ONE OF THE most common arguments against the introduction of video refs to football is that it will slow things down too much and turn a 90-minute match into a three-hour plus NFL epic.
But, if the evidence of last night’s friendly between France and Spain is to be believed, the new technology might not be as disruptive as some fear.
Gerard Deulofeu thought he had put the visitors 2-0 up when he finished off this flowing move, only to see that the linesman had flagged him for offside.
Wanting to be sure, referee Felix Zwayer referred the decision to his video assistant before confirming that the goal should stand.
From start to finish — the moment Deulofeu’s shot hit the net, to Zwayer signalling for a goal — the entire process took just 40 seconds.
Deulofeu’s goal was the second time that the video technology went in Spain’s favour, having earlier been used to rule out Antoine Griezmann’s header for offside.
On that occasion, from the ball crossing the line to the referee signalling for a free out, the process took slightly longer, coming in at 54 seconds.
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