Chelsea player Frank Lampard believes that the introduction of goal-line technology "will add the same element of drama to football that the use of the Decision Review System has brought to cricket," according to Matt Hughes of the LONDON TIMES. Chelsea became the first English club to be involved in a match using goal-line technology "as part of a FIFA experiment" when it beat Mexican team Monterrey in the Club World Cup semifinal in Yokohama, Japan Thursday. Lampard and his disallowed goal in England's World Cup defeat against Germany helped persuade FIFA President Sepp Blatter that "the case for technology was unanswerable." Lampard is "uncomfortable with being cast as a history-maker but is happy with a change he believes should have been made earlier." Lampard said, "It's too important an issue to let it go any more. It's a no-brainer to bring it in and make the calls correctly. I think it will add magic. I'm a big cricket fan, and it's added magic to cricket." FIFA is giving trials to two different goal-line systems, with Chelsea using GoalRef, after Hawk-Eye was used in the match between Brazil side Corinthians and Egypt's Al Ahly in Toyota City Wednesday night (LONDON TIMES, 12/13). ESPN's Gabriele Marcotti opined now it has become an "either/or" debate: "Either the game implements goal-line technology to determine when the ball crosses the line, or it puts real live human assistant referees behind the goal." UEFA President Michel Platini, "an avowed opponent of technology in the game," favors additional assistant referees. Blatter, however, "wants goal-line technology." It is "time for Platini and Blatter to put this either/or debate mentality to one side." If technology and more referees are "worth having, there is no reason we can't have both." They "don't interfere with each other," but rather they "complement each other." Whatever "political beefs may or may not exist between the two men, leave them out of this discussion." Decisions should be made "for the good of the game, which, funnily enough, happens to be FIFA's slogan" (ESPN, 12/12).
