So Sepp Blatter does have ears that work as opposed to many in similar positions whose lobes merely balance out their heads and never get used much.

Finally, after a couple of errors so bad and blatant in front of a worldwide audience of millions that failure to act would be nothing short of gross dereliction of duty, Blatter has agreed to reopen the debate on the use of goal-line technology. Surely, this time, the game will drag itself kicking and screaming into the 21^st century and join cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics and a whole host of other sports in using the technology available to ensure, if not all, then at least some of the most blatantly wrong decisions in the most important area of the playing surface are rectified before they are ratified.

 

The two major incidents in the World Cup – Frank Lampard’s goal that wasn’t and Carlos Tevez’s offside goal that was – are merely the latest in a long line of controversial incidents that would have been sorted out in a matter of seconds had a fourth official had the benefit of instant replay on a monitor. From Diego Maradona’s hand of God to Thierry Henry’s hand of frog, getting decisions such as whether the ball crossed the line right would not be the only benefit of using technology to the limits. Cheats, because that’s what they are, would be finished in the game as anyone caught diving on camera would be summarily dismissed from the field.

But if they do follow the now-inevitable path of introducing technology into the game, exactly how far will they go?

Blatter has insisted that only goal-line decisions will be considered for FIFA. Initially maybe, but once you introduce an improvement to the game, it could easily become so much more. Blatter won’t be in charge for ever and providing Platini doesn’t get it, there may be hope for the game yet.