Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has reiterated the fact that the introduction of better technology on the pitch will most certainly prevent the refereeing errors in football.
Mourinho spoke about the televisions replays on the sidelines that can help the fourth official to point out potential mistakes made by the referee on the pitch or can even be used by the referee to alter his decision. The comments come after Chelsea’s draw against Burnley where the blues were on the wrong end of several refereeing decisions. Burnley defender Ashley Barnes’ challenge on Nemanja Matic was a stonewall red card, but he went unpunished and Matic was sent off instead for his wild reaction after the challenge. In addition, there were as many as two penalty incidents.
The Portuguese said that the replays will definitely benefit the referees, just like the goalline technology that has finally eradicated god knows how many ghost goals and have rightfully allowed the Frank Lampard-esque goals, “If the referee cannot see a penalty three metres in front of him, some official in front of a screen cannot miss it.
“If we want to protect the integrity and the honesty of the referees, if we want to believe that the mistake is a consequence of a misinterpretation of a bad position, of the unpredictability of the situation and the game, I think technology can help.
“If I was a referee I would welcome it. Ita s the same thing with goal-line technology. It makes a difference. You can go five weeks without any incidents where you think goal-line technology is not important, but in a certain moment goal-line technology will be important.
“I’m so comfortable with goal-line technology that in the Capital One Cup without goal-line technology I was not comfortable, I was thinking I hope in this game nothing goes against me because there’s not goal-line technology’. It’s a great example.”
Not trying to protect anyone, Says Mourinho
Mourinho also cleared the air on Sky Sportsa a Goals on Sundaya programme by saying that he has nothing against the referees in England and is just trying to be honest on how key incidents like the ones against Burnley can affect the outcome of the League, “I’m not protecting and I’m not trying to protect,” he said.
“With my players I don’t speak about the incidents. With my players I analyse what I have to analyse. I don’t analyse the referee’s performance. I don’t tell the players in this game we are going to have this referee. I completely ignore the referee situation with my players.
“It doesn’t matter the referee I have for the next game. I’m never worried about it. I don’t look to the past. I’m always positive. I dona t spend one second with my players on it.
“When I go to the media, or I do what I did on Saturday by saying minutes 30, 33, 43 and 69 and goodbye, I’m not attacking the honesty of anyone.
“I’m not trying to bring the game into disrepute. I’m trying just to be honest.
“With the five points difference [at the top of table], if we are in a normal situation where the mistakes are part of the game and sometimes go in our favour and sometimes go against us, in this moment it wouldn’t be five, it would be 12.
“We are speaking about many, many incidents [against us] and only one occasion at Liverpool with Chelsea winning 1-0, therea s a shot from outside the box and Cahill put his body [in the way] and the ball hits him on the arm and it can be a penalty. No more at all.”