I don't know man....

In terms of fair play and every call being made correctly.... Of course you'd want Instant Replay....

BUT! I don't want it.... Why not?

Because the ref's decision is all part of the drama.... It's why we love the game....

The heartache of giving or not allowing a penalty.... An offside being called on and being scored on.... This kinda stuff, while not being fair, brings much excitement to the game

Sure calls can be unfair, but that's what makes football, football and I wouldn't change it for anything!

Well said

Yea, no video would be nice. With baseball and american football, it may help make decisions, but really messes with the flow of the game

I guess I just have to disagree with you guys.... The missed calls piss me off more than please me with the sport. I don't like it when I'm rooting for a team then they get a clear call for them and go on to win the game. Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I like winning the game fair and square. I love football for so many other reasons that the nonsense stemming from obviously missed calls. You guys make it sound like you wouldn't still love football if they had some kind of official watching the tv feed

I understand your desire to win a game fair and square, but is any Barcelona fan going to ask to have a rematch of the Chelsea v Barcelona game, where Barcelona won so fortunately?

They should.... Wouldn't they want their team to play better than they did for the tie and win properly?

Yeah, if they played better and won fair and square it would be so much more satisfying. Chelsea was better on the day, and Barca got lucky. I understand what you mean, and I agree that I would always like my team to win fairly, but most people would just take the win no matter how it came

Yes, the missed calls/ bad ones really piss me off BUT I wouldent like the refs having instant replay what so ever, its what makes this game Fu'tbol and not Football!

You do have a point there.... I was overjoyed when Inie put that ball in the back of the net.... Chelsea did play extremely well.... But I'm just happy, ambitious attacking football won over the two legs...

But Chelsea were more ambitious and more attacking in the second leg. Chelsea were denied 2 clear penalties and were unlucky to hit the woodwork several times.

I would like instant replay but only for GOAL situations, baseball only uses replay to determine home runs, no other call. I feel it should be the same for goals.

If the ball crosses the line its a goal no matter what the ref saw. If the ball doesn't cross the line then there is no goal, no matter what the ref saw (ex phantom goal in the Championship last season).

Replay should be used but ONLY in this situation, not penalties, not offsides, not fouls or non fouls just for goals

Using technology will not affect the flow of the game.... It would literally take seconds for a fifth official to inform ref if the play was offside, goal or even hand ball.... The fifa board/president is just being stubborn.

Bad decisions are not part of the game. By not using replays, FIFA is not supporting fairplay, one of their own regulations. Replays will be used in football in the future, it is inevitable. Its just a matter of time.... Either when there is too much pressure from the footballing world or when the president/board changes

Agree 100%, we should try to make it as fair as possible. People shouldn't be left frustrated at the end of the day just because of a bad call

What? The coaches get challenges? Do they hold up a big card with a joker on it?

I like the sound of that. I completely forgot about having the leverage of removing a timeout

I'm not a huge american football fan, but I think you only get one challenge per half, it might be different for college american football and professional american football

Also Fletcher's red card was clear as day and should not have been a red card, it would help keep the games more honest and the outcomes the way they should be rather than allowing a bad referee or a bad angle for the referee cause a poor call

And not to mention that abidal didn't even touch anelka for the red card, which handball are you talking about in the semifinal

Although Anelka didn't get touched by Abidal, Drogba earlier was hauled down by the defender in the box, which should have been a red card anyways. You can't blame the referee there, though, Drogba has made quite a name for himself as a diver

Ya what happened hahppened lets just wait for next years chamions league can't wait

I was referring to the Pique handball in the box.... Wherein the ball clearly changed direction

And wherein pique admitted after the game he had no clue how it wasnt called a handball and that he felt guilty for his actions

I just watched that replay, there's no doubt that it was a handball.... Intentional? I'm not sure.... I think he was trying to get his head/chest down to where the ball was going but just couldn't make it. In my opinion that should be a yellow and a penalty. Of course, then it would be hard to distinguish what is intentional and what is unintentional.... So I'm not sure

It really is tough to see what the decision should be in regard to the yellow/red card debacle. I think that it'd be important for there to be at least one referee manning the television watching for close calls such as the red cards I mentioned (another being that red card for the USA yesterday). I agree that it will certainly make the game more honest, and it doesn't have to slow the game's play down at all if the replay system is executed appropriately

Remember the hand of god

Haha, who could forget

Well if this rule went into effect, there would be no third hand of god

One would hope not

It's true with video evidence all of the craziness in footballing decisions are taken out, so where's the fun in that? Haha, well I think it would keep the clubs from bitching about crappy decisions though

Lets hope its a hit

That's completely right. If Maradonas Hand of God goal was disallowed after a lengthy video replay no-one would still be talking about it. Some of the biggest moments in the history of football have come about because of the referee having a very limited time and view of the action.

Just think, with video replays, Ronaldo wouldn't get a single free kick

Clubs do bitch about calls first of all.... It's just that all of that bitching leads to nothing. There is so much more to football than controversial calls. I'm saying there should be video evidence introduced only when there is some decision that could change the course of the game.... Something like penalties or red cards, hand balls and all that jazz. The reason people are still talking about it is because it was ridiculous that it was called a handball. It's not fair that they went on to win the game as result of a shoddy decision (and an obvious one at that). I'm saying most of the calls should still be up to the officials, just the important ones should be interfered with by an extra official manning the tele. The calls could me made immediately or within 5 seconds or less of the incident and thus gameplay wouldn't be slowed at all really. I mean I think terrible calls cause much more grief and uncertainty than anything else.... The Barca v Chelsea game I'm thinking of. In all seriousness Chelsea were the winners of that game. But because of the ref having a bad night it wasn't to be and Barca went to to become the best club in the world.... Something that could be disputed by citing that cup tie. I'm not saying they're not the best, but Chelsea should have beaten them. And who knows what kind of final we would have gotten instead.... Maybe United would have come out to play instead of holding their dick in their hands the whole game

True, but if calls are made 100% accurate, football would become like all the other sports, who suck when compared to footy. The fact that barca were supposed to lose, but ended up qualifying was what made the champions league exciting. Chelsea fans will never forget this game and the next barca-chelsea match will be heated. Wrong calls are unfair, but I really think that they make football unique. Its not a question of holding up play or not, but its rather more a question of taking the exciting flaws and plot-twists out of the game. An efficient way to have a ref viewing replays could probably be made, but it won't help the game, it'll just make it dry and unexciting

I beg to differ, you guys make the argument that the main thing that makes football exciting is controversial calls.... I think that's just silly. It's a valid argument that it may take some of the heat out of the game, but dry and unexciting? Come on, exaggerating a little maybe? The way I see it is that no one feels good when an obvious call is missed. It's hard to celebrate something you have to admit was the wrong call and to the afflicted team it'll only leave a sour taste for the match, particularly if they lose. If even just 50% of the calls currently missed are called I think it would be a positive influence on the game.... Might even get Americans more excited about it. After all, isn't the best football match one in which both teams play fantastic football and the game is called fairly and accurately?

Lol yeah, I guess I was a exaggerating with the "dry and unexciting. " unfair calls aren't what make a football match fantastic, but they add that human touch of imperfection. I believe that by taking away this human error, the game becomes predictable, with the underdog having no chance. One of the best things about football is that it's unpredictable, with underdogs beating predicted champions. Nothing is better than a twist of fate that throws people's predictions off course and referee calls are often the result of this.
I believe that referee calls without replays make the game exciting. Sure it's unfair sometimes, and it does get me mad when my team loses unfairly, but this anger and happiness over a controversial call helps to make the game better

I think the random element of a missed offside adds loads of flavour to the game and the after-match discussions. It's what everyone talks about. If your team loses, you can moan about it the next day and like Syraph says, the next time the two teams meet there is an element of justice and payback to be dished out. I would personally hate to see rugby-style video refs being used to make the big decisions. I'd also hate to see computer assisted offside calls or goalline technology that knows if the ball has crossed or not.

You'll notice the really excellent referees hardly ever miss a big call. If the referee and his assistants (as well as the 4th official) are on top of the game, most of the time it goes without any terrible decisions

Good points on both accounts.... I argue that underdogs will still win as much of football is entirely luck that any team could win on any day (within reason). I think using the video official for offsides would be ludicrous as this is exactly the job of the referee's assistants. It really should only be used for penalty decisions and red card decisions. Also, goal line technology wouldn't have to take minutes.... It would be instantaneous and if obvious there's no need for it. In hockey they make the calls immediately, there's no reason it can't be like that in soccer.... With a light above the goal or something, or spotlights that are triggered behind goal (it could even look epic)

I agree with the entire drama portion that is added to the game without video technology. It is much more exciting, and gives you excuses if your team loses. In regards to the Chelsea V Barcelona second leg, I have shed my fair share of tears, and moaned through all the excuses, but Chelsea could have capitalized many other times on easy chances. And Iniesta's strike was so good....
No video replay- it takes half the fun away, especially when your side benefits from bad calls.

Yeah, there's a reason football is already the most popular game in the world - why change it? Imagine after an amazing goal the scoring team is celebrating, and then the jumbotron screen in the stadium pauses.... Pauses.... Shows an advert.... Pauses.... And then "NO goal" comes up. The players who celebrated would look like fools. The fans would feel cheated out of a goal by technology. Should the goalscorer (or not) wait to celebrate until the decision comes back? All the passion would be gone.

Also, what would happen to grass roots football, or even in the lower leagues? Would every game need a video referee? As it is now, you could play in an amatuer team and have just about the same experience with referees as anyone in the top leagues. If all of a sudden the top leagues get extra technology, do the bottom leagues need to get it too?

I think only professionals would use it. But yea I would cry is they brought in video replays

Cheated by technology? How would they be cheated if they never earned the goal in the first place?

The game wouldn't have to stop.... In the time it takes to make a call for a red card the play could be reviewed easily.... Same for penalties

You can say it will be reviewed that easy

But as an american, and seeing replay in the major sports over here (american football, baseball, basketball, hockey).... It can drag out. It seems easy, but it gets complicated. Keeo the game as is

I'm not saying they should copy american sports.... A sport like football deserves a new method. It wouldn't be hard to make this a near instantaneous situation. Most of the time the controversial calls come when play gets stopped anyway (for cards and penalties, etc....)

True.... I just have seen how instant replay has impacted games in america.... Could be a great tool, but I don't know...

That's certainly an idea, they main official should take into consideration more heavily what the other referees think in this instance. What I mean is that sometimes the match official makes a call based only on what he saw

True but if he doesn't know what he saw than usually the linesman are there to help him

A whole lot of silliness in this video. At least the ref was consistent in his awfulness for both sides

Isn't it sad though? A horrible ref like him reffing a WC quarter final game.... Tsk tsk tsk