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WARM-UPS

1. ERRORS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about errors. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

technology / showcases / decisions / refereeing / protesting / goals / momentum / resign / embarrassed / ignoring facts / human error / sympathy / football stars / fans

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. TECHNOLOGY: How can it make things better? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

Technology in…	How much better?	Why?
Soccer
Studying English
Exams
Relationships
Swimming
Cooking

4. VIDEO REFEREE: Students A strongly believe video referees are necessary in soccer; Students B strongly believe they aren’t.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. HUMAN ERROR: Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. The worst goes at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

Pilot error Doctor misdiagnosis Referee disallows a good goal Soldier’s ‘friendly fire’

Marry the wrong person Buy the wrong shoes Study for the wrong exam Call your boss bad names

6. WORLD CUP: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the World Cup. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Many people want to see technology introduced in soccer games.	T / F
b.	Mistakes were made by referees in two important World Cup matches.	T / F
c.	The Mexican team accepted the referee’s decision without argument.	T / F
d.	Mexico’s football changed after the poor judgment by the referee.	T / F
e.	The FIFA president has called for the referees to resign.	T / F
f.	The president wants goal-line technology but FIFA doesn’t.	T / F
g.	Very few soccer coaches and players want technology in their sport.	T / F
h.	England’s old enemy Maradona feels sorry for England.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	calls	a.	ruined
2	totally	b.	supporter
3.	marred	c.	quit
4.	obvious	d.	requests
5.	momentum	e.	ashamed
6.	resign	f.	clear
7.	embarrassed	g.	understanding
8.	extremely	h.	completely
9.	sympathy	i.	very
10.	fan	j.	impetus

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	coming thick	a.	his officials saw it
2	refereeing decisions that marred	b.	outcome of the game
3.	Neither the referee nor	c.	goal-line technology
4.	obvious errors potentially changed the	d.	to resign
5.	Mexico lost their shape after	e.	and fast
6.	calls for FIFA president Sepp Blatter	f.	fan of England
7.	there is no place in football for	g.	Tevez’s goal
8.	keep the game of football	h.	error
9.	reduce human	i.	the knockout games
10.	I'm not a great	j.	as it is

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

Calls to use technology for big ____________ in football are coming thick and fast at the FIFA World Cup – the game’s greatest ____________. These follow two totally wrong refereeing decisions that ____________ the knockout games between Germany and England, and Argentina and Mexico. In the first game, a shot by England playmaker Frank Lampard clearly ____________ the goal line by a metre. Neither the referee nor his ____________ saw it so no goal was given. In the later game, Argentina’s Carlos Tevez was several metres offside. Despite the ____________ Mexican team protesting, his headed goal was given. Both of these obvious ____________ potentially changed the outcome of the game. England would have had the momentum, coming back from 2-0 down to ____________ at 2-2. Mexico lost their shape after Tevez’s goal was allowed to stand.		whole crossed showcase errors decisions level marred officials
There have been many calls for FIFA president Sepp Blatter to ____________. Tottenham boss Harry Rednapp said Mr Blatter should be embarrassed. Blatter believes there is no ____________ in football for goal-line technology or video replays. FIFA general-secretary Jerome Valcke said in March: "Technology should not ____________ into the game…Let's keep the game of football as it is." The game’s two top officials are ____________ the fact that technology is used extremely well in almost every other sport to bring ____________ and reduce human ____________. Former England captain Alan Shearer pointed out: "All the managers and the stars of football are calling for it.” Even Maradona had ____________ for England, saying: "Today we saw that goal that was ruled out for England, and you know that I'm not a great ____________ of England.”		enter fan resign error fairness place sympathy ignoring

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Calls to use technology _____________________ football are coming thick and fast at the FIFA World Cup – the _____________________. These follow two totally wrong refereeing decisions _____________________ knockout games between Germany and England, and Argentina and Mexico. In the first game, a shot by England playmaker Frank Lampard clearly _____________________ by a metre. Neither the referee nor his officials saw it so no goal was given. In the later game, Argentina’s Carlos Tevez was several metres offside. _____________________ Mexican team protesting, his headed goal was given. Both of these obvious errors potentially changed the outcome of the game. England would have _____________________, coming back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2. Mexico lost their shape after Tevez’s goal was allowed to stand.

There have been many calls for FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign. Tottenham boss Harry Rednapp said Mr Blatter _____________________. Blatter believes _____________________ football for goal-line technology or video replays. FIFA general-secretary Jerome Valcke said in March: "Technology should _____________________ game…Let's keep the game of football as it is." The game’s two top officials are ignoring the fact that technology is used extremely well in almost every other sport to bring fairness and _____________________. Former England captain Alan Shearer pointed out: "All the managers and the stars of football are calling for it.” Even Maradona _____________________ England, saying: "Today we saw that goal _____________________ England, and you know that I'm not a great fan of England.”

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘goal’ and ‘line’.

goal

line

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

big showcase playmaker later whole shape

resign place enter reduce stars fan

STUDENT ERRORS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about errors in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

TECHNOLOGY IN FOOTBALL DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘referee’?
c)	What do you think of the fact there is no technology to help referees in football?
d)	What would change in football with technology?
e)	Why do you think FIFA does not want to use goal-line technology?
f)	Can you think of examples of good uses of technology in other sports?
g)	How would technology have changed this World Cup?
h)	How do you think the English and Mexican players are feeling now?
i)	Do bad refereeing decisions spoil a game or make it more exciting?
j)	Would video technology stop players cheating?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Should FIFA president Sepp Blatter resign?
c)	What do you think of FIFA’s call to leave football “as it is”?
d)	What can coaches and players do to get the technology they need?
e)	Is human error a normal and acceptable part of sport?
f)	Should referees be as young and as fit as the players so they can keep up with the play?
g)	Do soccer players complain too much?
h)	Is this all a big fuss over nothing?
i)	What do you think of Maradona having sympathy for England?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Sepp Blatter?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

Calls to use technology for big decisions in football are coming (1) ____ and fast at the FIFA World Cup – the game’s greatest (2) ____. These follow two totally wrong refereeing decisions that (3) ____ the knockout games between Germany and England, and Argentina and Mexico. In the first game, a shot by England playmaker Frank Lampard (4) ____ crossed the goal line by a metre. Neither the referee nor his officials saw it so no goal was given. In the later game, Argentina’s Carlos Tevez was several metres offside. Despite the whole Mexican team (5) ____, his headed goal was given. Both of these obvious errors potentially changed the outcome of the game. England would have had the momentum, coming back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2. Mexico lost their shape after Tevez’s goal was allowed to (6) ____.

There have been many calls (7) ____ FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign. Tottenham boss Harry Rednapp said Mr Blatter should be embarrassed. Blatter believes there is no (8) ____ in football for goal-line technology or video replays. FIFA general-secretary Jerome Valcke said in March: "Technology should not enter into the game…Let's keep the game of football (9) ____ it is." The game’s two top officials are ignoring the fact that technology is used extremely well in almost every other sport to bring fairness and reduce (10) ____ error. Former England captain Alan Shearer pointed out: "All the managers and the stars of football are calling for it.” Even Maradona had (11) ____ for England, saying: "Today we saw that goal that was ruled (12) ____ for England, and you know that I'm not a great fan of England.”

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	thick	(b)	speed	(c)	thin	(d)	angry
2.	(a)	cabinet	(b)	shelf	(c)	showcase	(d)	display
3.	(a)	speared	(b)	marred	(c)	feared	(d)	carried
4.	(a)	clearance	(b)	cleared	(c)	clears	(d)	clearly
5.	(a)	protests	(b)	protested	(c)	protesting	(d)	protest
6.	(a)	stand	(b)	sit	(c)	kneel	(d)	sleep
7.	(a)	at	(b)	by	(c)	on	(d)	for
8.	(a)	plays	(b)	place	(c)	plaice	(d)	plates
9.	(a)	was	(b)	has	(c)	as	(d)	is
10.	(a)	human	(b)	humans	(c)	humane	(d)	humanly
11.	(a)	sympathize	(b)	sympathy	(c)	sympathetic	(d)	symphony
12.	(a)	on	(b)	in	(c)	up	(d)	out

WRITING

Write about goal-line technology for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about FIFA and its views on goal-line technology. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. TECHNOLOGY: Make a poster about technology in sport. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. ROBBED: Write a magazine article about the refereeing errors. Include imaginary interviews with the referee and the players.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Sepp Blatter. Ask him three questions about technology in football. Give him three reasons why it should be used. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

T

b.

T

c.

F

d.

T

e.

F

f.

F

g.

F

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	calls	a.	requests
2	totally	b.	very
3.	marred	c.	ruined
4.	obvious	d.	clear
5.	momentum	e.	impetus
6.	resign	f.	quit
7.	embarrassed	g.	ashamed
8.	extremely	h.	completely
9.	sympathy	i.	understanding
10.	fan	j.	supporter

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	coming thick	a.	and fast
2	refereeing decisions that marred	b.	the knockout games
3.	Neither the referee nor	c.	his officials saw it
4.	obvious errors potentially changed the	d.	outcome of the game
5.	Mexico lost their shape after	e.	Tevez’s goal
6.	calls for FIFA president Sepp Blatter	f.	to resign
7.	there is no place in football for	g.	goal-line technology
8.	keep the game of football	h.	as it is
9.	reduce human	i.	error
10.	I'm not a great	j.	fan of England

GAP FILL:

Calls for technology in soccer after ref errors

Calls to use technology for big decisions in football are coming thick and fast at the FIFA World Cup – the game’s greatest showcase. These follow two totally wrong refereeing decisions that marred the knockout games between Germany and England, and Argentina and Mexico. In the first game, a shot by England playmaker Frank Lampard clearly crossed the goal line by a metre. Neither the referee nor his officials saw it so no goal was given. In the later game, Argentina’s Carlos Tevez was several metres offside. Despite the whole Mexican team protesting, his headed goal was given. Both of these obvious errors potentially changed the outcome of the game. England would have had the momentum, coming back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2. Mexico lost their shape after Tevez’s goal was allowed to stand.

There have been many calls for FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign. Tottenham boss Harry Rednapp said Mr Blatter should be embarrassed. Blatter believes there is no place in football for goal-line technology or video replays. FIFA general-secretary Jerome Valcke said in March: "Technology should not enter into the game…Let's keep the game of football as it is." The game’s two top officials are ignoring the fact that technology is used extremely well in almost every other sport to bring fairness and reduce human error. Former England captain Alan Shearer pointed out: "All the managers and the stars of football are calling for it.” Even Maradona had sympathy for England, saying: "Today we saw that goal that was ruled out for England, and you know that I'm not a great fan of England.”

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - a

2 - c

3 - b

4 - d

5 - c

6 - a

7 - d

8 - b

9 - c

10 - a

11 - b

12 - d

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