Screen junkies

In the first part of a three-page feature, we look at why video replays are accepted in other sports and the unique challenges that football needs to overcome to stop the technology wasting everyone’s time and money.

- Al Needham

As with most innovations in professional football, Roy Race got there first. Forty years ago, after spending the off-season in the US, he had the foresight to install massive TV screens at mel Park, with the intent of giving supporters something to look at after the game so they wouldn’t all leave at the same time.

The experiment had mixed results right from its debut: when that day’s rivals eastgate equalised the TVs broke down, and their supporters were only prevented from rushing onto the pitch by the accidental broadcast of an advert for a local Chinese takeaway. Then, when melchester Rovers took the lead with a suspiciously offside goal, Roy sportingly allowed the referee and linesmen to look at the replay – which proved he was a fraction offside. The genie was out of the bottle. It was just rather slow to actually do anything.