World Cup: After further review, Blatter says FIFA will consider video replay

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Under a barrage of criticism over poor officiating at the World Cup, FIFA President Sepp Blatter apologized to England and Mexico for the refereeing errors that helped to eliminate them from the World Cup and said FIFA would reopen the debate on introducing video technology.

That reverses a long-held FIFA position -- restated just a day earlier -- that the use of video technology was not open to debate.

Blatter said Tuesday that he had apologized to team officials and that the delegations of both teams had accepted his apology.

‘Naturally, we deplore when you see the evidence of refereeing mistakes,’ Blatter said.

Blatter said FIFA will ‘reopen the file’ on video technology at a meeting of its rule-making panel in Wales next month. He added that it would be ‘a nonsense’ not to consider changes.

Blatter said FIFA had set a deadline of October or November to create a new concept for improving match control by referees and assistants ‘in high-level competitions.’

-- Kevin Baxter in Pretoria, South Africa