English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke is one of the leading men in calling for further use of technology to aid referees in world soccer, and he’s starting to get fed up with the shortsightedness of his colleagues who refuse to explore the idea.
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Dyke, who this week attended an International FA board meeting which also featured FIFA president Sepp Blatter, spoke out on Saturday and voiced his frustration over resistance from other top league officials from around the UK.
Dyke, from the Daily Mail:“I was a bit disappointed that we havn’t got this any further. I’m a great fan of video technology. It seems to me that if there are means of helping referees, we should try them in trials and if they work, adopt them.”
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“It’s no use waiting for a Frank Lampard-type incident which helped bring in goalline technology. We should get on the front foot. You don’t want to do it without trials and it should only be use to help referees, not over-rule them.”
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“Are we going to look again at the rules? I don’t think so,’ said Dyke. ‘You can’t take a couple of incidents in one weekend and say the whole thing is in crisis. The stats don’t show that.
“Having said that, over a period of time we should be looking at the increased use of video technology. In 20 years’ time, we’ll look back and say ‘wasnt it quaint’ when we didn’t use it. I hope the trials in Holland continue.”
Dyke comes across not as someone who’s hellbent on doing things “his way or the highway,” but as a forward-thinking man willing to explore any and every avenue to improve the game within the country he’s tasked with running. If it doesn’t work, then so be it, at least we tried.
Making sweeping changes overnight would unquestionably be the wrong route to travel, and Dyke seems to understand that better than most. Those that are unwilling to improve in order to advance themselves are bound to be left behind sooner rather than later. Dyke also understands this, and wants better for the English game.
Every league in the world should be exploring options — not implementing immediate changes — with regard to technological aids. If they’re not, they’ve not got their organization’s best interests in mind.