Uefa introduces extra refs to Champions League

Champion's League games this coming season will have an extra two referees – one stationed behind each goal – in an attempt to try and stamp out the kind of refereeing blunders that saw Frank Lampard's World Cup goal against Germany wrongly disallowed.

The system of having five officials instead of three had already been trialled in the Europa League last season, and was deemed such a success that Uefa are extending the experiment to the Champions League, Super Cup and Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Speaking in reference to the experiment, world famous ex-referee Pierluigi Collina said: "People have said that in last season's Europa League there were no controversial calls but I think it is exactly because of the extra officials in the area.

"I think that some of the shock cases seen in the World Cup would have been avoided."

Whether or not this particular experiment turns out to be a success, FIFA General Secretar Jerome Valcke has already stated his belief that this year's World Cup would be the last to use the current refereeing system.

The alternative to extra officials is goal-line technology and Valcke revealed that there would be an "open discussion" on it at FIFA's next meeting in October.

"If we think goal-line technology is the way to make sure right decisions can be made, then it is a completely open discussion," he said.

Whatever the decision is, fans will be hoping it is made as quickly as possible. The French Women's U-20 squad yesterday found themselves the latest victims of a refereeing blunder when, just like Lampard's in the World Cup, a shot rebounded into the goal off a crossbar before bouncing out – and was not given by the ref. Co-incidentally their opponents were Germany, who won 4-1. ·