By Linus Mba
THE arguments are getting more intense; some viewing centres have been converted to boxing rings; a lot of passion is evoked particularly when European teams that are heavily supported in Nigeria play.

These arguments are on many occasions provoked by the actions rarely of competing players but by the actions or decisions of referees relating to interpretation and application of the Laws of the Game.

As stated earlier the arguments among the supporters of such teams Man U., Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and in Nigeria teams like Kano Pillars, Enyimba; Shooting Stars; Calabar Rovers; Kaduna Utd; Akwa Utd;  etc

Something urgent needs to be done to attempt to soothe the nerves of the uninformed among the supporters – a sort of an arbiter – to explain the intricacies of the technicalities of the Laws of the Game. I have decided to assume this role in the interest of the game of football.

I will be serving the readers with answers to technical  questions  and often scratching deep into the spirit behind the laws that confuse when applied in the matches readers observe.   We are also going to use this forum to often x-ray developments in football refereeing from international bodies such as FIFA, CAF and WAFU as well as Nigerian referees’ designations.

I would like to conclude this introductory piece by responding to recent demands that FIFA should introduce into the game video play for doubtful referees’ decisions.

The suggestion amounts to asking the football authority to allow players who miss glaring goal scoring opportunities for second chance. Human error is part of the game which  will be lost by a second chance.