By Les Tan/Red Sports

adidas intelligent ball

adidas and Cairos Technologies tested this ball at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan from December 7 through 16, 2007. The IFAB rejected the technology by a vote of 6-2. The English FA voted against it as well. (Image courtesy of adidas Singapore)

With the English in mourning about their 4-1 hammering at the hands of the Germans in yesterday’s last-16 World Cup game, they can perhaps blame FIFA, the Welsh and the Irish for it while they drown their sorrows in copious amounts of beer.

Did you know, that the International Football Association Board lays down the laws of the game?

And do you know who sits on the board? FIFA, football’s governing body, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, the Irish Football Association and finally, England’s Football Association.

And do you know what they did?

In March of this year, the board voted against video technology by a vote of 6 to 2.

And do you know who voted against it? FIFA, with four votes, and the Welsh and Irish FA.

The board turned down the Hawkeye video technology used in tennis and cricket as well as the intelligent ball developed by adidas and Cairos Technologies which had a microchip embedded into it to determine whether a goal is scored.

Would England have come back if the score was tied 2-2? Who knows. The English will talk about this for the next 50 years like how they are stilling talking about 1966.

And why only five bodies get to determine what 200 football associations can or cannot do, is the topic for another post. Sounds pretty autocratic, but hey, since when was sport a democracy?

Ed’s note: We initially said that the English FA did not vote for it. We misread and scored an own goal! Sorry.