Platini unimpressed with football tech

UEFA president Michel Platini claims the introduction of technology would be bad for football.

The Frenchman added the additional referees being used behind the goal-line in European competitions would have seen Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England in 1986.
England were denied a clear goal in their World Cup defeat to Germany last year, when Frank Lampard's drive hit the crossbar and crossed the line before bouncing out.
That, along with a series of other controversial incidents, brought renewed calls for goal-line technology to be introduced, but Platini will strongly oppose any moves to bring it in.
"In my opinion technology isn't good for football," he told Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
"Nobody (at UEFA) wants to bring it into our sport - and nor does (FIFA president Sepp) Blatter."
Platini says the two additional referees recently introduced behind the goal-line in the Champions League and Europa League are sufficient, claiming they would have spotted Maradona's handled effort 25 years ago.
"The two additional referees in each area are a great help," he said.
"They would have seen Maradona's hand.
"Football was managed by just one man for 100 years and it was impossible to appreciate everything that happened on the pitch, so sometimes he would make decisions without having seen what went on.
"Now if a referee doesn't see something it's because he's not very good."
Platini also claims the additional referees have limited diving in the penalty area, and believes no further technology is necessary.
"In the last edition of the Champions League there were three of four decisions that the referees corrected on seeing that the ball had not entered the area," he said.
"There is no more simulation in the area because there is a referee who sees it; we are happy and we don't need more technology."
Platini was also critical in the Marca interview of Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese claimed in the wake of a Champions League semi-final first-leg defeat to Barcelona that the Catalan club had an influence over referees and that they had not won the 2009 Champions League cleanly because of decisions in their favour in the semi-final encounter against Chelsea.
"I'm especially fond of him; I love Mourinho," Platini said.
"I like him as a man and also his character as a coach, but that doesn't mean the disciplinary body of UEFA will not deal with him - that has nothing to do with it.
"He said stupid things and that's why the disciplinary commission decided to sanction him."
Mourinho was given a five-match European ban by UEFA for his outburst, a sanction which Real have appealed against, but Platini says the case will not affect their relationship.
"He has taken up his right to appeal and we'll see what happens, but we will still get on well," the Frenchman said.
"When I played there were referees that I had a very good relationship with, but they still gave me yellow cards... and my father would slap me when I behaved badly as a child but it was because he loved me."
Platini, however, said he will have nothing to do with the case.
"The disciplinary commission is a completely independent body and the president of UEFA has nothing to do with all that," he said.
"I don't get involved with disciplinary issues or referees."
But the former France star reiterated that UEFA is a neutral organisation.
"UEFA is neutral, firm and respects everyone," he said.
"The referees don't favour Barcelona more than Real Madrid, nor Juventus more than AC Milan."
Platini says the organisation has a fight on its hands to eliminate violence and corruption cases from the game.
"We are fighting and we will always fight against those things. Racism and violence are external circumstances in football - individuals who go to the stadium for political reasons," he said.
"Then there are other factors relative to the game, namely illegal betting - those affect the players directly, they affect me, they affect everyone.
"We have to eliminate it radically, but I need the collaboration of the governments. We are talking about investigations that have already begun, but that are very dangerous. There's a lot of money at stake and I need the governments, the judges and the justice system to help us eradicate the problem."