it is likely to be sanctioned
by FIFA and the International Board, the law-making arm of world football's governing body, next March and be introduced into the
game at large within the next season or two.
In an interview with France Football magazine last week
Platini said if the five-officials concept is sanctioned by the
International Board he would introduce it in Champions League
matches immediately and for Euro 2012 qualifying.
This week's UEFA meeting coincides with the Malta FA's
celebrations to mark the centenary of its national league and 50
years of the association's full membership of FIFA and UEFA.