The Refs whistle, the maligned ball and blades of grass

There are three talking points that will no doubt be glossed over at the conclusion of this World Cup. The standard of refereeing has been shameful and left even the unitiated scratching their heads in disbelief at some decisions. The second point is the new Adidas ball, ‘Jubulani’ which in Zulu means ‘Be Happy’. The ball has done the complete opposite and been the nemesis of many players at the tournament. The third goes hand in hand somewhat with the official match ball and that’s the state of the art grass used in the World Cup stadiums. The turf is actually a mix between natural grass and artificial turf. For every three blades of ‘real’ grass, one blade of astro turf is added. This seems to have assisted in the surface’s longevity, especially in stadiums like Ellis Park in Johannesburg which has hosted a large number of games. It however may explain part of the reason why the Jubulani takes a wicked bounce and rockets off the turf every time a long or high ball is played. Questions have also been asked about the balls performance at altitude which has been evident watching the number of crosses which have ridiculously skied over close targets. The referees and the argument on whether video technology should be introduced in Football will be a discussion point long after the tournament is over. FIFA have already exacted their wrath by sending some officials home, particularly those who made some serious blunders during the round of 16. Two decisions that will be used as evidence for those pro to having video technology introduced are the Frank Lampard goal that crossed the line against Germany and Carlos Tevez’s first goal for Argentina against Mexico, in which replays show was clearly offside. Video replays, in time will most likely be introduced. We have seen the technology play a huge part in sports like Rugby, Tennis and Cricket. The difference however when you compare the technology used in these sports is usually the ball is not ‘live’ when decisions need to be made, meaning that the ball would normally be still in play. It will bring a new element to the game which will give the match day audience a totally new experience. It will be interesting to watch and see how FIFA introduce what will in effect be a landmark decision and one which will change the game as we know it.