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Opinion: A decision in favor of the refs

Andreas Sten-Ziemons / jhDecember 4, 2014

With a clear majority, the Bundesliga has voted in favor of goal-line technology. It's a good decision, simply because it makes life easier for the match officials, says DW's Andreas Sten-Ziemons.

https://p.dw.com/p/1DzPD
Leverkusen's phantom goal is scored against Hoffenheim
Image: picture alliance/Avanti-Fotografie

That Hoffenheim voted in favor of goal-line technology in the Bundesliga is no real surprise. Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling scored a ghost goal against Hoffenheim in October 2013 (pictured above) sparking a huge debate about the implementation of technology in the Bundesliga. Kiessling's header hit the side netting before slipping through a hole in the net and the goal stood.

The Bundesliga's big two, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, as well as a number of other clubs also voted in favor of using the technology. Nevertheless, it remained largely unclear whether or not a two-third majority would vote in favor in the latest vote on the subject. It was a real surprise then that the final vote came out 15 to three in favor.

The decision, without doubt, is a good one. Finally, the referees and officials - who have long been in favor of having technology in the game - are no longer in the firing line. Up until now, both the referees and their touchline officials were the ones having to make split-second decisions.

Andreas Sten-Ziemons
DW sports editor Andreas Sten-ZiemonsImage: DW

They had to decide quickly: Was it a goal or not? Such decisions often come down to a matter of milimeteres. After all, if the tiniest bit of the ball isn't behind the line, it's not a goal according to the rules. This, even though 99.9 precent of the ball is behind the line.

Who can make an accurate decision at that speed, in the heat of the moment from perhaps even more than a few meters away? And what happens when everyone is in motion and there are attackers, defenders, a goalkeeper and a post between the referee and the ball? And when it's so difficult to make mistake-free decisions, why should one pass up the decision to use a technology that works well and can deliver the correct result within a second?

Thankfully, today was the day the majority of Bundesliga clubs found no valid argument against goal-line technology.