Fair play. That’s the golden standard for every sport. Equality for all so that the result is undeniable. That’s definitely not the case when Singapore faced off against Indonesia in the Suzuki Cup 2021 this past weekend.
The Omani referee, Qasim Matar Ali Al Hatmi, botched multiple fouls and other instances of rule breaking. Whether he’s been bought off by somebody is anybody’s guess but the fact is that he was an astonishingly bad official.
His calls, dissected over the weekend by the local footballing community, are incredibly inaccurate and inconsistent. It definitely isn’t the quality one would expect from a major event like the Suzuki Cup.
Which is why, technology should’ve been used to counter his crappy decisions.
In football, most major events have implemented the VAR (Video Assistant Referee).
That begs the question of why an event like the Suzuki Cup 2021 doesn’t have one. The official reasonings given (no license, no qualified persons, Singapore doesn’t use it) is pure bullshit.
It’s just a matter of wanting to do it or not. VAR could’ve easily made the match fairer and better.
Even with a VAR, errors might still happen though.
That’s why I honestly think that major technological changes should be implemented into football to improve the game. For one, tags can be embedded into player uniforms that’ll automatically ping if there’s a player off-side when the ball is in play.
No need to depend on the linesman who might not catch it.
The ball itself can also be embedded with sensors. That way, if there’s any issue with a goal (such as people claiming that it didn’t cross the line), the tech will show the truth.
These are just some of the things that can be implemented into football. I have no idea why FIFA is so resistant to change when tech can make everything about the game better.
It seems like the governing body is too busy lining their pockets with money to actually do the job they’re meant to do…