A majority of the International Football Association Board voted against the idea in Zurich yesterday, although the FAs of England and Scotland backed the plan.

Poll admitted he was "disappointed but not surprised" by the decision, which puts football out of step with sports such as cricket, tennis and rugby which have all embraced differing levels of technology.

Asked the reason for football's reticence on Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme, Poll said: "It's probably because of the level of arrogance. They feel that we have the best game, it's our game, the number one game and it's the same as experimenting with things like sin bins - 'Oh no, that's a rugby idea we wouldn't do that.'

"It's like having a look at a different method of offsides - 'Oh we won't do that, hockey have done that, we have to be different, we're football.'

"It's hugely disappointing.

"And to hear one of the reasons as 'Well it's what people like to talk about in pubs, think back to 1966. Was the ball over the line or not?' The world has moved on massively since then.

"In 1966 we didn't have the possibility of seeing immediately whether the ball was a goal or wasn't a goal.

"It's changed completely and it's really affecting the confidence and respect that match officials now have."

Poll believes goal-line technology has been proved to work and would have helped referee Steve Bennett and assistant referee Adam Watts on Saturday when it appeared Liam Ridgewell's header for Birmingham had crossed the Portsmouth line in their FA Cup quarter final.

The 'goal' was not given and Birmingham manager Alex McLeish was left fuming.

Poll said: "To be fair to Adam Watts I don't think many people would have seen that ball and been 100% confident that ball was over the line.

"They may have suspected it may well have done but that's not good enough. You need to know and therefore Adam Watts had to say, 'I can't say for sure, I'm not giving it.'

"It's very unfair to then blame him because that undermines his authority. It's not helping match officials not bringing technology in."

Asked if he believed the game's rulers were burying their heads in the sand he replied: "Yes I do. They think this is Pandora's box. Once they bring in any form of technology you won't be able to stop it.

"It will be action replays and really spoiling the game that we all love and I can understand that concern, but the time surely has come that we need to help match officials in goals. That's what football's all about.

"I guarantee the referee and assistants from yesterday's match will have driven home being very, very sad that they missed that goal."