Antoine Griezmann and Didier Deschamps have expressed their dissatisfaction with the absence of goal-line technology during the French national team’s 2-2 draw in Greece.
Did the ball cross the line? In a match against Greece on Tuesday night (2-2), the final game of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, at the 89th minute, on a deflected cross from Kingsley Coman, the ball hit both opposing posts, curving inside the goal. Television images are clear: the goal should have been awarded… but there was no Goal Line Technology.
The VAR officials deemed that the ball had not completely crossed the line.
“We missed the goal-line technology! UEFA has a lot of money and can’t get everything in order so we know if it’s a goal or not? We need to ask more of UEFA. If they want us to play a lot of matches, let’s ask them for more technology,” said French vice-captain Antoine Griezmann in an interview with TF1.
Didier Deschamps was more diplomatic but also regretted this error that could have cost the French dearly in a different context. “What I already regret is that we are at the international level. It could have been the same match with a qualification at stake, and to have a field without goal-line technology is a bit… Why wasn’t there goal-line technology? Because there wasn’t, that’s it, it costs a lot… Obviously, it’s inconsistent with the requirements of high-level competition. I put myself in the referees’ shoes; they are the ones who suffer. The VAR gentleman is 99% sure it’s in, but there’s 1% left because of the image… Well. It has no impact, except that it was another winning match and all that goes with it: we would have had a clean sweep and been sure to be at the top of the FIFA rankings at the end of the year. After all, it’s not the lack of goal-line technology that made us concede two goals either. But we did what was necessary to come back and ensure we won the match. It’s a game incident that, given the stakes, is quite surprising.”