Maradona backs use of video referees
"Let's not forget that England won the World Cup in '66 with a shot that didn't go over the line." Diego Maradona
Football legend Diego Maradona is backing the use of video replays in the sport, even though they would have denied him one of his most famous moments.
The Argentina playmaker is famous for scoring a goal with his hand at the 1986 Fifa World Cup in Mexico that helped his side beat England in the quarterfinals.
Maradona told Fifa.com that he supports the introduction of video referees, which have been trialled in several competitors and tournaments, even if they would have ruled out his ‘Hand of God’ goal.
‘‘Obviously I think about it whenever I show my support for the use of technology,’’ he said.
For the 56-year-old, it’s a matter of football keeping pace with other sports. ‘‘Football can’t fall behind,’’ he said. ‘‘Given the rate at which technology is advancing and the fact that every sport uses it, how can we not think about using it in football?’’
Had video technology been available back in 1986, Argentina wouldn’t have won the World Cup, but Maradona was able to see the bigger picture, reminding Fifa.com that allowing his goal wasn’t the only mistake referees had made on the biggest stage,
‘‘Let’s not forget that England won the World Cup in ‘66 with a shot that didn’t go over the line. Then it happened to them in 2010, when [Frank] Lampard’s shot crossed the line against Germany but wasn’t given.
‘‘There have been lots of incidents where World Cup history would have been different if technology had been used. It’s time to change all that.’’
In April, the A-league became the first major league to trial video assistant referees, following on from their debut at last year’s Club World Cup. They were then used at the Confederations Cup in Russia in June.
Video assistant referees review the on-field referee’s decisions using replays, and are allowed to correct obvious errors in four areas of the game - goals and the buildup to them, penalty decisions, red card decisions, and cases of mistaken identity when red or yellow cards have been issued.