(By Paul Virgo)
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has
written to Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) President Carlo
Tavecchio saying he will present his proposals for soccer to
accelerate the introduction of technology to help referees to
the International Board, ANSA sources said Friday.
Tavecchio made the proposal and offered to have the
technologies tested in Italian club football after several
controversial decisions in champions Juventus's 3-2 win over
title rivals AS Roma this month.
At the time Tavecchio said he would be the "promoter of a
request to FIFA" to accelerate the introduction of technology
"for cases of doubt about the position (of a player)".
That was interpreted as a sign he was pushing for the use
of TV replays for tough calls, such as offside and penalty
decisions on the edge of the area.
Unlike many other sports, soccer does not give referees
the opportunity to use video replays to make tough decisions.
Opponents to technology say it would destroy the
simplicity and fluidity of soccer that distinguishes it from
other sports.
Italian football is frequently hit by high-voltage furores
about refereeing decisions and support for technology is strong
here.
"Thank you for your proposal on the use of technology,"
Blatter wrote to Tavecchio, according to the sources.
"It is interesting. I'll bring it to the attention of the
International Board".
The International Board is the body that determines the
rules of soccer.
FIFA has 50% of the voting power on the board, while the
rest goes to the football associations of the United Kingdom, a
legacy of the sport's origins.
If the proposal makes progress, it will be a shot in the
arm for Tavecchio, whose image has been tarnished by comments he
made on "banana-eating" foreign players before his election in
August.
He is currently serving a six-month ban from UEFA
commissions imposed by European soccer's governing body for the
comments, made as he was calling for tighter restrictions on
non-EU players in Italian soccer.
"Carlo Tavecchio's election to the helm of the federation
was a defeat for Italian soccer," Juventus Chairman Andrea
Agnelli told a club shareholder meeting on Friday.
"It gave the image of a stale movement with no inclination
to reform".
The Turin giants voted against Tavecchio's election.
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