Keith Hackett, chief of England's Professional Game Match Officials association, says that the latest round of English Premier League games illustrates the need for goal-line technology. At Craven Cottage this weekend, Fulham was denied a late equalizer against Middlesbrough that replays clearly proved went over the line. Assistant referee Ian Gosling was suspended from officiating one match as a result of missing the decision.
The Premier League, meanwhile, is testing a new goal-line technology developed by a company called Hawkeye. "It is still in its testing stage but we hope when it is judged to be fail-safe then it will be used," Hackett said. "Everyone in [soccer] recognizes that goal-line systems can provide help for the referee to make his decision." Gosling's missed call was not the only controversial decision in a weekend marred by poor officiating. Rob Styles was suspended for one month by the PGMO for awarding Chelsea a penalty when replays showed that Steve Finnan and Florent Malouda had each gone in for a fifty-fifty challenge and missed the ball. In a statement on Monday, Styles said: "Yesterday, in mistakenly awarding a penalty, I accept that I may have affected the result of the match and for that I apologize."
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