View from the Editor: To Referee or not to Referee? - December 2006  

Readers, it seemed only fitting, what with the Doha Asian Games around the corner at the time, that Tony Hadley (the erstwhile Spandau Ballet lead crooner) should serenade the Soccerex gala dinner audience with his hit song ‘Gold’ during the Dubai-based festivities at the end of last month. The 1980s star probably didn’t expect to be joined on stage by two rather mature ladies who, shall we say, made Sven Goran Eriksson’s ex-paramour Nancy Delalio look a tad under-coiffured, but then again, at Soccerex, in S&T’s experience anything can happen. Especially after a few cocktails.
S&T certainly expected a lavish bash to coincide with Soccerex’s 10th anniversary celebrations and of course our own recent investiture as Chairman of Bromley Common Football Club, and the organisers didn’t disappoint. FIFA president Joseph Sepp Blatter was guest of honour at both the dinner and the Soccerex conference and was joined by an impressive array of speakers at the latter. S&T became giddy as a kipper (as we say in UK parlance) as Blatter took the opportunity to announce that that goal-line technology would make a triumphant return to the World Youth Championships on a trial basis in 2007 in South Korea and Canada, before being sampled at the Club World Cup in Japan during December 2007. Rapture!

Ebbing and flowing

Technology that assists referees was also on the mind of Arsenal FC vice-chairman and G14 chairman David Dein whom pointed out to delegates that “You pay in cash for a referee’s mistakes”. Dein was worried that introducing too much technology however might stop the natural ebb and flow of a soccer match and therefore the use of technology needs to be carefully balanced. “Maybe technology should only be used in the penalty area – with everything else staying the same,” he mused. “But the referee has to be the only one in charge. We don’t want to emasculate him.” Ouch.
Not a sentiment shared with most UK soccer fans.
On a personal note, S&T was glad to be back in Dubai after a two-year absence, not only to see if the place had been finished yet (the answer being no, Dubai is still a building site) and to practice some of the Arabic that S&T started learning last year. Imagine our chagrin to find that hardly anyone there speaks Arabic these days as practically everyone we excitedly furnished with Arabic pleasantries was either from Goa in India or Eastern Europe. In fact it was just like being back in London, so at least S&T didn’t get too homesick.

Some lovely gift ideas

Obviously, the festive season is approaching like the usual speeding juggernaut, and S&T wouldn’t be S&T without giving you a few ideas for presents for your loved ones. We did struggle to find anything as sublime (or indeed tasty) as last year’s singing sandwich, but one of our readers from Iran kindly made us aware of two of his ‘inventions’ that could make fantastic gifts. If only there was more than one of each of them.
Gift idea one is slightly obscure, but could be a winner nonetheless, as who doesn’t enjoy cosying up in front of a log fire with a good book on Christmas Day with a hot port and lemon (apart from Australians perhaps as they’d get too hot)? Entitled, ‘Super Soccer, year 2010’, our lovely reader has written a book that is ‘part science fiction, part soccer skills’, in order to help educate soccer teams around the world about how technology can help them improve their game. Except, it relates to technology not yet invented, as far as we can tell (aka the sci-fi bit). Cripes, it is hard enough trying to get some federations to consider technology that’s out there already, without confusing them with stuff of dreams. Oh well, that aside, we look forward to aliens being allowed on as substitutes in 2010 onwards. Correct paperwork permitting of course under the new Mars Ruling.
Second up (from the same reader in Iran) is his ingenious ‘bicycle with a twist’ invention. No, not an actual twist in the bicycle, as that would be hard to ride (you fools), but a bicycle that mimics the action of a horse when you ride it! Imagine the joy of breaking into a canter across a field, but on two wheels instead of four legs? Can’t imagine it? Actually, nor can we, but think of the savings in stable fees, hay, carrots, polo mints and the like. And saddles. Unless the bicycle doesn’t come with its own saddle of course. In which case it could all get a bit expensive after all. Someone please pass us our worry beads......
Talking of bicycles, a slightly more sensible innovation has recently been pointed out to us courtesy of a reader in San Francisco in the US. Connect18 (www.connect18.com), developed by a chap called John Ford, features specialised educational language courses that can be viewed while riding a stationary cycle. “In short, attendees learn a language while riding a stationary bike. I took one of [the Connect18] classes, and enjoyed it so much, that I wanted to share the concept with your readers,” writes Yasu Maskay. Now that’s much more up S&T’s alleyway. We’re off immediately to brush up on our Arabic in time for our next visit to central London.
(Actually, that’s a fib. We’re off to Cape Town, South Africa for the festive season – and to also get married on Table Mountain – but that’s another story…..)
Season’s greetings to you all and see you in 2007!

Rachael Church
Editor

Do you like to invent things so that we can write about them in a potentially mocking way? If you have any comments or feedback on this article or any of the features in S&T, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please e-mail your comments to editor@sportandtechnology.com. Or watch television instead. S&T has missed the last two episodes of Lost so please can someone let us know what has been happening. Has there been any further polar bear japery?

This article was seen first by people who receive the monthly newsletter, join them.