Before we go into the merits of the demand for technology, it must be said that it is not the first time that such a controversy has erupted. Way back in 1986, such a necessity was first raised when legendary Diego Maradona's "hand of god" act, whereby he had used his hand to bring under control an overhead pass to score one of his two goals against England. This time again, it is England's agony of being denied a legitimate goal that has led to the resumption of the old demand. There have been other refereeing lapses as well.

I would like to place an argument on why football and technology should not marry. In this era of high technical gadgetry, it would be easy to do it, in the same way that technology has been brought into cricket and tennis. But is it advisable to do so.

In cricket and for that mater even tennis, there are natural breaks when the television replay can be asked for without affecting the action in that particular match. Football is a game with a continuous flow, save and except for brief halts when the referee blows the whistle for an infringement or when the ball goes out of play. The game starts instantly from where the stoppage has taken place. Any forced stoppage; such as for television reviews, would affect the smooth flow of the game and in fact break the momentum.

Cricket has the luxury of 30 cameras at various vantage points covering all possible angles. A game of football cannot be covered that way. The cameras, half-a-dozen of them, placed on one side of the field, the grandstand to be more precise, follow the ball throughout. Several more cameras, fixed or mobile, would result in jerky coverage and less of a delight for the viewers.

The incident of England being denied a goal when the television replays clearly showed that the ball had crossed the goalline, is attributed to a serious lapse on the part of the linesman. This ought to be taken as a rare occurrence. But the controversies over off side goals are a matter of perception.

The off side rule defines the position of the forward "when the ball was last played" and not when he intercepts it. The ball may have been kicked from 20 yards out, at that moment, the player may have been on side and appear to be off side when he receives it.

Even if technology is brought in, the incidents of line decisions may be satisfactorily solved. But pictures of likely off side may again become a subject of debate. As for the rest of the action you will still be so much dependent on the referee and his assistants on the lines. For heaven's sake, let us not ruin this beautiful game as a spectacle by putting it under the scrutiny of high technology.