2010 World Cup Soccer – I Challenge FIFA by David Rawnsley – Cornwall Ontario – June 30

Cornwall ON – Today is June 29th, and the World Cup Final is on July 11th, that means FIFA has at least ten days to ensure that the Final will not be marred by another horrendous refereeing decision. South Korea and England can both feel aggrieved that horrendous refereeing decisions impacted their exit from this World Cup.

All the representatives of all the countries that make up FIFA are certainly in South Africa or not far from an international telephone connection. Let them agree on the following which draws from what we have seen implemented in tennis during recent years:

• Each team to be allowed 2 challenges to a Video Arbitrator, for a goal or red-card incident,
• Video Arbitrator will be a FIFA referee,
• Only the team captain can challenge,
• A successful challenge will not reduce challenges an unsuccessful one will, and
• Video Arbitrator’s decision is final.

David Rawnsley is President of the Char Lan Minor Soccer Association as well as Executive Director of FOSS, Friends of SD&SG Soccer and a district Referee, as well as co-founder of Char-Lan Women’s Soccer.

Soccer is his Passion, and we’re hoping to get several reports from him during the 2010 Fifa World Cup!

The referee is already connected to the assistants and the fourth official, who manages the technical areas, by radio, so to add a Video Arbitrator to that circuit is not difficult. The video feed is already available and a room can be found with a mass of screens with playback capacity. In ten days all of this can be set up.

So FIFA, if you claim to speak for the footballing world, then listen to what the footballing world is screaming at you.

“NO MORE CRAZY MOMENTS – GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND!”