New digital imaging equipment may be about to finally give the definitive answer to the question that has had sport's fans divided for forty years. Was Geoff Hurst's second goal actually over the line in the 1966 World Cup Final?
Professor Kurt Schmitt, research fellow at Reading University and one of the very few who has actually landed a job as a result of getting a media degree, told hacks at a press conference:
"Ve can see clearly zat ze ball hass not fully crosst ze line and zo eet iss not a goal"
But in response Professor Nigel Farnsworth said:
"You must be joking Fritz! That was over the line by a mile. Oh come on ref!"
The conference then degenerated into a slanging match between the two learned men as they sang football chants at each other back and forth across the platform:
"One World Cup and two World Wars. Doo dah...doo dah!" that was one.
And "Vun Gareth Southgate zere's only vun Gareth Soutgate" that was another.
In the end we were none the wiser whether or not the 'goal' was actually a 'goal'. The so-called enhanced video imaging was nothing special and it all looked a bit fuzzy to our reporter.
So perhaps the mystery will never be solved and maybe that's not a bad thing, as it quite often turns up as the basis for entire TV programmes, making it a very cheap hour's worth of programming for over-paid media exec's to come up with.
