The latest controversy to hit football, the so called ‘hand of frog’, has led to many calls from the FAI to the FFF and many fans worldwide. The call for technology, replays more officials have been yielded in reaction to the unfortunate ending to the World Cup Qualifier between France and the Republic of Ireland. But is that what we need, or is it time for FIFA to get a backbone and start punishing players for acts like these?

Football is the most popular sport in the world, rightly called the world game, and though the externalities of the game are constantly changing at a rapid pace, the game itself has remained traditional, and is still growing at a large rate around the world. So this poses the question; why fix that which is not broken?

I sit back watching many sports, where umpires and referees have lost all confidence in their own ability to make a decision. Video replays are used for Rugby League and Cricket, yet even with technology in sport, we still get just as many, if not more wrong decision. There is still always an uncertainty with the use of technology, and often creates more problems than it solves. We still often can’t tell when the ball caries to a fielder or if the player was out or in as he put the ball down for a try.

The time wasting also involved with using technology would see the normal stoppage time extend from two to four minutes to double or even triple that. Referees will start jumping to technology, much like in Rugby League when a try is scored, or umpires in cricket when there is a run out, for their every decision. Keep the power with the referees, for technology within other sports, at least for the moment is too indecisive and cumbersome to be of much use.

A backline official has been on the cards for a long time. This position is a totally unnecessary one, a man payed to do the job of the other officials and be called upon maybe once a match. The ‘hand of frog’ incident was so blatantly obvious I would not be the only one questioning whether the referee and linesman overlooked it on purpose to get one of their top teams into the World Cup. The money that would be spent on these officials I would much rather see spent on training the officials we already have to improve decisions all over the pitch, rather than just within the goal mouths.

A replay of the match was never on the cards despite the FAI’s appeal to FIFA. It was a cruel, unfair and dirty way for Ireland to be knocked out, but that’s football, no one likes it but every player has experienced it and should move on. People are pointing back to the Uzbekistan-Bahrain Qualifying match of 2005 that was replayed as a precedent. But the error made in that game was completely different, with not a missed call, but rather a blatantly wrong decision by the laws of the game from the referee. If a game can be upturned by a missed call, you would have precedent to replay almost every match ever played.

As such, I do not think its right for the integrity of the sport, nor for the young kids all over the world to see this incident to go unpunished. I believe FIFA has to take a step into the game and start punishing those players who are found to be cheating. I am not only talking about sly moves like Henry’s but also the increasing amount of players diving to try and get free kicks and other low moves. As a coach for young kids new to football I am amazed at how many you see copying these styles within park football. I think it’s disgusting not only for football but sport in general that these underhand tactics are allowed, and if FIFA wants to get this out of its wonderful game it needs to take a stand, because if they do I believe it will quickly leave the game. It is time for FIFA to take a stand, to bring back integrity and skill to the forefront of global football.

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Pat Rooney