Three in four football supporters call for video technology to be used in the sport
Three quarters (75%) of football fans want video replays to decide contentious issues in matches, a YouGov survey shows.
The poll shows that three in four supporters want video technology to be involved for offside decisions, penalties and red cards. Just over one in five (21%) fans don’t want video replays to be used for these types of decisions.
YouGov’s survey was carried out in the wake of Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. During the match, the English side were reduced to ten men after Nani was sent off for a high challenge on Real Madrid’s Alvaro Arbeloa.
The poll found that a majority (57%) of people who watched Tuesday night’s clash at Old Trafford do not think Nani should have been sent off although a large minority (37%) think the referee made the right decision. The majority (55%) of Londoners who watched the match think the referee was right to send off the Manchester United player compared to just under a third (32%) of football viewers in the north.
YouGov’s Laurence Janta-Lipinski: “Nani’s red card comes on the back of a series of contentious decisions that have seen English teams suffer. With memories of incidents such as Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal during the 2010 World Cup still fresh in the mind, it is no surprise to see football fans favour a move towards greater use of replays. Though FIFA and the Premier League have already signalled their intention to incorporate goal-line technology soon, these results show fans of the beautiful game want this to go even further”.
