UEFA eyes extra refs for goal spats

UEFA wants to have extra officials on hand for matches at Euro 2012 in a drive to deal with disputed goals, the body’s chief, Michel Platini, said yesterday. “I am going to seek the possibility of having an extra official in place for the finals in...

UEFA wants to have extra officials on hand for matches at Euro 2012 in a drive to deal with disputed goals, the body’s chief, Michel Platini, said yesterday.

“I am going to seek the possibility of having an extra official in place for the finals in Poland and Ukraine,” Platini told reporters at the construction site in Warsaw of the stadium where the European championships will kick off on June 8, 2012.

“That way, extra officials will be able to see if the ball has crossed the line,” said the head of European football’s governing body, on a whistle-stop visit taking stock of preparations for the tournament.

The International Football Association Board, which determines the rules of the game, has been wrestling with how finally to end years of controversy over goals deemed to have been disallowed or approved unfairly.

“The International Board has accepted extra officials for Europa League and Champions League matches, but not for games involving national teams,” Platini noted.

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