Additional assistant referees could officiate at next year's World Cup finals in South Africa, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said on Monday.
Blatter, giving a hard-hitting keynote address at the Soccerex business conference, also said Fifa would re-consider the organisation of the qualifying competition for future World Cups and could end the current playoff system.
"Match control is now on the agenda. How can we avoid the cheating handball situation we had in that game between France and Ireland for example?" said Blatter. "I think there should be some additional assistants."
He said the issue would be discussed on Wednesday Fifa's executive committee held an extraordinary meeting. If Fifa decide to go ahead with the plan, it will almost certainly be approved by the law-making International Board in March 2010 in time to be adopted at the World Cup which starts in June.
Continues Below ↓
As always, Blatter ruled out the use of technology or video replays to assist the referee but said the committee would discuss the use of additional referees behind each goal. The system is currently part of an experiment in the Europa League.
Blatter said that the issue of what he called match control, had to be considered afresh by the executive committee.
"Everyone is asking what is and isn't fair play. When we see a player using his hands, well that is cheating," Blatter said.
"There is a lack of respect and discipline from the players because they are cheating with the hand and shirt-pulling and diving, this is human beings trying to get an advantage. It is not good and we have to fight against it.
"We have only one man - the referee - on the field of play who can intervene for the time being, with two assistants, but perhaps he will have more in the future."
He also said that qualifying for the World Cup had become so important that at times it felt there was "too much at stake" on everyone to reach the finals.
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
