All Referees are not against the new communication system introduced by world
soccer's governing body FIFA to the 2006 World Cup starting Friday.
"It'll be helpful to take a mini microphone when the referees are officiating
a game, since they can't see everything happening on the field," Vincent Mauro,
a member of the Referee Committee of FIFA, told Xinhua during the Serbia and
Montenegro team's training session here on Wednesday afternoon.
"With the new communication system, there will be more communications between
referee and linesmen, and will aid to improve the standards of refereeing,"
added the former referee from the United States who worked for FIFA as an game
observer at the tournament held in 12 cities of Germany.
As to other referees, Mario Van Der Ende from the Netherlands, also a member
of FIFA's Referee Committee, said: "They are still happy about it."
 Referees appointed for
the 2006 FIFA World Cup pose for a group picture in Frankfurt June 5,
2006.[Reuters] |
The system, comprising an open microphone and an earphone, will allow the
assistants and the fourth officials to communicate with the referee and vice
versa, as well as to hear what is being said on the pitch.
Both of the refereeing officials yet worried about the potential problems of
the system, however.
"The idea is good, but not all can keep working 100 percent," said Van Der
Ende, who had officiated at the 1994 World Cup in the United States as well as
the 1998 tournament at France.
"One of the most important things is to make sure there is no interference
and that people can't listen into the conversations," added the Dutch.
"For everything that may help make the game better, FIFA will try on it,"
echoed Mauro.
It's the first time that microphone devices are used at World Cup matches.
UEFA tested the system in last season's European club competitions, and most of
them worked efficient to help the referee, the linesmen and the fourth official
make easier judge on the field events with high accuracy.
Before coming to the innovation on the referee communication system, FIFA had
decided last December that a smart-ball technology system, designed to rule out
mistakes on goal-line decisions, needed more testing and would not be used at
the 2006 World Cup.
Still, the video recording system, where decisions being made upon the video
recording tapes, has not been accepted by FIFA's refereeing body, and Sepp
Blatter, president of FIFA, has stated that this system would practically "kill"
refereeing and raise the length of the game to an indefinite time.