Top whistle-blower Webb relaxed as Blatter pledges technology review

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has vowed to look again at using technology in the aftermath of Frank Lampard's disallowed 'goal' for England in the 4-1 defeat to Germany.

Blatter admitted yesterday it would be a nonsense to not reopen the file on technology at the business meeting of the International FA Board in July.

He said: "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.

"We will naturally take on board the discussion on technology and have first opportunity in July at the business meeting."

Webb said: "I'm open-minded about anything that makes us more credible as match officials...whatever tools I'm given I will use them to the best of my ability.

"It's up to other people to make those decisions. I understand the International Football Association board will look at it again, and we'll see where their deliberations go and whatever decisions are made we'll work to them.

"We will always, I hope, look forward and look at ways at improving the game. I'm a strong believer that football in it's current form is a wonderful spectacle, a really beautiful game. Let's just watch this space with interest and see where it goes."

The South Yorkshire official does not see the introduction of technology having an impact on the way he performs his job. He continued: "It doesn't really affect us because we've never had the option to use goal-line technology.

"I go out there to do a job without any technology and that's always been the case in my career. Until something is introduced, we don't change the way we approach the game.

"I certainly don't feel in any way at all that additional assistance will undermine my position. We work closely in England with the officials from other sports– rugby union, rugby league and cricket. We try to learn good practice from them.

"But we have to consider that we are dealing in different sports. Football is uniquely fluid in the way that it is played and we need to take care that we don't change that fact. We need to protect the basic way the game is played."

Lampard's effort was ruled out even though the ball clearly crossed the line and Webb said: "We were watching the game from the perspective of an English supporter and also as a member of the referees' team and we just hope after every game that no one is talking about the match officials.

"Without going into details about the specific incident, I'm always disappointed for the match officials if there is an incident which is deemed retrospectively as being a mistake."

On a personal level, Webb has enjoyed his contribution to the World Cup, singling out the Slovakia v Italy game as memorable.

While Webb remains in South Africa, the humiliated England squad flew into the UK yesterday morning as the future of manager Fabio Capello hung in the balance, following the squad's World Cup capitulation.

The players, many of whom were dressed in official England team suits, touched down at London's Heathrow airport at around 6.20am and appeared weary as they walked across the tarmac to waiting cars.