Former Premier League referee Graham Poll believes that UEFA's decision to introduce an extra official behind each goal-line in the Champions League and Euro 2012 qualifiers over the next two seasons will not lead to a major improvement in the percentage of decisions officials will get right.
The use of additional officials was trialled in the Europa League this season with mixed results.
Poll, who is best remembered for famously awarding Croatia defender Josip Simunic three yellow cards before showing him a red at the 2006 World Cup, told Five Live: "I think there were moments where it (extra officials) worked well like when Dirk Kuyt scored a goal for Liverpool and the assistant tried to rule it out for offside, but the guy behind the goal knew that there had not been a touch.
"But I think there was a big mistake at Fulham where they tried to send off the wrong player with the help of the extra assistant and they made a mess of it.
"But you will always have human error, no matter how many officials you have that element will come in. We either embrace that and get on with it or we say we don't want that and we use the technological element."
Poll also believes it is time for the use of goal-line technology or video replays to be trialled, and is disappointed that the game's governing bodies do not seem keen to implement such a system.
"What disappoints me is they are not prepared to try," he said.
"It is surely time to give it an opportunity. Try it in the something like the Carling Cup. If it disrupts the flow of play then they can say technology isn't helping, but if it makes it better it should be introduced.
"To say they will not even try to me is an error."
Poll, who is best remembered for famously awarding Croatia defender Josip Simunic three yellow cards before showing him a red at the 2006 World Cup, told Five Live: "I think there were moments where it (extra officials) worked well like when Dirk Kuyt scored a goal for Liverpool and the assistant tried to rule it out for offside, but the guy behind the goal knew that there had not been a touch.
"But I think there was a big mistake at Fulham where they tried to send off the wrong player with the help of the extra assistant and they made a mess of it.
"But you will always have human error, no matter how many officials you have that element will come in. We either embrace that and get on with it or we say we don't want that and we use the technological element."
Poll also believes it is time for the use of goal-line technology or video replays to be trialled, and is disappointed that the game's governing bodies do not seem keen to implement such a system.
"What disappoints me is they are not prepared to try," he said.
"It is surely time to give it an opportunity. Try it in the something like the Carling Cup. If it disrupts the flow of play then they can say technology isn't helping, but if it makes it better it should be introduced.
"To say they will not even try to me is an error."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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