FIFA face technology question
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Johannesburg - FIFA are expected to face questions over two officiating embarrassments which marred Sunday's last-16 matches.
Both losing sides - England and Mexico - were on the wrong end of poor decisions which contributed to their exits from the Soccer World Cup.
Frank Lampard saw a potential equaliser chalked off againstGermany when officials failed to spot the ball had clearly crossed theline, while Argentina's opener against Mexico was scored by CarlosTevez from an offside position.
It is Lampard's non-goal, though, which is likely arouse mostinterest at Monday's FIFA briefing, having reignited the debate aboutgoal-line technology.
FIFA are unlikely to change their stance, having ruled outgoal-line technology at the International FA Board meeting in March infavour of experiments with two extra assistant referees.
Sports minister Hugh Robertson said: "This was a disappointing end to a tournament in which England hardly ever performed.
"Once the dust has settled, I hope the FA take a long hard lookat the reasons why, and FIFA reassess their opposition to usinggoal-line technology."
FIFA refused to comment after the match, saying: "FIFA will notmake any comment on the decisions of the referee on the field of play."
However FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke had said only theprevious day: "We can talk about refereeing decisions which, when youlooked at them after the game, you could say were perhaps not gooddecisions. We didn't say you could have a zero-fault system in theWorld Cup.
"Additional assistants [behind each goal-line] could happen in2014 to make sure these kind of things are not happening in refereeing.
"It doesn't mean the use of video, that is definitely not on thetable today, but one thing we are discussing is two additionalassistants to support referees to make decision-making easier and tohave more eyes helping him to make such decisions.
"We knew this is where criticism would come."
After the IFAB meeting in March, Valcke admitted he feared just such a controversy in this World Cup.
Valcke said then: "Questions will always come, we just hope they will not come in the final of the World Cup."
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has also defended their position,saying: "No matter which technology is applied, at the end of the day adecision will have to be taken by a human being. This being the case,why remove the responsibility from the referee to give it to someoneelse?
"It is often the case that, even after a slow-motion replay, 10different experts will have 10 different opinions on what the decisionshould have been.
"Fans love to debate any given incident in a game. It is part of the human nature of our sport."
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