Is the most high-tech football World Cup also the worst refereed?
The best referees, as the old saying goes, are the ones nobody remembers. They let the game breathe, keep the contest flowing and, after the final whistle, quietly fade into the background. This World Cup, the most high-tech of all, has unfolded very differently. Barely a match has passed without the officiating becoming as much a talking point as the football itself. One of the latest instances came in England’s quarterfinal, where a bizarre sequence preceded the equaliser. Norway argued the ball had clipped an overhead support cable before dropping back into play. To the naked eye, the trajectory appeared to change. Television replays seemed to suggest a deflection. Yet, FIFA’s ball sensors registered no spike, leading officials to conclude there had been no contact. It was the kind of surreal debate that has come to define this tournament. Instead of discussing England’s movement or Norway’s defending, the conversation centred on cables, sensors and technology. Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, the sensor in the Connected Ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat …
