Football could benefit from its own technology

Social media were relentless this week in their criticism of Brazilian footballer Neymar over his antics in the World Cup, mainly in the match of the 16-game series with Mexico, in which he is repeatedly seen embellishing a foul In an attempt not to have his team receive a free kick, but also that his opponent is "carded" for his game.

To be honest, apart from my allegiance to anything in the United States , the Brazilian football team holds a special place in my heart. , responsible for changing the direction of my life. Like Notre Dame football, University of Kentucky basketball and Baltimore Ravens football, the Selecao catches my attention whenever I can see it playing on the world stage

samba style of football, I am fully aware of the part of the game where most Latin American players (although it seems to enlarge overall) embellish the slightest touch (especially near or in the area of ​​repair) to advance their cause

This is part of the game I've known for 50 years, and although I'm not personally a fan, I believe that he had his share in the beautiful game

Due to the introduction of the badisted video badistance system, known as VAR – the version of instant replay of FIFA – the ability of players to dive and reap rewards can to be a thing of the past.

VAR a I have not been short of controversy during the Cup so far, but for a skeptic like me, I think the technology has been used throughout 2018 Russia and has generally confirmed the correct call or been used to reverse the error of an official. want to eliminate the theaters that are becoming so prevalent in football, use the same VAR technology that used to confirm the call of the official to penalize the player / actor for his attempt to. beautify the call of the official. The referee has the ability to do it now just by issuing yellow cards for embellishment; but the use of VAR technology will legitimize the call of the official and eliminate personal biases against some players.

This could also open a Pandora's box that I'm not sure VAR is able to handle at the moment. If you observe a corner kick or a game near the goal, an official can practically call it hold, push or hit on each game, much like holding a line player in a football game.

Make calls to the beautification, then you better be ready to call more regularly the actual faults in the box.

The behavior that bothers me more than the flamboyant player who is struggling on the ground by grabbing his ankle on the ground is the attacks on the center official to plead their case once the call is made that not only slow down the restart; but put the officials in a very threatening position.

Once the World Cup is over, I will submit to FIFA a formal suggestion for a rule change that could be put in place at the international level but whose benefits could reach all the way to the level of youth recreation. rule that I affectionately call the "two meter rule".

Basically, the rule would state that immediately after a call from an official, an imaginary of two meters (hence the name) The plane rides around the official preventing any emotional confrontation between the injured player and the referee. Any player who enters the area of ​​two meters immediately after the call will receive an immediate yellow card. A player who has contact with an official would receive an immediate red card and an expulsion from the game.

Officials have the option of issuing these cards now, and I am surprised that many of them The Cup has taken so many abuses from several players at once without issuing dissent cards.

It's easy to put the burden on the shoulders of the official to make this call, but can you imagine the outcry? his to start throwing cards for this type of behavior that has brought some of the game's brand players to play future games while they accumulate cards for misbehavior?

That is why the rule must be implemented by FIFA. VAR technology, and imposed by strict penalties to violate the "safe space" of the official.

The American engineer and inventor Dean Kamen wrote: "From time to time, a new technology, an old problem and a great idea become an innovation. "

It is time to extend the use of VAR technology for football games, for the safety of officials and the love of the game.