Blatter firm on keeping human face of football

Sepp Blatter, the president of the world governing body, Fifa, has again ruled out the use of video replays to help referees during matches.

Sepp Blatter, the president of the world governing body, Fifa, has again ruled out the use of video replays to help referees during matches.

"As long as I am Fifa president, there will be no video evidence," Blatter said at a workshop for World Cup referees in Frankfurt on Saturday. "Football is a game with a human face and mistakes are possible - from coaches, players and referees."

Blatter has long opposed the use of video replays, despite its successful use in sports like rugby and cricket. Debate over the use of technology in football has intensified since officials failed to see the ball had crossed the Manchester United line by about a metre in last month's Premiership match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Elsewhere, the Tottenham striker Mido apologised yesterday for the attitude that has seen him left out of the Egyptian national side since July.

"All there is to say is that I came from England to Egypt to rejoin the national team and to apologise for all my mistakes," he said. "It's not my right to give orders and say when I want to play. I will make sure that I put the national team's matches as my top priority."