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Despite frequent calls by players, managers and fans, FIFA's resistance to the implementation of goal-line technology (GLT) has been well documented in national print and online media as well as FIFA's own website. In 2010, FIFA president Sepp Blatter outlined eight reasons why GLT should not be used in football. The reasons given by FIFA can be broadly separated into three categories; those dealing with the nature and value of the game of football, those related to issues of justice, and those concerned with the practical implementation of GLT. This paper intends to evaluate these eight reasons in order to assess whether there are, indeed, any good arguments against GLT in football.KEYWORDS goal line; technology; FIFA; football; justice Despite frequent calls by players, managers and fans, FIFA's resistance to the implementation of goal-line technology (GLT) has been well documented in national print and online media as well as FIFA's own website. 1 In an attempt to clarify its view once and for all, FIFA president Sepp Blatter outlined in 2010, as part of his 'President's Column' on the FIFA website, eight reasons why GLT should not be used in football (Blatter 2010). Some of these reasons were concerned with the accuracy and reliability of the technology, others were historical and cultural, but all are the reasonably familiar ones that are perennially discussed by fans in pubs and online forums. It must be said, however, that despite the apparent clarification given by FIFA on its website in March 2010, it has never been consistent in its stance on this issue. Indeed, the very page where these reasons were given has now been removed from FIFA's website and no reference to it can be found. 2 A sceptic may ask whether this is further evidence of its wavering view, as there have been frequent times when FIFA representatives have both welcomed the possibility of this technology 3 and fiercely opposed it. 4 Although FIFA's current position is a tentative acceptance of GLT, as recently as March 2010 it said the 'door was closed' on the issue (BBC Sport Online 2010a). However, it was following a couple of clear and high-profile referring errors which were made during the 2010 men's World Cup finals three months later that FIFA once again changed its stance and instigated a new testing procedure open to developers of GLT which, if proven reliable, would be used in future competitions.

To date, there has been little philosophical consideration of the concept of shame in sport, yet sport seems to be an environment conducive to the experience of shame due to its public and unequivocal nature demonstrating failure and success. Whilst much of the philosophical commentary of shame in sport suggests it acts as a quasi-virtue that holds the spirit of sport together and prevents cheating and other bad behaviour, I will argue that the real experience of shame (in contrast to embarrassment or guilt) is an adverse emotion, that undermines athlete well-being and a good sports experience. This paper will provide an analysis of the concept of shame and its relation to other similar emotions, consider its ethical function, and evaluate its effect upon elite athletes in sport. I will conclude by arguing that those involved in sport need to recognise the destructive effect that shame can have upon individuals, how it can manifest itself in other negative emotions such as anger and depression and how sports authorities need to work harder to counter the pervasive and negative effects of shame in sport.

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