UEFA
referees committee member Pierluigi Collina insists there is no need for
goal-line technology in football and defended the use of two additional
assistant referees.
Collina, widely regarded as the game's best official until his retirement six
years ago, claims there has not been one incorrect goal-line decision in games
using additional assistants since experiments involving them began two years
ago.
The
additional officials are the brainchild of UEFA president Michel Platini, who
has been an opponent of technology even though the International Football
Association Board are continuing with experiments aimed at its introduction.
Technophobe: Former referee Pierluigi Collina doesn't want goal-line
technology
Speaking at the Leaders in Football conference in London on Thursday, Collina
said: 'The technological experiment didn't find the solution and the human found
the solution.
'I
think the goal line can be easily controlled by two additional assistant
referees.'
Additional assistants, who stand behind the goal-line, have been criticised in
some quarters for failing to spot other incidents inside the penalty area.
Collina admitted mistakes had been made, but by referees who had actually
ignored the advice of their assistants.
He
said: 'We had big mistakes last year, not because the assistant referee didn't
help the referee.
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'He
gave the correct advice, but simply the referee thought he was right.'
He
added: 'The number of pushing and pulling at set-pieces decreased during the
last couple of seasons, probably because of the presence of the additional
assistant referee.
'As
well as you reducing speed when you see a policeman far away, you refrain from
pushing and pulling when you know there is someone looking at the incident.'
Football Association referees' committee chairman David Elleray, himself a
former top official, backed the use of technology for goal-line incidents, but
insisted it was unworkable beyond that.
Rejecting the idea each team could be allowed to challenge a certain number of
decisions during a game - as in American Football - he used the example of
Thierry Henry's handball that set up a decisive goal for France in their World
Cup play-off against Ireland two years ago.
He
said: 'How would football have looked and reacted in Paris when Thierry Henry
handled the ball and France scored to go to the World Cup and Ireland couldn't
appeal against that because they had already used up their three appeals?'