by stella_gonzales2003

Instant replay has become a hot topic of conversation lately thanks to a controversial soccer goal scored by France’s William Gallas after Thierry Henry had an obvious handball that set it up. Because of that goal, France is going to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Ireland has been eliminated. Apart from an unofficial, nationwide ban on French wine (not too difficult for the locals provided that the whiskey tap keeps pouring), this controversy does beg the question, should FIFA take a look at Instant replay?

Thierry Henry Handball Video

The replay naysayers in soccer are the same as the naysayers in Baseball, they talk of the game’s history and not wanting to slow the sport down for five minutes at a time with reviews (as seen in American Football). But the proponents of the idea point out that this is not medieval football, it’s the twenty-first century and we have the technology to correct these mistakes.

Diego Maradona Hand of God Video

It is an interesting question though and worthy of review, not just for the regular soccer powerhouses like England who were defeated by the Maradona “hand of god” goal, but for the fans of US Soccer as well who were robbed of an opportunity to see a Semi-Final berth in World Cup 2002 when a German defender used his hand to save a goal.

US – Germany World Cup 2002 Quarterfinal Handball Video (Handball Footage at 2:11)

For now, FIFA is resisting the idea but don;t forget that the big three sports leagues in the United States, the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, also initially resisted the idea. Will it happen? Who knows, should it happen? Well, there are some people in Ireland who certainly think so.