How can they do this?

[Nice One Cyril]

I was just watching highlights of Burnley v Millwall (although they were dressed like Blackpool), and the Clarets had a goal disallowed for a 'retrospective' offside decision. The linesman didn't put his flag up during the play, so he obviously thought it was onside, and the player duly passed the ball and the goal was scored. I'm not sure why the referee decided to confer with the lino (I'm assuming the Millwall players were whingeing, as is their way) but, after a discussion, and this is by now about a minute later, the lino puts his flag up and the goal is ruled out. There's no way from the refs position in the middle of the pitch that he could have a clue and I watched the replay and, to me, the player in question was level, but it's too tight to be 100% sure from the camera angle.

The point is, although the referee is the sole arbiter of the game, what on Earth goes through his mind to do this? It's not like it's a parent running the line FFS. I thought refs were told to err on the side of the attacking player, in other words, you have to be clearly offside to be called?

The referee was bald and rather slow, I wondered if Hawkesy had taken up reffing.

[Redmum's Avatar]

At the end of the day he got the right decision. End of.

[Nice One Cyril]

At the end of the day he got the right decision. End of.

Did he? Looked level to me.

[Pommy09]

well in the rules now, if any part of your body (except hands and arms) is in an offside position then you can be called offside if you interfer with play of course

[Nice One Cyril]

well in the rules now, if any part of your body (except hands and arms) is in an offside position then you can be called offside if you interfer with play of course

We know that but the point is, the linesman obviously thought he was onside to begin with and it was so close that there's no way the ref could have judged from where he was, but someone got the ref to query / check with the linesman who subsquently changed his mind.

It's a horrible precedent to set, it'll just encourage players to harangue the referee in a bid to get a decision go their way. Rightly or wrongly, if the lino was sure to begin with, the ref shouldn't have asked and he shouldn't have changed his mind.

[God is an Englishman]

The bloke on the line is just an assistant. In this scenario they got the decision right.

That said I'd be doing my nut in the crowd if the situation was reversed.