The Video Technology Tug of War

Fabio Capello recently offered compliments to England referees when he observed how infrequently they stop the game. Capello praised the match officials, stating:

“The first thing I noticed were the referees because they whistle so little compared to those in the rest of Europe.”

Statistically his inference that the England refs tend to let the game play on more than their European counterparts is correct. The Premier League referees currently allow 25 free kicks per game, the lowest average in Europe. The referees dole out about 3.2 yellow cards a game, also the lowest when compared to the averages in the neighboring leagues: 4.5 a game in Italy and 5.5 per game in Spain.

The English referees are also much closer to the game, staying about 14 meters back from the action, 9 meters less than just two years ago. The English refs run about 7.5 miles per game to stay so close. But these statistics are silent on whether or not the referees are accurate and the introduction of goal line technology could give us those statistics.

But in an effort to further avoid goal line technology, while still providing potentially more accuracy, UEFA proposes introducing two extra assistant referees in the penalty area at both free-kicks and corners. UEFA is still experimenting with placing the extra officials behind the goal line or on the pitch itself. Said UEFA spokesman William Gaillard: “The game’s a lot faster now, it’s hard to keep up with play all the time…Some people say it is better for them to stay behind the goal, others that it is better for them to be inside the penalty area so that things that go on such as pulling and pushing are properly sanctioned.”

UEFA got the green light from the International FA Board to test this option starting with youth tournaments, and depending on those results, two more referees could be introduced at the professional level as an alternative to goal line technology. These extra refs would act as the linesman does now, communicating their observations and opinions to the referee via radio.

This development is illustrative of UEFA’s awareness in safeguarding the game from erroneous calls, but UEFA may simply be stalling an inevitable change in the game, choosing instead to add more of the same than something completely different. Yet if football has to change, adding two more officials is counterproductive if the goal is to give the player’s fairness and accuracy.

Adding two more referees has its own problems. It adds another layer of human error and inconsistency that will alter the flow of play. It still changes the traditional form of the game, a change that opponents of goal line technology decry. It will add costs to the game for the clubs and the league, and in the long run may be more expensive than the technology. It requires two more competent referees for every game.

It also adds two more bodies to the pitch for the players to work around. And while in theory it gives the referees more help, it also adds two more points of view that will inevitably at times be at odds, leaving fans to ask why there isn’t a video available for all three on field referees to refer to.

(Sources: Lenient English Refs
Capello)

Farewell G-14

The G-14 knew what they wanted all along, it just took eight years and the presumed dissolution of their organization to get it.

Platini called for the “elitest” G-14 to disband last year, but it wasn’t until Tuesday that he got his wish. UEFA, FIFA, and the G-14 signed a letter of intent, setting out a dissolution of the G-14, including all of its legal claims. This letter of intent paves the way for another association not unlike the G-14 except, perhaps, in membership. Already called the European Club Association, this is good news for smaller clubs who, though their interests may have ultimately been represented by the G-14, were not official members.

It’s no secret that UEFA and FIFA were at constant odds with the G-14. Initially formed to aid negotiations with the latter governing bodies, the G-14 spent a considerable amount of time tied up in court with various complaints. The G-14’s intent was to be a voice of the clubs but evidently if you weren’t a massive club, your voice wasn’t heard quite as loudly, especially since membership was by invitation only. Regarded as a European super league, they seemed to impliedly threaten a possible breakaway unless they got what they wanted. The organization’s aim was to act in the best interests of major clubs in Europe, focused heavily on finances, international play, and compensation for players from their home countries when on international leave, especially if those players returned to their clubs injured. Prior to the 2006 World Cup, the G-14 asked for a percentage of receipts from such tournaments, to compensate the clubs for the force release of their players. This, by all accounts, has been unyielding.

Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s President, initially refused to negotiate or discuss the G-14’s demand. To force UEFA and FIFA’s hands, the G-14 took the international compensation matter to court, however, as the group is set to disband, this presumably dismisses the cases altogether. This legal cease and desist, along with UEFA and FIFA’s promises to give clubs compensation for the time their players are away on international duty, taking into account any injuries, appears to end this matter.

But what is the point of disbanding the G-14 if another club association rises like a phoenix from its ashes? Presumably there will be more room for smaller clubs but that’s not the likely motivator. More plausible is that the dissolution of the G-14 came at the price of both UEFA and FIFA agreeing to compensate players for taking part in European Championships and World Cups. As stated in BBC Sport: “Significantly, the clubs are going to get paid when their players take part in international tournaments,” said BBC sports news reporter James Munro. “All the details have not yet been sorted out but I understand that it is going to be a daily rate irrespective of whether it is £100,000-a-week or £1,000-a-week.”

By all accounts, a major motivator for the G-14 disbandment was the dissolution of their legal opposition in return for what they have been after since forming in 2000. The legal action was likely a financial drain to the clubs that they’d rather be without, and the G-14 acted as a threat to both UEFA and FIFA’s governing powers that they’d rather do without. Likely figuring they would have to pony up the finances for the G-14’s demands in the future anyway, UEFA and FIFA appear more peaceful negotiator, less pressured and weakened organization.

It is not an entirely done deal yet, as some of the legal cases involve clubs outside of the G-14, who will have to agree to drop their claims. As told to ESPN, G-14 general manager Thomas Kurth accepted that Tuesday’s announcement may lead to the group disbanding, but not without further, detailed negotiations:

“The general assembly of G-14 will need to ratify any agreement to disband or end the court cases. We will meet on Feb. 15 and then yes, if all is agreed, we will have to take the decision whether to continue with the court cases. As you can see from the FIFA statement the intention is to resolve the remaining issues on compensation for injured players, the international calendar and a greater democratic say in how the game is run. But any agreement (on the court cases) must have the backing of Charleroi, Lyon and Atletico Madrid as those cases stand on their own and will only go away if all our issues are resolved.”

It’s a positive and probably necessary step that UEFA and FIFA are willing to recognize and compensate the club for players who are injured while off on international duty (something Newcastle would have appreciated a la Michael Owen), but its left to tell what the new, European Club Association will take FIFA to task on next. Perhaps more efforts to promote fair treatment of away fans, and fight hooliganism, as the G-14’s premise and objective appeared to boil down to money, money, and more money.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta, speaking on behalf of all the clubs, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting: “Friendship and confidence is the basis for our game. I compliment the UEFA president on having implemented the change he promised when he came to office. It is a victory for all.”

Friendship and Confidence? So that’s what they’re calling it nowadays.

BANGURA TO REMAIN IN THE UK

But the issue opens up greater questions on international footballers




The football world breathed a sigh of relief Monday as the Home Office announced that 19-year old Watford midfielder Alhassan Bangura would be granted a work permit and avoid deportation back to Sierra Leone.

Though a work permit looked bleak, (Bangura has never been capped by Sierra Leone, who are absent from top 70 nations of Fifa’s world rankings) the outpouring of support from both football and non-football supporters alike made his case appear even more inhumane.

Such a surge of support reminded the Home Office of the importance of finding any avenue available for Bangura, and despite the chatter that Bangura shouldn’t be treated any differently than any other asylum seeker, Bangura’s place in the sporting world did not go unnoticed. It was an independent panel composed of Home Office members and members of the football world who decided Bangura’s fate, and he had the support of Watford and the football community at large as the severity of the originating country and the happenstance of Bangura upon his possible return was decided. Bangura’s case also reminded the football world that when players come from less developed countries, they are given more than just a chance to play football, they are given a chance to reverse their fortunes.

A very brief history of UK asylum policies: Guided by the first primary legislation devoted to asylum in the UK in 1993, within the last decade, the UK has tightened up asylum acceptance, out of fear of “bogus asylum seekers” who want to take advantage of economic benefits. Notwithstanding those individuals, the UK remains mindful of the 1951 United Nations Asylum Seekers Convention, initially created to handle the displaced, post World War II. For people like Bangura, the most favorable provision is Article III of the UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment. If a country knowingly sends a person into such a depraved situation, it is in direction violation of Article III. Add to that widespread protest against the deportation of that individual, where imminent harm or death is on the horizon, and their case for asylum is helped even further.

Sierra Leone is still home to about 5 million, who may not appreciate seeing their country depreciated by Bangura who, though just trying to make a better life, tarnishes the image of Sierra Leone in the process. As Ade Daramy, a Soccerlens reader articulated, “What little people do know about Sierra Leone is not especially positive. They may dimly recall that there was a brutal, 10-year civil war and that Tony Blair sent British troops in to help restore the civilian government to power. It is against this background that Al Bangura and his supporters have used the situation in Sierra Leone to concoct a fantastical tale and gain sympathy. What may astound those campaigning on behalf of Bangura is that the only emotion his case has stirred amongst Sierra Leoneans is one of anger. Anger that this young man is prepared to further tarnish the name and image of his country in order to be allowed to stay here.”

Despite Daramy’s impassioned response, UN statistics are not on his side: In Sierra Leone, men on average reach their 40th birthday if lucky, and women on average live to about 42. Sierra Leone, according to the United Nations Population Fund, is one of the 49 least developed countries, and has some of the highest maternal mortality ratio (2,000 deaths per 100,000 live births) and the infant mortality rate (162 deaths per 1,000 live births).

Less capable of statistical aptitude is the country’s history of corruption and violence. The largest fear for Bangura was not that he would die young (though considering the statistics, seemed certain), but that the same group that killed his father, which prompted him to flee to begin with, would murder him. Known as the Soko, they are the heads of a wider group, the Poro, a secret society responsible for regulating the sexual, social, and political conduct of the wider population, but are often associated with voodoo or witchcraft.

As Bangura first told the Guardian when asked about his religious beliefs, Bangura, who is Muslim, stated, “ ‘I don’t know. But you can’t do these things and say you believe in God.’ When he told the Soko community he didn’t want anything to do with it, they got nasty. ‘They said, “Well, if you don’t do it, something is going to happen to you. They started threatening my life.’ Bangura thinks they might have attacked him with black magic. ‘They do stuff, you start feeling sick and lose your life.’ Voodoo stuff? ‘Yeah. That’s what they do to you. I’ve seen those things. I don’t believe in doing them, but I know they work. I used to get nightmares.’”

Not unlike what is happening in the UK and the US, Sierra Leone Muslims are facing more challenges from the Poro today. As stated in the Awareness Times back in 2007, serious tensions between Muslims and Poro Society had developed, at least those members from the Pendembu town in the Kailahun District. The Awareness Times reported that the Poro captured several Muslims and forcefully initiated them into the secret Poro society. This is in response to Islamic preaching against the practices of the Poro society, which reportedly angered Poro members. In response, the Poro adopted the policy of forceful initiation of non-members, religious leaders not exempt. Corruption is also a problem in Sierra Leone, partly in the forms of bribes and misappropriation of funds, creating an atmosphere of distrust. While this may not sound that different from most governments, it is more atrocious when the money is being taken by a population that is one of the poorest in the world.

More well known to Sierra Leone are the blood or conflict diamonds, crucial to the wars in Africa. Illicit diamond trading in Sierra Leone brought out violent combatants and about eight years of civil conflict. In 1999, negotiations, aided by the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States, between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front led to the signing of the Lome Peace Accord. In signing, the parties agreed to cease the hostilities, disarm combatants, and form a government of national unity. Despite the agreement, rebel forces continued fighting well into 2001 and the consequences of the decade long war cannot be easily erased.

Daramy also maintains that the portrayal of this Sierra Leone secret society may not be accurate, “The facts are that the Soko Society is a kind of slightly fearful, traditional Sierra Leonean secret society (a kind of slightly less benign Freemasons, if you will). Whilst it is true that a son may be expected to follow his father into the society, there is absolutely no compulsion. Most of the people from Bangura’s tribe are not members and no one has threatened them with death. If what he alleges is true, his case would be the first one of its kind in history!”

Historically speaking, the Poro society seems to have appeared in the late 19th century to oppose colonialists and boycott European trade. Known as a Sierra Leone hero, Bai Sherbro Kpana Lewis was a member of the Poro at that time, and the society was then known for acting as a judiciary, police, political, and economical infrastructure. Still, according to Bangura, this is not the case any longer.

Bangura related his experiences to the Guardian with the following, “Bangura was told that, as the son of a chief, he was next in line to lead. ‘They came out of the village and gave my mum a message, saying, ‘Your son’s dad used to be the head of this society, so we have to make sure your son will follow as head.’ My mum knew about the group, but she didn’t want me to be in it. They’re not good things that they’re doing; they cut off bits of their body. She said, ‘I don’t want you to be with these people, this is not part of your life.’”

Bangura’s case is thus instructive, an example of the conflict between personal perceptions and experiences and other, perhaps more objective data. While no one would call Bangura a bogus asylum seeker, these differences speak loudly. Still, Bangura’s past is remarkable, and makes a strong case. In that same Guardian article, Frances Lynn, a Watford fan and a member of the Supporters Trust, emphasized that Bangura’s past and his work with the club made a solid case for him to stay. “It’s shocking. Most of us don’t know people who have experienced things like this. Then you hear of this young boy who plays for your football club who always has a beaming smile, and it brings it home that the things you hear are not just stories, they happen to people in your community.”

As stated in the International Journal of Refugee Law, “People who claim to be refugees will generally prove their entitlement to that status and be accorded their rights as refugees almost immediately.” Proving an entitlement to be considered a refugee is thus a delicate art. In a motion asking for the Home Secretary to review Bangura’s case, it was his contribution to sport that stood out most. “This [deportation] ignores the valuable contribution he’s made to his community through playing for Watford. We express alarm that Mr. Bangura is being forced to return.”

Despite acknowledging these differences in opinion, Daramy joined in the chorus of supporters wanting Bangura to remain in the UK, and minus finding Bangura in a bald faced lie, it was nearly impossible not to. Bangura was lucky to have the support of the world and the football community at large. As stated by Graham Simpson, Watford’s chairman, “As a club, we are very happy with the news but, most of all, we are delighted for Al and his family. We always knew we had a strong case and, despite our setbacks, we knew we had to fight for what we believed to be right for this young man. I would like to personally thank all the Watford fans whose backing of Al has been so crucial to moving this forward and securing his immediate future in the United Kingdom.”