Or maybe a less tacky alternative like that suggested by Hawk-Eye systems currently used in cricket and tennis - a beep in the ref's ear-piece when the system detects the ball has crossed the line. ;)

The ref already has an armband that vibrates when the "assistant" presses a button on his flag.
No reason why similar can't be incorporated for goal line technology.

I was going to suggest that the big screens at stadiums could provide the video evidence in a matter of seconds, but of course this only works at the highest level. This isn't an option for teams outside the top flight because of finances.

The question is how far down the ladder do you go?

Do we need the technology in the league? After all, across a 38 game season, most incidents even themselves out. A team may have a goal wrongly disallowed in one game, but may win via a very dubious penalty in another game.
In knockout competitions this cannot be the case as so much rides on it.
Maybe it should just be introduced into the Champions League, Europa League, International Qualifiers & Tournaments.

Hawkeye is only used in cricket when the match is televised right?
Likewise the other technology such as the heat/snicket sensor.....

I agree. Incorrect decisions in league games are arguably less pivotal and create a lot less debate than those that occur in tournament games so perhaps bringing them in for the competitions you mentioned would be a good compromise. The consequences of bad calls in such games are obviously a lot more final than they are for league games so the majority of the footballing events would remain as they are, which would appease the FIFA fogies who are so unwilling to adapt to change.

I'm nervous !!

The game is about an hour to begin and I can't find my lucky brazilian shirt !!!

Don't be. Brazil is gonna win :D
Good luck!

Not that I want to jinx the Dutch but........ ;)

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its great to be ORANGE!!!!!

Yeah! Go Holland, thank you Julio Cesar. :D

I just can't believe. After an amazing first half we managed to lose based on two stupid goals.

That was the best example of how the worst team can win a match.

Thank you Felipe Melo. And remember that everything started when I couldn't find my lucky shirt.....

aaaww you poor poor loser ( ;) ).. the lions just ate your define yellow canaries *lol*

*Holland* !! :mrgreen:

Ahm... Yeah, forget the Brazil is gonna win part...

Did anyone see the ghana game ? I cant believe Uraguay and the hand of God moment, ok the player got sent off and Ghana was given a shot but thats not enough... now every player in the dying seconds of any game when faced with teh same situation will play the hand of God card... so what if they get the red card , their team is given another chance !

The rules should change. I feel so sorry for Ghana.

Dawn

Any player WOULD have done the same in the dying seconds of a game, hes not going to let it in. I felt sorry for Uruguay during the game because of the totally bias commentary by ITV. Suddenly Desailly is Ghanain now his "other" country fail miserably and every one else sucked up to him.

We watched it too. I am not defending Suarez but as the previous poster said, another player could have done the same. He was sent off and Ghana had the opportunity to win the match there, pity they didn't and went to penalties. But I am happy for Uruguay.

I am sick already waiting for today's match.

What a shock Brazil going out

Before the world cup I said that of the Netherlands, Uruguay and Serbia, 2 are going to make it to the semifinals :D. Am so happy.


Go the DUTCHIES!!! Two more games and you are finally World Champions. I mean, it's incredible that England has a world cup and the Dutch don't!

Did you put any money on it? I wish i had put money on Germany. I think they may win today

Russ I don't like you anymore...

I would have put money on Argentina if I was in the UK but since I can't gamble out here I REALLY hope they don't win it :)

Ive never been right about a pre-tourney winner before so I don't want to start now.

It was shocking and blatant cheating. To say any other player would have done the same thing doesn't make it right. The game was a great battle to watch and for it to be settled by a sickening act like that... I hope Uruguay get f*cking stuffed by Holland! Even if they don't and manage to get to the final, Suarez should be banned for that as well.

Sending someone off and giving a penalty may be 'almost' balancing the circumstances out if there's still a fair chunk of the game left to play but it was the last kick of the ball before pens so effectively saying a penalty alone compensates for a winning goal? No it doesn't!!

In rugby, if something like that happens, the attacking team gets a penalty try. In that situation in football, the only fair decision would be to award a penalty goal (even though I know they can't because there's no such thing!).

An absolute joke and Ghana can feel genuinely robbed. Desailly has been supporting Ghana since day 1 so to say the commentary was biased is silly. They reacted the way they did because anyone barring the most blinded of Uruguayan fans would admit it was an appalling display of dishonesty and cheating. Uruguay didn't deserve to go through in the same way that France didn't deserve to qualify for the tournament at all.

C'mon Holland. I said they'd win it before the comp started and hopefully they'll now brush aside Uruguay before meeting Spain in the final. My money's on Germany today as well cos I think they'll wind the Argentines up and the frustration will play right into their hands.

Bollocks. Deliberate handball in the box ... punished with red card and penalty. Everything went according to the rules. No idea what you guys are talking about. Cheating? No, that wasn't cheating. Manuel Neuer seeing it was a goal and not admitting it, that's cheating. Tevez scoring although he knew he was 2m off side. That was cheating. Getting away with breaking the rules, that's cheating. No one got away with it in the game last night. And rightfully, Suarez is a hero and Gyan isn't. Sometimes, you just have to break the rules. All great champions did it. From Michael Schumacher to Senna, from Maradona to Thierry Henry. Suarez even paid for it, so just get over it already.

And bring it on Germany today. Sorry Vanessa!! :D It's just that, Martin Demichelis alone is simply not enough Bayern players for me to support Argentina.

He did on the spur of the moment and I didnt say it was right, I just said any player would do the same. Theres been plenty of this through the years of football so why all of a sudden should one player be banned for longer than FIFA rules state, just because the underdogs have been knocked. The decision shouldnt be based on the importance of the game .
Btw, has anyone called for Harry Kewell a dirty and blatant cheat when he handled on the line against Ghana and has anyone called for a longer ban for Kewell? No? Maybe because Ghana won that game? Can we really make rules up to suit.
Statement from FIFA:
Fifa's disciplinary code gives the committee the option of a longer ban for "unsportsmanlike conduct".
It may find his action was contrary to the fair play code which states: "Winning is without value if victory has been achieved unfairly or dishonestly. Cheating is easy, but brings no pleasure."
Talk about hypocrites, they didnt release this when Henry ****ed ROI over did they?

Well done Germany. I am gutted of course but Germany deserved it. I know if it hadn't been today, we'd have lost in the next one against Spain or Paraguay. Anyway...wow...I've never felt so upset in a long time. Thank you Messi for not showing up for the match...in none of them imo!

The difference is Gyan kept his dignity whereas Suarez didn't. If you'd rather be a winner but an immoral cheat rather than a battling, fair-playing loser then I pity you. The real heroes got knocked out last night.

Any champion that admits to cheating in order to win is not great by any stretch of the imagination. The rules are there for a reason but we all know that the rules are black and white whereas nothing in football (or life) is. The Tevez incident against Mexico outlined just how pathetic the so-called 'rules' are!

Oh, please don't pity me. Turn off the "cheese" button. Suarez will become one of the greatest players in the world in a matter of a few years (had Ribery not extended his contract, he would have replaced him at Bayern). Gyan will go down as the guy who missed the penalty who could have put an African side in the semifinals of a world cup, for the first time. That simple. Not to mention that Uruguay should have taken the game home in the first half already anyhow.

Now back to GERMANY. Well done boys. It's such a joy to watch them because they play 1:1 identical football to Bayern Munich. Oezil is playing Robben's role but everything else is the same. The ball handling and passing, the counter-attacks, the determination and team-spirit. Luckily, there is no Inter-Milan left in the competition. But boy, Del Bosque should ring up Mourinho and ask how Inter did it.


BAAAAAAAAYEEEERN!

Schweinsteiger: best player of the world cup so far. If they make it to the final, he should get it. And that's Germany's 12th ever semi-final. How impressive is that?

Just out of curiousity who are your favourite teams (domestic and international) and players?

Domestically, it's Man Utd and internationally it's England (because I'm English) but I am not a blind follower of either and fully realise that both are far from saints.

The difference is that, had it been Rooney on the line hand-balling it for either club or country, I would despise him for it just as much as I do Suarez and any victory that followed would feel extremely hollow.

I don't change my appreciation of the difference between right and wrong based on the emblem on a player's shirt. I have been at a game at Old Trafford where Ronaldo has done one of his trademark dives right in front of where I've been sitting and I have got up and berated him for it. I can't stand it, whether it's for a team I'm supporting or against them. Cheating is unacceptable and indefensible in any situation. These are supposed to be professionals but there wasn't any professionalism associated with how Suarez conducted himself at the end of that game.

The problems with dishonesty at the highest level is that, all the while players/teams get away with it (and Uruguay did - Ghana would have won before pens otherwise), what message does that send out to youngsters aspiring to their 'heroes'?

It's a complete farce. A circus conducted on the grandest stage and, unless it's my grumpiness getting the better of me in my old age (:D), it's only getting worse as years go by.

So, 3/4 teams from Europe! Old lady is still the best. ;)

Sorry you lost but i thought Germany would win. I honestly think my feelings at the beginning of the tornment were right and Germany will win.

Thanks Russ. I know I know. It is just so difficult to digest because for a moment - brief one tho - I had some hopes. I, like many Argentinians, never believed in Maradona as a coach. He's got the spirit and motivation he had as a player but that's not enough. He wanted to do something with the players we always doubted, making them play in different positions and so on. I'm gutted but this will serve as a lesson.

Germany looks really fit and the best so far, but I can never support them. I love football, I was raised in this atmosphere thanks to my dad, and can appreciate a good match and team. I'll have to support Spain and/or Uruguay but unless there is a miracle, it will be Holland all the way.

Maradona sounds like Cappello in that respect. Although being English it would be hard to say Maradona is good :p
As for Germany, the way i look at it is its better to lose against the team that wins than one that doesn't. Plus Germany play as a team, they are like a well oiled machine with no ego's unlike the English team.

That's the main Argentina/Maradona's problem, his big ego! He "made up" that defense line, it was a joke from start. And I know I said Messi didn't show up but now that I think about it in a less passionate way, he never had any help from the rest of players. I am sure the press over there in Argentina are ripping Maradona to pieces because of his stubbornness.

And now another long 4 years till the next Cup. :(

Just out of curiosity, what were your thoughts on him leaving out Cambiasso and Zanetti? I personally think Cambiasso and Zanetti's experience at international level may have given your defence a lot more protection than the attack-minded players you have in their stead.

I don't follow the team closely enough to comment on Maradona's coaching abilities but he was always great fun to watch during this tournament and he seemed to instil a really positive vibe amongst his players. They seem a close-knit group - unlike England's "team" of individuals.

I reckon Germany will take some stopping at this rate but they are playing some awesome football combined with great managerial tactics so if they do win it, they will fully deserve it. :)

Leaving particularly Zanetti out of the team is probably the first criticism he will get. Zanetti has always performed really well in the national team in previous cups and matches and was a total surprise when he left out, especially after the amazing season he had at Inter. Cambiasso could have played really close to Mascherano and probably been something really good. I understand he wanted to give a chance to the guys playing domestically but in a match like yesterday I am not sure it worked.

Yes you are right. Maradona has a very close relationship with the players, because of his personality and I assume that's why they chose him as a coach. Players would see him as an inspiration/model etc. In a way it is positive but he does not have the experience others coaches do and he has been really stubborn with some decisions like having Jonas Gutierrez in a totally different position. Yes he gave "freedom" to Messi to play wherever he wanted/as he wanted but the rest of the team didn't accompany him and he didn't shine as in Barsa. I may not be an expert but I'd say the main reason we were beaten that way was the defense, not making the right changes (like putting Milito, what a waste having him in the bench!), and so on. We just lacked so many things yesterday. I never really thought we could win but after the 2nd match, I just thought there was a hope.

Btw, these days I don't follow the Argentinian domestic league as we used to apart from reading the news everyday and watching an odd match on tv etc. I prefer the Premier league, Portuguese and Spanish ones that's why I can't comment on some of the players like Otamendi or Pastore.

It's time you started to watch the Bundesliga :D

Actually, just wanted to say that there's 10 Bayern Munich players in the semi-finals of the world cup. And I think there will be 10 in the final too.

Lahm (Captain Germany)
Schweinsteiger
Mueller
Klose
Badstuber
Kroos
Butt

******
Van Bommel (Captain Netherlands)
Robben
Braafheid

What a year for Bayern. Yet lost the CL final. Stil!

Van Bommel isn't captain of Holland, but nevertheless here's for going to the final for first time since 1978, he's for another Germany-Holland final since 1974 and here's for payback for that final and therefor for Holland winning it all at last :)

He is when Van Bronckhorst doesn't play. Sorry bout that. What a goal he scored though. Unbelievable.

And I agree with you. Its high time Holland gets its first star. They deserve it more than any other team!

What a big mistake by Stekelenburg, unbelievable :(.

well done the Dutchies! Well done!

I really enjoyed watching the match today, I am sorry for Uruguay as it is a lovely country with some of the kindest people I ever met.

Now I hope Spain wins. :)