With ironic timing, FIFA announced that they would not be going with goal-line technology just as Birmingham City's Liam Ridgewell was having a header clawed out from behind the goal line by Pompey's David James.

The failure to award Birmingham City a perfectly legitimate goal was hopefully a split-second human error by match officials already confronted by an increasingly fast-moving game. However, it still only goes further to expose the ludicrousness of FIFA's almost comical determination to neither embrace the 21st century nor protect the integrity of the beautiful game.

The outrage that greeted Thierry Henry's appalling piece of blatant cheating when he intentionally handled the ball to set up the decisive goal against the Republic of Ireland in Paris last year, may turn to revulsion if France succeed at this summer's World Cup finals at the Irish team's expense.

It does seem that no matter how many rules or laws we have in place, it would be foolish to assume that these are being followed at all times by those involved. Imagine a football match without a referee and the chaos that would ensue.

Failure by FIFA to face-up to the realities of not having goal-line technology is matched by their irrationality in believing that the problems may be cured by implementing further new rules which they are now considering. But what has any of this have to do with the ACR industry?

Well, we work in a heavily legislated industry where many reputable companies and individuals spend significant sums of time and money to face-up to their responsibilities.

We have trade associations and professional bodies that aim to protect our interests and place priority on spreading valuable information that will help us meet our legal, social and environmental obligations; all positive and laudable.

Although policing is hardly ever welcomed by industry, we will all have to live with the consequences of not having any referees.

Self-regulation and the lack of external, independent policing, does nothing to protect this industry.

The acr industry needs protection from those within that cut-corners and those who choose to attack us from outside by calling for further law and bans.

In football, the ref may sometimes be blind, but at least they have one!