Not a single nil-nil draw had been played since the tournament began. -Photo by AFP

WARSAW: UEFA president Michel Platini on Monday said that having five match officials at Euro 2012 has led to more goals being scored, as not a single nil-nil draw had been played since the tournament began.

“How is that you're seeing more goals scored in these championships? I think you know the answer: five officials makes things easier,” Platini told reporters in Warsaw.

“With extra officials you're aware of more things: the fear of getting caught is there. There's no more shirt-pulling, players know that the referee is there and they can't commit fouls all the time,” he added.

“With five, officials see everything. They don't take decisions without being fully aware. There's also a uniformity of refereeing, for example, they don't call unintentional handballs. That uniformity has led to more flowing football.”

Platini said that with five officials, an incident like Frank Lampard's disallowed goal during England's match with Germany in the World Cup last 16 would never have happened.

The former France captain said he expected the guardians of football's laws to allow goal-line technology to be introduced into the sport, as world governing body FIFA president Sepp Blatter backs the system.

But Platini again stated his position that its introduction could be a slippery slope.

“Goal-line technology isn't a problem. The problem is the arrival of technology because after you'll need technology for deciding handballs and then for offside decisions and so on. It'll be like that forever and ever,” he added.

“It'll never stop. That's the problem I have.”

Opinion

Editorial

Holding the line
16 Mar, 2026

Holding the line

PAKISTAN’S long battle against polio has recently produced encouraging signs. Data from the national eradication...
Power self-reliance
Updated 16 Mar, 2026

Power self-reliance

PAKISTAN’S transition to domestic sources of electricity is a welcome development for a country that has long been...
Looking for safety
16 Mar, 2026

Looking for safety

AS the Middle East conflict enters its third week, the war’s most enduring victims are not those who wage it....
Battling hate
Updated 15 Mar, 2026

Battling hate

In the current scenario, geopolitical conflict, racial prejudice and religious bigotry all contribute to the threats Muslims face.
TB drugs shortage
15 Mar, 2026

TB drugs shortage

‘CRIMINAL negligence’ is the phrase that jumps to mind when one considers the disturbing consequences of the...
Chinese diplomacy
Updated 14 Mar, 2026

Chinese diplomacy

THERE are signs that China is taking a more active role in trying to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism...