Argentinian legend Diego Maradona has said that his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal would not have counted with current video technology in football.
Maradona said this while backing the use of video assistant referees, VAR.
The attacking midfielder, during his playing days, had used his hand to score in Argentina’s 2 – 1 quarter- final victory against England during their 1986 World Cup.
He also admitted to another crucial handball in the 1990 tournament.
The former Napoli great told fifa.com, “I think about it whenever I show my support for the use of technology.
“I thought about it and, sure, that goal wouldn’t have stood if technology had been around.
“And I’ll tell you something else: at the 1990 World Cup I used my hand to clear the ball off the line against the Soviet Union.
“We were lucky because the referee didn’t see it. You couldn’t use technology then, but it ’s a different story today.”
Goal-line technology has taken center stage in world football, while VAR was used for the first time in a senior international tournament during 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.
“Football can’t fall behind,” insisted Maradona.
“People used to say that we ’d waste a lot of time, that it would cause a lot of annoyance . But that’s not the case.
“People get annoyed when something that shouldn’t be given is given , or when you have a goal wrongly disallowed.
“Technology brings transparency and quality, and it provides a positive outcome for teams who decide to attack and take risks.
“ It’s not just my goal in ’86 that wouldn’t have counted . Let ’s not forget that England won the World Cup in ’66 with a shot that didn ’t go over the line. “Then it happened to them in 2010 , when (Frank) Lampard’s shot crossed the line against Germany but wasn ’t given . England had the ball and scored the goal they deserved, but Germany grew in confidence after that and it changed the match completely.”
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