Ruud's 'offside' goal reveals international offside http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8234072/Ruud's-'offside'-goal-reveals-international-offside-chaosVIENNA, Austria (AP) - When Ruud van Nistelrooy clipped the ball into Italy's net at the European Championship, he looked long and hard at the assistant referee, waiting for him to flag for offside.
The Netherlands striker knew only too well he was in an offside position. Most other players on the field, commentators and millions of spectators around the world were also convinced he was offside and the 26th-minute goal should not have stood.
But Swedish referee Peter Frojdfeldt and his linesman knew better - or did they?The assistant referee ruled that Italy defender Christian Panucci, lying injured two meters (yards) behind the goal line after colliding with his own goalkeeper, was involved in play and that therefore Van Nistelrooy was not offside.
The Laws of Association Football produced by FIFA make no reference to such incidents. The closest they come is to say that a player should be shown a yellow card if he deliberately steps off the field of play in an effort to put a player in an offside position.However, the United States Soccer Federation's version of the laws of the game includes a clear reference to the type of event that saw Van Nistelrooy's goal approved.
"A defender who leaves the field during the course of play and does not immediately return must still be considered in determining where the second to last defender is for the purpose of judging which attackers are in an offside position. Such a defender is considered to be on the touchline or goal line closest to his or her off-field position," the USSF rules state.
Under this regulation, Van Nistelrooy's goal counted as Panucci is viewed as being part of the action. The problem is the game took place in Switzerland, not in the United States.
Under FIFA regulations, the issue is simply not covered. Traditionally, an assistant referee will flag when an attacker is closer to the goal than the ball and the second-to-last defender. Maybe Frojdfeldt was following the "American" regulations?
English Premier League Referees chief executive Keith Hackett joined in the defense of the decision.
"I have listened to the commentators criticizing the first Holland goal stating that Van Nistelrooy was offside," Hackett said. "Panucci went off through contact with his own goalkeeper Buffon and so he is still considered part of the game. TV criticized the decision but the fact is the assistant referee was correct because the defender who slid off the field is still regarded as active."
UEFA general secretary David Taylor also joined the support.
"The goal was not offside because in addition to the Italian goalkeeper there was another Italian player in front of the goal scorer. And even though that player at the time had actually fallen off the pitch, his position was still relevant for the purposes of the offside law," Taylor said.
The trouble is, law 11 does not mention this, either in the Laws of Association Football or in the Advice for Referees section designed to give further information."This is a widely known interpretation of the offside law among referees, but it's not generally known among the wider football public," said Taylor, adding that the law has to be applied this way so teams don't deliberately leave the field to catch opposing attackers offside.
"If you didn't have this interpretation then what could happen is the defending team could use the tactic of stepping off the pitch deliberately to play players offside, and that clearly is unacceptable," he said. "The simplest, the most effective, the most practical interpretation of the law is the one that is adopted by referees."
Taylor said a similar incident occurred in a Swiss league match between Sion and FC Basel last season, causing the Swiss media to quickly realize that Monday's incident was a valid goal.
"This goal was controversial because most people are not aware of the law - and I would extend that to many people in the football world, including players - but there is no real debate here," Taylor said. "The goal was valid."
France coach Raymond Domenech poked fun at the decision, like Germany coach Joachim Loew, saying they were unaware of the rule and that it was a change in the laws.
"The offside rule has changed recently, a player off the field continues to cover his defense," Domenech said Wednesday. "We didn't know that and now we're happy to know that. I hope the fans don't have the same instructions, if a fan behind the goal covers the defense as well, then that's a bit worrying."
Referees around the world have stormed into specialist chatrooms to discuss the incident, but whether the agree or not, the goal will stand.
