Auxerre and Le Mans drew 1-1 on Sunday in Ligue 1. I read it on Monday, at the chip shop. The score hadn’t changed. The rest kept me busy longer.
A header from Lucas Buades. A deflection from Danny Namaso towards his own goal. Paul Nardi, the Auxerre keeper, seemed to have pushed the ball away on his line. The referee, Willy Delajod, let play go on. Then his watch buzzed. Goal.
Will Still, the Auxerre coach, told Ligue 1+ that the 3D replay showed Paul Nardi’s glove. That it was impossible. He was told only two of the four watches had buzzed. “I don’t know how their images work. They told me they’d had a computer problem, that it was unprecedented,” he said.
Four watches. In 1980, the referee had one. It told the time. For the line, there was a man with a flag, and his eyes. He got it wrong sometimes. We knew that. We went home to eat.
Today the referee lets play go on, and waits for his wrist to decide. I’m not criticising. I’m comparing.
I looked at my watch, at the chip shop. It doesn’t buzz. It has never had a computer problem. It has run two minutes slow since 1976, and I have never called that unprecedented.
Silly question, but if two watches say no, do we ever listen to them?
Cameron Archer equalised a few minutes later. Auxerre stay 12th. Well. It’s the times.
It’s true, we checked: Walfoot.
