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Even when accurate, video replay hasn’t eliminated controversy from the soccer pitch

Soccer officiating is a hard job -- three sets of eyes responsible for 1.75 acres, 22 players (some of whom aim to deceive) and micro-close offside rulings.

The sport has caught up with the times and begun implementing video replay worldwide to correct mistakes and alert referees to what they might have missed. Most everyone in the sport supports the idea of technology to help get it right. As D.C. United Coach Ben Olsen said, “It’s the future. It’s going to happen.”

But replay is not always perfect. Human beings must still interpret what they think they see, and they must reach a conclusion in a timely fashion to avoid long delays in a sport priding itself on continuous play.