There is a certain fatalism in football commentary, especially in the English press. We all know that England was completely ripped off by the call, yet all the commentary I see is that Germany deserved to win and English were rubbish.
Well, maybe Germany did deserve to win, and England certainly were rubbish, at least at the back, but that is irrelevant.
The simple fact is that we have no idea how the match would have turned out had Lampard's goal been allowed to stand. ALL of the actions after the goal had it been properly allowed would have been completely different than the actions after it was disallowed. Germany's goals were all on the break as England were pressing forward seeking an equalizer. Perhaps if the score were properly 2-2, England would not have been exposed at the back. Perhaps Rooney would have won a penalty and scored a hat trick. Nobody knows. But we do know that the horrible call dramatically altered the outcome of the game.
The general belief is that Germany "deserved" to win. I agree. But deserve ain't got nothing to do with it. The outcome is not determined by who deserves to win. The outcome is determined by the scoreline. There are all sorts of games in every sport where the deserving teams doesn't win.
Maybe Germany would have won anyways, but maybe not. A horrific call dramatically altered the scoreline that contributed significantly to England's loss.
Similarly, Tevez was so far offside, he was halfway to the exit. Had the goal properly not been allowed to stand, then the sequence of events which led to the Mexican defender giving the ball away would not have led to the second goal. Again, maybe the Argies would have won 5-0. But then again, maybe not. The events were dramatic enough to change the course of the game. The announcer had said that up to the beginning of the day, the team scoring first in the World Cup was 35-2, with 8 draws. So clearly, gifting the Argies a goal gave them a commanding advantage.
Generally, the officiating has been good, but there have been a few terrible calls and non-calls at critical points in the matches. I can't remember a tournament, any tournament at this level, where so many calls have been the wrong ones at critical times during the games.
The idea that bad calls are "part of the game" is absolute nonsense. I say that as a former accredited official. Teams, federations, nations, spend millions of dollars and years getting ready for this moment. It is the single most important sporting event on the planet. Yet bad calls can dramatically alter the entire outcome.
Officials are supposed to be unbiased and competent adjudicators of the laws of the game. They exist solely to ensure that the laws are applied properly. Players are part of the game. Managers are part of the game. Officials are not part of the game. If we can create a technology that eliminates poor judgment for the betterment of the sport, we should.