IF the use of television match officials is ever to be introduced in football, the governing bodies would do well to look at the Rugby World Cup and take heed.

Nobody is denying that the use of the TMO helps referees make the correct decision but the lengthy process is now bordering on the farcical.

Its use over the first raft of fixtures last weekend at times stunted the momentum of games as incidents were continually referred “upstairs”.

I don’t think any right-thinking fan has a problem with referees asking for assistance in certain situations, particularly when ruling on tries.

But they don’t want it at the detriment of the game.

This is where football comes in.

Referees are forever being hounded over decisions, their calls analysed in microscopic detail by instant television replays, which are often beamed to the crowd via big screens.

But using such things to referee games would open up a can of worms, as rugby is demonstrating.

Football already has a system where incidents can be “re-refer-eed” by a panel after the match.

Trying to reach the same conclusion during play would be hugely time-consuming.

Where would you draw the line?

The introduction of goal-line technology has been a revelation but I’m not sure going back to look at penalties, for example, would be prudent.

Not least because such decisions are often subjective, unlike tries or knock-ons in rugby, with opinions differing from referee to referee.

Another pair of eyes is only going to muddy those waters.

It also further dilutes the authority of the man in the middle.

Given the stick officials get, would they not just take the easy option and refer any decision they could if they had the chance and let someone else take the blame?

Sometimes we have to accept that referees are human and will make errors, just like players do on the pitch.

It’s not ideal but it’s about striking a happy medium that doesn’t detract from the game.