Getting Better Decisions During A Game - The Use of Technology In Football

Sourced from http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/

Here is an interesting piece of information - the average duration of a Manager (coach) at a Premier League / Champions League Club in Europe is said to be between 9 - 14 months! A game lost due to a poor decision, for want of access to good information, can have massive consequences for Managers of top flight Football teams.

The future of Clubs, sponsors, players and certainly Managers (coaches) can turn on a decision in a game, a decision that is not advantaged by the luxury of endless replays that the football public enjoys after the game. By the time the dust has settled on the game lost to a bad decision, there is often little attention given to the fact that the referee's decision was proven to be wrong. It doesn't change the result of the game nor the fate of those adversely affected by the decision.

That said, these decisions are seldom the consequence of a Referee or Referee's Assistant carelessness. When they drop a clanger, it's because they just can't see (in real time, not slow time) all of the incident. Only people in good position around the ground get to see exactly what happened. Perhaps our referees need a bit of assitance? Two ways to do that - use technology (and here we are usually talking about cameras and immediate review of incidents by an official not on the ground), or, more referee's assistants on the ground at those points on the ground where the usual decison making disaster scenarios occur.

Here are three examples I saw last weekend:

• GK caught the ball, fell backwards just enough to cross the goal line and take the ball, ever so quickly into and out of the goal area. Referee and assitants could not see the GK cross the line, so no goal. Only a coupl of players saw what really happened.
• Attacking team player dribbles to the byline, while challenged the ball goes out, player continues and cuts the ball back to a team mate, who slams it into the net. Now a few players and spectators sw that one, but the Referee and assitants just were not in the sweet spot to see the ball go out.
• Attacking player goes to the byline, bloaked by defender, so trys to knock the ball onto the defender to get a corner. He missed and the ball went out without touching the defender, though it did have on odd spin on it. Referee had some players between himself and the ball and concluded that it had hit a defender. Now I was at the behind the byline a short distance away and stopped to watch this action. It should have been a goal kick, but I could see why it was hard for the Ref, while the nearest Ref's assistant was back near halfway (blind side of the field). Bad luck I guess, But what followed was a corner kick that was headed into the net. The game turned on that one. Bad luck.

Alas, FIFA (Mr Blatter to be precise) is opposed to the use of technology in the big leagues and competitions. Neither Blatter or Platini (UEFA) will  allow the technologies  to be trialled. Bit of a shame really, for it would have stopped Herny's diabolical handball dead in it's tracks. The support for the introduction of technology among the PL Clubs in Europe is enormous, but they await Mr Blatter's pleasure.

We have a fair bit of experience with the use of technology in support of Referee's decision making in Australia - Rugby League, Rugby Union and Cricket. Its part of the these games at the top level. Sometimes it goes wrong even with the use of technology (cameras) and referral to an additional referee. Nothing is perfect, but its good to get a few more important decisions right.

I think you will find this discussion very interesting - it captures the mood and the massive risks that are inherit at the top end of game when some poor bugger with a whistle gets it wrong because he or she just did not see enough of the incident to make a better decision.

What do you think?

Download Podcast here:

FFA Technical Director Talks About Coach Education and Les Murray Talks About His Work On the FIFA Ethics Committee

Sourced from the SBS World Game


This program contains two interviews sourced from that fantastic SBS Football program – The World Game. If you haven’t already done so, watch it on SBS 2 on Monday nights, or record it and watch it at a more convenient time, bookmark the website on your computer of mobile phone browser – but make sure you follow this program – it does a wonderful to the Australian game and the major leagues around the world. The SBS World Game – a must for Football tragics.
Tonight we cover two topics that have impact on our local football scene:

- The first is an interview with Han Berger concerning the progress of coach education since the launching of the FFA’s National Football Curriculum and Development plans and in particular, the recent Pro C licence, specifically aimed at those Australians that wish to make a career in professional football coaching and very specifically, our A League coaches. Coaches at all levels of the game are the collective leadership group in the game, they set the standard in every respect and are the means by which the National Curriculum is given life and our game in Australia develops. Simple as that! But note the timeframe that Berger has in mind before a sustainable change through good coaching is achieved. This is a long term job! For myself, the national curriculum is essential, but nothing is more critical than the development of our coaches at every level of game, not just the top level. That may well be Han Berger’s lasting legacy to Australian football and if so, it’s a very good one.

- Then its on to listen to that doyen of Australian Football – Les Murray – Mr Football. Murray has been a member of the FIFA Ethics committee for several years and you would be hard pressed to find a better, more principled and more informed representative from Australia or anywhere else in the world game to FIFA. Now, FIFA have been and are still in some serious trouble at the moment with allegations of corrupt conduct by senior FIFA officials. This most recent catastrophe for Football, follows that very dubious decision by FIFA to award a World Cup to Qatar. FIFA is one the nose and that is bad news for the game. Murray’s interview concerns his obligations through the FIFA Ethics committee , what he can say about what has happened in the last couple of weeks and what is likely to happen in the weeks ahead. Les Murray sets a standard for football officials and we need more of his type leading our game. This is a very informative interview.

What’s the take away for us here in the ACT (aside for concern for the game going forward in the big picture context)?

It is this – our governing body here in the ACT, Capital Football, has in recent years been free of the sort of criticism that we see directed toward FIFA and that’s to the credit of those on the Board over time who have made it so. Football has had a turbulent history in Australia off the field.

However, Capital Football has not been good at communication with Clubs and the wider constituency, a fact acknowledged explicitly at the recent Annual General Meeting. At our level of the game, communication and consultation with the football community on a regular and productive basis is absolutely essential. It guarantees that there are no perceived hidden corners in decision making and it opens up all the expertise and knowledge available to the game in our community.
Importantly, our game is built on volunteers and a constant endeavour is required by the Capital Football to pursue and support volunteerism in football. That’s hard work at Club level – all the time. People do it for the love of the game and/or because they obliged to contribute a community service to the Club that assists their child/ children play the game. You seldom get much thanks for all the work done in a Club. If Clubs feel left out of the decision making process, or kept at an administrative arms length by bureaucratic structures imposed on them, or aggrieved by lack of consultation or co-operation, or feel they lack support or understanding on key issues, or indeed, feel that issues they have raised have not resolved fairly, we have a much bigger problem locally in the game than FIFA has on its plate on the other side of the world.
The challenge for the Capital Football Board was most eloquently put by those that sort election to the Board and the Regional Representatives that spoke at the AGM. Nothing should be allowed to get in the way of their intentions!

Download Podcast here:

The Blatt Is Back - Sepp Blatter allies dismiss Fifa corruption charges as 'English lies'

Sourced from http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jun/01/sepp-blatter-fifa-president-reforms?intcmp=239

There was always another for this story and there may well be a few more the way things are going.

This one could easily have been titled "The Blat is Back"! Bit unsteady, hair ruffled, arse out of his pants and one shoe missing - but the Blat is Back! The age of the "family" is to hand. Worst possible outcome for Football.

The Blat continues with his delusionary commentary, comforted that he is re-elected unopposed as FIFA President. And unopposed is the key word. Where is the moral authority in that position?

After declaring that there was "Crisis. What is a crisis", The Blat has turned his attention to identifying the real source of his discomfort and with the assistance of some of the family, it seems its the English FA. Then this rapier like piece of analysis - water, weather, storms, pyramids and ships all combined to give him a serious pain in the posterior. Poor old bugger! Now its time for a good old "get square", Blatter style and straight from the the "Family". Even Henry Kissinger gets a mention - strewth! Groan again and again.

Anyone heard anything from the FFA? Suppose they sent a congratulations card - hope it was on recyled paper!

"I am the captain weathering the storm ... Not only is the pyramid shaking but our ship has drawn some water. We must do something because I do not want ever again that we face this undignified situation"
Sepp Blatter, Fifa president

The English FA Predisent had this to say (and he got it absolutely right):

On the election

"The election has turned into a one-horse race. Only with a contested election will the winner have ... a proper, credible mandate"
David Bernstein, FA chairman, England


There are lessons in all this for our local football orgniastions - Capital Football and the FFA. Fail to communicate effectively with the Clubs, be less consultative or collaborative than is necessary to run a diverse constituencey and we risk making our own little "family", a famil that does not include or listen to all that inhabit Football. The primacy of healthy Football communities and the "wisdom of crowds" around decision making is at the heart of a community football orgainsation. The FIFA debacle holds lots of lesson for us. For example:
 
- Capital Football Board is presently undertaking the development of a "strategic plan" which will lay down the way ahead for the development of Football in our region for several years. Has your club been invited to attend or provided input to this process, do the Regional reps particpate in this process in a substantive way (if not why not?), will there be a public forum(s) conducted by the CF Board (not the CEO) to aid the process and test ideas and subsequently take views on a draft? Seen any timetable and schedule of activites on the CF website that might give you a clue? Is their a hotline / point of contact you can ring  ring, write to or email with submissions or points of view you would like considered in the Strategic Review process. Know who is facilitating the process? And so on.
- "Communication"- shine a light on the strategic planning process and do the hard work to get people and clubs engaged! If all the CF Board has is itself for advice, we will most likely get less than could have, had we looked more widely in our football community. Worst case - we kid ourselves that all is well and what we have done in the past is the answer for the future - you really are in trouble when you get to this position.
 
Have a read of this article - its a beauty.
 
Sepp Blatter allies dismiss Fifa corruption charges as 'English lies'FA's effort to delay vote sparks vitriolic attacks – but re-elected president promises reforms
 David Conn in Zurich guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011 21.18 BST
 
 
Sepp Blatter, re-elected president of Fifa, admitted its image had been damaged and proposed a strengthened ethics committee.
After a series of corruption scandals which have beset football's governing body in recent months, Fifa's re-elected president, Sepp Blatter, promised to implement reforms, while arguing repeatedly that the "family" must address its governance problems from within.
Blatter admitted that great damage has been done to the organisation's image during four tumultuous days in Zurich. But that did not stop him from being overwhelmingly re-elected for a fourth term, his challenger, the Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam, having been suspended for alleged bribery.
Blatter's principal proposal is to have a strengthened ethics committee which will govern conduct internally, its members elected by the national football associations whose conduct it will police.
Later, Fifa's president announced a "grand committee of corporate governance and compliance" and a "committee of solutions".
At his victory press conference, Blatter announced that a key member of the new internal structure to clean up the governance of Fifa will be the former US secretary of state, Henry Kissinger. His precise role is as yet unclear.
He also pledged that the World Cup host country will be decided by the associations, 208 in total, not just the 24-man executive committee, a widening of influence portrayed as lessening the risk of corruption in the bidding process.
Following his unopposed victory in the ballot of the 205 national associations present at Fifa's 61st annual congress, in Zurich's Hallenstadion arena, Blatter told the delegates: "Reforms will be made, radical decisions. We must do something because I do not want ever again the institution of Fifa to face a situation which is undignified. Football belongs to everyone and we are the ones in charge. We will have four years."

A recurring theme in all Blatter's statements is that football's world governing body must remain immune from government influence, and keep control of the Fifa football "family".

In Switzerland, Fifa, and other sports governing bodies, enjoy historic exemptions from tax and immunity from anti-corruption treaties. This protected status is currently subject to an investigation by the Swiss government, expected to take three years.
The English Football Association's place in the family might now be characterised as errant, grumpy uncle, after its chairman, David Bernstein, failed with his call for the uncontested election to be postponed.

Bernstein had explained his reasons against the backdrop of scandals which have led to 10 of Fifa's 24-man executive committee being accused, suspended or investigated for alleged corruption.

"We are subject to universal criticism from governments, sponsors, media and the wider public," Bernstein said. "A coronation without an opponent provides a flawed mandate. I ask for a postponement for an additional candidate or candidates to stand in an open and fair process."
The FA's secretary-general, Alex Horne, said later he had been taken aback at the vitriolic attacks on England and the English media by delegates supportive of Blatter, before the vote which overwhelmingly approved the election to go ahead.
A series of speakers, the presidents of football associations in Haiti, Congo, Benin, Fiji and Cyprus, lined up immediately afterwards to support Blatter and, in increasing degrees, suggest the corruption affairs were an invention of the English media.

"What a beautiful English word, allegations," said Costakis Koutsokoumnis, president of Cyprus's FA.
Those criticisms were followed by a broader assault on England itself by the Argentinian Julio Grondona, a senior Fifa vice-president and long-term Blatter ally. "We always have attacks from England," Grondona said, "mostly with lies, and the support of a journalism which is more busy lying than telling the truth. Please leave the Fifa family alone!"

Despite accepting repeatedly the need to reform Fifa's governance and procedures from within, Blatter nevertheless also suggested that the scandals besetting Fifa emerged due to English jealousy, after England was not awarded the 2018 World Cup.

"Where does all this evil come from?" he asked. "It has to do with the popularity of our competition, the World Cup, and everything around the vote. That kicked off a wave of accusations, allegations, criticism."
This widely expressed view – that the wave of scandals was an invention of the English media – came as a shock after days in which the Fifa president had pledged "zero tolerance" against corruption.
The first revelations of impropriety at Fifa's top table came before December's World Cup vote, when two members of the executive committee, Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti, were suspended. They asked an undercover Sunday Times reporter for cash in return for World Cup votes – and were suspended by Fifa itself, which found the story true and their behaviour improper.
Subsequent allegations against four others – Nicolás Leoz of Paraguay, Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, Worawi Makudi of Thailand and Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil – were levelled by the former FA chairman, Lord Triesman, not by the media. Fifa claimed this week that an FA report into those allegations, by James Dingemans QC, completely cleared all four men of any issues worthy of consideration by its ethics committee.

The most recent and damaging scandal, the alleged payment of $40,000 (£25,000) bribes by Bin Hammam and Warner to 25 Caribbean member associations in return for votes for Bin Hammam, was exposed by Fifa itself, not the media. Chuck Blazer, an executive committee member, turned whistleblower against the two men, and gathered the evidence against them.

At the end of a day of attacks on the English, Geoff Thompson, a former FA chairman for eight years who is stepping down from Fifa's executive committee after serving since 2007, was handed a pennant as a memento. Not even referring to the remarks about the English, Thompson thanked Fifa's delegates for their "friendship, support and loyalty".
In his victory speech, Blatter, who has been president for 13 years and now for another four, told the delegates: "I am deeply touched, honoured, I thank you. Something marvellous has happened today in this unity."
And the chief administrators of football, the world's most popular team sport, rose to give the head of their "family" a standing ovation.

What they said



"With the English [2018] bid I said: 'Let us be brief. If you give back the Falkland Islands, which belong to us, you will get my vote.' They then became sad and left ... We always have attacks from England which are mostly lies. This upsets and disturbs the Fifa family"
Julio Grondona, Fifa senior vice-president, Argentina
"The problem of some comments in the paper came from some people who may have lost in the World Cup elections. They associated us with crimes we have not committed, they insult, they attack our freedom. It's enough"
Angel María Villar Llona, Fifa executive committee member, Spain
"What a beautiful English word: allegations. Somebody stands up, says a few things in the press, then these things take ... a seed in our minds, without most of the time, a single shred of truth"
Costakis Koutsokoumnis, FA president, Cyprus
"I am the captain weathering the storm ... Not only is the pyramid shaking but our ship has drawn some water. We must do something because I do not want ever again that we face this undignified situation"
Sepp Blatter, Fifa president

"I'm ill at ease that this comes from a country like England with its football standing ... We must massively express our support to President Blatter. Please applaud"
Moucharafou Anjorin, FA president, Benin
On the election
"The election has turned into a one-horse race. Only with a contested election will the winner have ... a proper, credible mandate"
David Bernstein, FA chairman, England

FIFA President Sepp Blatter to football world: 'Crisis? What is a Crisis?'

Sourced from http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/30/fifa-president-sepp-blatter-crisis

FIFA is well and truly on the nose, just as the IOC was several years ago. The Football Federation of Australia wasted an enormous amount of Football funds pursuing an unwinnable quest - the right to hold the World Cup. A deep well of petro dollars courtesy of Qatar dwarfed our efforts - it must be true because FIFA's secretary general, Jérôme Valcke said so. The consultant / facilitator/ fixer or whatever he is called, who was employed by FFA to smooth the way ahead made it abundantly clear that unless the FFA did as others do we would not be successful and he was right. We played the game by the rules, well our rules and very commendable it was, but it only raise one question - Why did we get involved and waste a lot on money that was desperately needed to develop the game here in Australia. Talk about stupid!


Just how rotten is FIFA? Mr Blatter insists that we should not worry, its all under control and if it is wrong it will be fixed inside the "FIFA family". Sounds like something out of an episode of the Godfathers. Like leaving the rabbits in charge of the lettuce. Just unbelievable!


Mr Blatter has side stepped accusations against himself to enable him to sit for re-election as President of FIFA, which is itself a bit of a farce, as he is the only candidate, while his major competition is about to  be examined by the "family". Groan.


Does our FFA have anything that approximates a voice in this matter?


Its just disgusting and puts a lot of pressure on our game all the way down to local region.

Here is the Guardian article, which I think sums up the situation to this day - tomorrow is another day:

Fifa president Sepp Blatter to football world: 'Crisis? What is a crisis?'

Blatter insists only 'Fifa family' can stop him winning re-election on day of high drama in the wake of corruption allegations
 Matt Scott in Zurich The Guardian, Tuesday 31 May 2011
Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, has faced down a barrage of criticism over corruption within football's governing body and vowed that only "the Fifa family" could prevent him being re-elected unopposed on Wednesday .
After a day of high drama in which Qatar threatened legal action against Fifa's secretary general, Jérôme Valcke, for implying it had bought the right to host the 2022 World Cup, Blatter defiantly insisted there was nothing for Fifa to investigate.
"Crisis? What is a crisis?" asked Blatter, the day after a presidential election candidate and a Fifa vice-president became the third and fourth of Fifa's 24 most senior politicians to have been suspended from football over corruption allegations in the past six months.
Blatter's stubbornness has been reinforced by the knowledge that he will be elected unopposed for another term on Wednesday. The same congress of national federations will now be his judge, he claimed. "They will decide if I am a valid or a non-valid candidate, or if I am a valid or non-valid president."
There were some references to reforms Blatter intends to take up. One is for Fifa's ethics committee to be strengthened. Blatter, alone on the press conference podium at Fifa headquarters, spoke of "all the devils who are in this game". It is not a criticism that is likely to shake the support of his member organisations. But the lack of support among football fans for his 13-year stewardship of the world game was clear as "Blatter out" became the second most popular international trend on Twitter .
Fans were responding to a day of extraordinary revelations at Fifa's $100m (£61m) Zurich headquarters. An email leaked by the suspended Fifa vice-president, Jack Warner, had earlier apparently raised the most damaging allegations of corruption surrounding Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid.
In it, Valcke, Blatter's closest aide as secretary general of Fifa, stated that Qatar had "bought the World Cup". Qatar quickly denied the allegations. Hours later, Valcke issued his own clarification. "When I refer to the 2022 World Cup in that email, what I wanted to say is that the winning bid used their financial strength to lobby for support," he said. "I have at no time made, or was intending to make, any reference to any purchase of votes or similar unethical behaviour."
Blatter, who as president has a statutory responsibility for the line management of Fifa's secretary general, refused to express any view about Valcke's explanation. "I don't answer that question and I ask for your understanding," he said. "You have received the Fifa general secretary statement. I am the president; I am only here to talk about the president."
Fifa's reputation suffered a further blow with the emergence of photographic evidence of neat bundles of cash allegedly paid to the Bahamas Football Association by the Qatari former Fifa presidential candidate and president of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, in an effort to garner support for his election campaign. In an almost satirical touch, the money had been delivered in a brown envelope.
Fred Lunn, the vice-president of the Bahamas FA said in an affidavit presented to Fifa's ethics committee that his association's president instructed him to return the $40,000 (£24,000).
Chuck Blazer, the American Fifa official who is the chief accuser of the two senior figures to have been suspended this week, stated when asked if he thought Fifa was corrupt: "I think individuals are."
Like Warner, however, Bin Hammam continues to attack the process that has led to his "temporary exclusion" from all football activity. Bin Hammam has stated his intention to appeal against the decision by the Fifa-appointed ethics committee to force him out of football as investigators carry out inquiries into the alleged activities of Warner and Bin Hammam.
Blatter's refusal to brook criticism of his oversight of Fifa was put in relief by comments from Coca-Cola, a major sponsor. "The current allegations being raised are distressing and bad for the sport," it said, adding weight to concerns raised by Adidas last week. "We have every expectation that Fifa will resolve this situation in an expedient and thorough manner."
Though those words may seem lightweight, they are a significant departure from the usual steadfast support Fifa sponsors demonstrate for it. Usually, they separate their partnership with the World Cup from any controversy at Fifa House.
Now, in a potentially strong coalition of interest forming against Fifa, world governments are joining the sponsors. In addition to the UK parliamentary inquiry into football governance, Australia – whose 2022 World Cup bid failed against Qatar's – has also begun to express concern. Middle East newspapers even likened Fifa's situation to the Arab spring that has unseated a number of governments there.
"If governments try to intervene in our organisation then something is wrong," Blatter conceded. Then he added: "I think Fifa is strong enough to deal with the problems inside Fifa. I am sure that the day after tomorrow at the congress we will prove we can solve the problems – if there are any – inside the congress."
Blatter made one apparently extraordinary admission. Under his presidency Fifa's annual revenues have grown to $1.3bn as it feasts on sponsors' and broadcasters' appetite for the World Cup. That presidency began in 1998, making his remark revelatory. "I have to say we had no problems until 1998; this was a modest Fifa – now we are a comfortable Fifa," he said.
Although ultimately he angrily left the press conference amid journalists' heckles, nothing appears set to discomfit Blatter.