The Football Association have reportedly called on 'autonomous' robot referees to be introduced to English football. Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the FA, asked for more technology to be considered by officiating teams after a number of recent high-profile mistakes in the Premier League, The Sun has reported.
'You should never have a scenario where you take away from the experience in the stadium or at home,' he told a Leaders Week conference in London. 'We've got to be really, really careful about that. Of course, people used to complain about decisions being made wrong and it's important to get decisions right, so that's the starting point. In terms of technology, the question is: Are there ways you can make the decisions quicker? Because I think everyone hates that long pause in the stadium or at home. You're seeing technological innovations in terms of, for example, semi-autonomous offsides. Can it eventually go autonomous?'
Under-fire Premier League referee Darren England was slammed for his astonishing blunder that led to Liverpool being denied a legitimate goal against Tottenham in the Premier League. He was specifically blasted for his 'critical concentration lapse' and prioritising 'efficiency over accuracy'. In a hard-hitting report, referees' body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) delivered a damning indictment of England's performance claiming that he rushed a routine situation and 'inexplicably' chalked off Luiz Diaz's disallowed goal. The report was sent to the Premier League but not disclosed to the public, with England bearing the brunt of the blame while his Video Assistant Referee (VAR) assistant Dan Cook was also criticised for a lack of basic communication. The referee's body said in its review, seen by Mail Sport, that the error came from 'a critical lapse in concentration and clear lack of focus… by an individual match official which saw him inexplicably 'check completing' an incorrect on-field decision.'
Source: Daily Mail