Goalmouth refs will help stop cheats, says JFA chief

TOKYO, Oct 11 (Reuters) FIFA's decision to experiment with goalmouth referees at the Club World Cup in December will help stop cheating, according to the President of the Japan Football Association.

''At the speed modern soccer is played today, it's quite impossible with just one referee and two assistants,'' Saburo Kawabuchi was quoted as saying today's Japanese newspapers.

''To spot all the fouls and diving in the box you need more than just one referee and two assistants. It's better to increase the numbers of officials.'' Soccer's governing body FIFA said this week that two additional goalmouth referees would be used during the Club World Cup in Japan.

The precise role of the extra officials, including their general positioning, is set to be determined in the run-up to the competition.

The tournament will also be used to continue tests with goal-line technology developed by ball manufacturer Adidas, using a microchip in the ball.

REUTERS BJR BD1310