06.03.2010
McLeish slams move to ditch goal-line technology
Birmingham's manager Alex McLeish before the FA Cup Quarter Final football match between Portsmouth and Birmingham City at Fratton Park in Portsmouth, southern England.
Alex McLeish hit out at football chiefs' decision to abandon goal-line technology after his side were denied a goal that would surely have stood if replays were allowed.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) maintained their opposition to goal-line technology at a meeting in Zurich on Saturday - the same day as Portsmouth beat Birmingham 2-0 in an FA Cup quarter-final.
But the result at Fratton Park might have been different had not referee Steve Bennett, with 10 minutes left and Pompey 2-0 up, disallowed a headed 'goal' from Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell.
England goalkeeper David James clawed the ball away but replays showed it had clearly crossed the line.
McLeish, who said Bennett and his assistants should have seen the incident themselves, was nevertheless disappointed when informed of the IFAB move after the match.
"That is a frustrating decision by FIFA because I think they are doing their officials a disservice," McLeish said.
"It's not easy for their guys to see it in a split second. I know you can't stop every part of the game but certainly for key decisions in a major competition like the FA Cup, your chances of getting to semi-finals and finals are few and far between for a little club like us."
Former Rangers manager McLeish added: "We should have had a lifeline with a perfectly legitimate goal but unfortunately it wasn't to be.
"It would have given us a lifeline and I wouldn't bet against my team coming back if we got that goal. They've done that this season.
"You would expect an official at this level to see that. They do the fitness tests and part of that is the vision side of things. It's a shame the guy (Bennett) missed that, I'm sure he will be hurting about it."
The IFAB decision was taken after board members were presented with the results of experiments in which cameras were placed on goal-posts and electronic chips inserted into the ball to see if it had crossed the line.
Board members did not reach a unanimous decision on the technology but, according to a source close to the IFAB, a majority came out in principle against its introduction.
Source: © 2010 AFP - Glyn Kirk
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