Originally Posted by
MichiganWolf
I think having someone else view it is better IMO. They are more unbiased than the official on the field who may or may not be willing to admit they made a mistake. An official viewing the replay in a booth or somewhere else gets a head start on viewing it as well and can make a quicker decision than an official running to the side of the pitch, watching on a tablet and making the decision from there.
I think it benefits the officials on the field. Everyone hates it when players crowd the referees after a controversial call. When someone else is making the decision, he can just say "Not my call. I was overturned." May not prevent all incidents of player complaints, but I think it alleviates some.
The current Premier League model is somewhat similar to how the National Hockey League operates their replays. Someone else is looking at the video and tells the head official what call to make/change. I think it works out pretty well and has the best implementation of replay in sports in North America IMO.
I will be interested if the Prem or FIFA ever incorporates coaching challenges. There are benefits and drawbacks to it.