It's a 'joke' football hasn't already introduced goal-line technology, Oliver Holt told the Sunday Supplement.
Supplement panel demand goal-line technology
It's a 'joke' football hasn't already introduced goalline technology, Oliver Holt told the
Sunday Supplement.
QPR were the latest side to suffer from the absence of goal-line technology in football, when Clint Hill's header was not given as a goal, despite clearly crossing the line in the R's 2-1 defeat to Bolton.
Rangers boss Mark Hughes was furious the decision wasn't given and slammed the officials for not spotting the ball cross the line.
It was a prime example of how goal-line technology could assist officials and the Daily Mirror's Holt believes it is about time it was introduced.
"It's a joke we haven't got goalline technology," he said. "It's an embarrassment for football. For a long time football has been the laughing stock of world sport because we're so far behind the times.
"I have got sympathy for Mark Hughes. These decisions can pervert the course of a season - and it could well lead to QPR being relegated."
Blame the officials
However, Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph was more scathing of the officiating, and suggested it was poor judgement from the linesman which cost Rangers, rather than the lack of technology.
"I think it was quite clearly over the line and a very bad error by the assistant," he said. "By and large officials are of a very high quality in this country and they have a difficult time trying to do an almost impossible job with the speed of the game now.
"But that was a set-piece. If you look at his angle he doesn't look like he's obscured to me. That was clearly a goal."
That wasn't a view shared by Holt, though. "In hindsight it looks obvious but these things are harder than they seem," he said. "I watched it on TV yesterday and I couldn't honestly say hand on heart I knew that was over the line as soon as I saw it."
Relegation scrap
However, they both agreed QPR face a real challenge to stay in the league. "They've had terrible luck," said Burt.
"They should have taken points off the teams they've played recently and they've now got a terrible run-in, with Manchester City in the last game of the season.
"Hughes must be dreading that they're the team that will send his QPR side down."
