Adidas ball sensors Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal against Uruguay in FIFA World Cup
Follow Us
Cristiano Ronaldo
Did Cristiano Ronaldo score the first goal for Portugal or not against Uruguay is a debate that occupies prime space in head and heart at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The larger picture on Monday was Portugal winning 2-0, but the drama involving the dramatis personae — Ronaldo — was true stuff which he is always part of.
CR7, the Portugal star, felt he had got a touch to the ball. And, the entire stadium erupted in joy. So did social media and all those watching it on television. Then came the change, or correction, as FIFA awarded the goal to Bruno Fernandes, the smiling assassin, who had a dream outing in an important Group H match which took them into the Round of 16.
It was a riot of celebration from Ronaldo after Portugal scored the first goal. The former Manchester United star exploded into his usual celebration style, which is different for each talismanic striker. Then came the official news from FIFA that as per the sensor technology being used on the Adidas ball, there was no touch from Ronaldo. That the goal was credited to Fernandes, who pumped in a double, officially, matters a lot. This certainly was no touch and go, though, for Portugal.
This is a bit like the good old censor boards when they used to edit Bollywood movies in India, heartlessly, some years ago. Whatever scenes were considered too sexy, saucy, or violent, were clipped, or trimmed. Sometimes, what the producer may have thought was a necessary “shot” would vanish when you were seated at the box office in movie theatres.
If football is the theatre of the world’s most beautiful game, a man romances the ball and creates dreams which send fans into a frenzy. The world of football has seen even the “Hand of God” help Diego Maradona and Argentina, controversially. Maradona has died but the controversy won’t go to the grave. It stays etched in a digital imprint forever.
Related: WATCH: NFL star George Pickens hits Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature celebration ‘SIUU’
Drama in Qatar over who scored for Portugal but the Adidas ball comes in to spoil the fun for Cristiano Ronaldo and billions of his fans
What will stay in the hearts of Ronaldo’s fans’ is his trademark celebration, which is a joyful expression of his creativity and energy release. So what, if, on Monday night, he “missed” one goal or was robbed of it? To the naked eye, it looked like Ronaldo’s goal, no mistaking it. The bad part is, technology does bring in more fair play but robs sport of its human element. This applies to all sports — tennis, cricket, and hockey. What you saw becomes an illusion as replays, ultra edges, snickometer, and so on are now a big part of sports broadcast jargon. The action replays bring a fresh angle into controversies.
If it is Ronaldo, he gets riled and ridiculed by the stiff-upper-lip Brit media, who think the Portuguese star sinned at Manchester United as Piers Morgan did a sensational interview just for getting millions of views! Heck, who cares. The GOAT debate (Greatest Of All Time) rages in football between two maestros (or villains?) who belong to Portugal and Ronaldo. They will leave us with indelible memories.
What the Adidas ball with a sensor has done is act like a censor. Yes, it has been brought in to catch off-side forays as well, something which has to be caught in football. Just to jog the readers’ memory, even hockey had the off-side rule, before it was done away with. Why? Well, there were too many stoppages which was affecting the flow of play on the hockey synthetic pitch. It is now well accepted that doing away with the off-side rule in hockey has made it more speedy with less stoppage. To think football will do the same is unthinkable, at least, on this day.
The controversy or love affair between CR7 and Piers Morgan continues, even at this moment. Social media says Ronaldo texted Morgan that he got a touch to the ball. Some folks are saying, “balls!” They are Ronaldo haters, as they think the guy who had the gall to expose the Old Trafford club, is a traitor. No censoring that, like Piers Morgan Uncensored.
As much as technology is inclusive, it is also intrusive. None can deny that technology has made life miserable for those who supervise sports, be it refs, umpires, or linesmen. Above all these blips, bleeps, and so on, what remains intact is the human element of an athlete striving to showcase his skills. In his fifth World Cup, and having won five Ball d’ Ór Awards, Ronaldo will be there to treat us to more classics in the Round of 16. Isn’t that the bigger news than what a football sensor does, so soullessly? For the record, the Adidas ball sends info to the video department watching the match at the controls at a rate of 500 times a second! Like it? Or do you want to kick it?
Stay Updated!
S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)