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6/28/10

SOCCER: The World Cup Needs Instant Replay Now -- by Clay Travis

Sunday's blown goal call in the Germany and England match needs to be a clarion call from this day forth: The World Cup must have instant replay for all goals or potential goals. In case you missed it, you can watch the goal scored by England's Frank Lampard by clicking here. England went on to lose the match 4-1, but Lampard's goal should have tied the game at 2. Anyone who watched this game, you and I included, immediately realized what a bungled call this was.

After the missed call the British would yield two more goals and march back into the ignominy of another failed World Cup. FIFA officials, who have dealt with blown goal calls the entire tournament, refused to comment upon the latest colossal blunder. Instead FIFA arrogantly relied upon the old tried and true statements once trotted out as weak excuses for why there would be no instant replay in American sports leagues. Namely, that instant replay would represent a slippery slope that would lead to too much review, would be difficult to implement, and make the game worse.

FIFA's position is, essentially, that player and referee errors are a part of the game. That's true, but it's also idiotic. If you can eliminate some referee errors then you magnify the importance of the on-field performance of the players. Which, in the end, is the goal of all sports, right? Allowing the players to determine the outcome. Just imagine what would have happened if England and Germany had been playing in the World Cup Final and England had lost after a missed goal like this.

EU-Digest: FIFA is totally wrong in not going for instant replay. Not only the British game was full of mistakes by the officials, but also the Argentina - Mexico meeting allowed a goal by Argentina which was a clear offside for everyone to see except the officials.

For more: The World Cup Needs Instant Replay Now -- Soccer FanHouse

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