IPSWICH TOWN: Blues chief executive Simon Clegg has joined the campaign to bring technology into football.

And he predicted that an incident like Frank Lampard’s ‘disallowed’ effort for England against Germany in the World Cup last16 game in South Africa on Sunday would sway FIFA to act.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has confirmed that he’s apologised to the Football Association over the incident when Lampard’s shot was clearly two feet over the line.

The controversial Blatter also revealed that the governing body would now look again at goal-line technology.

“While recognising the pros and cons of the debate, I am in favour of the introduction of goal line technology,” said Clegg.

“When you consider how much is at stake, not only to the clubs involved but also the reputation-management perspective of the entire game, I am surprised that this swift and definitive mechanism has yet to be deployed.

“It has so successfully been introduced in other sports, not least of all rugby.”

And speaking at a question and answer session at the Suffolk Show earlier this month Clegg had said: “The only thing in my opinion that would see FIFA reappraise their views would be a high-profile incident at the World Cup or in any future international competition.”

Blatter said yesterday: “It is obvious that after the experience so far in this World Cup it would be a nonsense to not reopen the file of technology at the business meeting of the International FA Board in July.

“Personally I deplore it when you see evident referee mistakes but it’s not the end of a competition or the end of football, this can happen.

“I have spoken to the two federations (England and Mexico) directly concerned by referees’ mistakes. I have expressed to them apologies and I understand they are not happy and that people are criticising.”

Sunday night’s match between Argentina and Mexico had also thrown up a controversial incident, with Carlos Tevez scoring the opening goal from a blatantly offside position.

FIFA had blocked any further experiments with technology at a meeting of the International FA Board, the game’s rule-making body, in March.

Blatter added: “The only principle we are going to bring back for discussion is goal-line technology – not video replays of incidents.”