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Switzerland

Goaaaaaal!!?????? World Soccer Chiefs Bicker Over Official Use Of Instant Replay

With a final decision looming, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has reversed his longstanding opposition to using instant replay to help referees. But other soccer officials oppose the idea, like UEFA President Michel Platini and German legend Franz Beckenbaur

Crossing the line? (Goose#19)
Crossing the line? (Goose#19)
Simon Meier


ZURICH - It seems paradoxical that soccer, a sport where cameras are always welcome, is having an identity crisis over the implementation of a video system, believed to be simple and reliable, to determine whether or not the ball has crossed the goal line.

The technology seems necessary in light of recent refereeing mistakes, most notably the England-Germany game in the last World Cup when Frank Lampard's 2-2 equalizer for England was refused by the referee despite instant replay showing the ball clearly crossing the line. Even Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, world soccer's governing body, a longtime critic of official instant replay, has had a change of heart: "The 2014 World Cup will use instant replay in order to avoid ghost goals."

Mistakes make emotions?

Most soccer insiders, as well as fans, have welcomed the decision. Modern soccer, with its financial stakes, can no longer afford to leave the outcome of a game to fate or the flawed decision of a human referee.

But Michel Platini, Europe's top soccer official, and Blatter's likely successor, has remained openly opposed to the use of technology during games. The French soccer legend believes in human decisions, and has long been calling for two extra referees on the field behind the goal line. Another soccer legend, Germany's Franz Beckenbauer followed Platini's lead saying "soccer is a simple game with simple rules which lives on emotion." The International Football Association Board, which has finally say on soccer's global rules, is slated to choose between reliable refereeing and emotions in March.

Read the original article in French

Photo - Goose#19

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Economy

Globalization Takes A New Turn, Away From China

China is still a manufacturing juggernaut and a growing power, but companies are looking for alternatives as Chinese labor costs continue to rise — as do geopolitical tensions with Beijing.

Photo of a woman working at a motorbike factory in China's Yunnan Province.

A woman works at a motorbike factory in China's Yunnan Province.

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — What were the representatives of dozens of large American companies doing in Vietnam these past few days?

A few days earlier, a delegation of foreign company chiefs currently based in China were being welcomed by business and government leaders in Mexico.

Then there was Foxconn, Apple's Taiwanese subcontractor, which signed an investment deal in the Indian state of Telangana, enabling the creation of 100,000 jobs. You read that right: 100,000 jobs.

What these three examples have in common is the frantic search for production sites — other than China!

For the past quarter century, China has borne the crown of the "world's factory," manufacturing the parts and products that the rest of the planet needs. Billionaire Jack Ma's Alibaba.com platform is based on this principle: if you are a manufacturer and you are looking for cheap ball bearings, or if you are looking for the cheapest way to produce socks or computers, Alibaba will provide you with a solution among the jungle of factories in Shenzhen or Dongguan, in southern China.

All of this is still not over, but the ebb is well underway.

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