Costly and questionable refereeing decisions have prompted hot debate on the issue over recent years, most prominently on whether technology could be used to decide whether a ball has crossed the goal-line.

Speaking during a presentation at Soccerex 08 which focused on the current state of the game, Dein called for goal-line technology to be brought in, adding that expanding the use beyond that should remain open to discussion.

"The game has moved on," he said. "We are logging mistakes that a club pays for in cash.

"A mistake where a club does not qualify for the Champions League and loses £10million, a mistake where a club gets relegated and costs a lot more than that and the club may never get back in the Premiership again.

"I believe that referees are an endangered species. Nobody ever says 'the referee had a great game', they always say the opposite. It's always something that the referee hasn't done. So I believe that they need help.

"Things are not always what they seem. Refs can miss something because they're not looking directly at it. It's easy to miss something you're not looking at."

Dein, who left the Gunners in April last year, claimed it was unfair on managers and players to continue to shun the available technology.

"We're not trying to sanitise the game, one might say it's about technology, particularly about goal-line technology," he said.

"That's what everybody works hard for, the coaches are working six days a week for the big game, so that they can get the ball over the other team's goal-line.

"There is technology today, it's been introduced in tennis and they can't tell me technology is not there.

"Forty years ago, America put a man on the moon. So the technology is there.

"I know that FIFA are looking at it, there's talk in UEFA too about putting maybe another two assistants, maybe two men behind the goal to check, but can they actually beat the cameras that can see from various angles?"

Dein added: "What we're looking for here is to use technology for the benefit of the game to help the referees make the right decision.

"We're not trying to talk about whether it was offside or not, there has to be a start somewhere and this has to start with the goal-line."

Another debate that has raged in English football of late is whether a sporting director is a help or hindrance to a modern Premier League club.

Tottenham are one club that went down that route with Damien Comolli, who was subsequently sacked, and the failure of the structure also led to the downfall of former manager Juande Ramos last month.

But Dein insisted that there was no right way for clubs to go, provided the route taken delivered positive results.

He added: "Whatever works to be successful (is best), whether it's with a sporting director or without one.

"I have to say when I was working with Arsene (Wenger, Arsenal manager) for 10 years, we didn't have a sporting director, there was just a special chemistry there that brought success.

"Spurs tried it recently but have now abolished it I understand. In effect, you don't want to have too many cooks. I believe that a manager has to manage. A manager has to choose the players he wants to buy, he has to choose the players he want to sell.

"He is solely in charge when it comes to his selection process. Any interference from outside is dangerous.

"So a sporting director may be like a glorified scout, who recommends players to the manager, but in the end it has to be the manager's final decision."