Premier League - Mata goal WAS offside

http://bit.ly/offside-law

The Premier League has this week written to its clubs to provide guidance regarding the offside law. The guidance is in relation to players standing in an offside position when a free-kick is taken.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) issued this guidance to clear up misunderstandings that arose following the goal awarded to Manchester United in their FA Cup fifth-round tie against Shrewsbury Town on Monday night.

PGMOL consulted the International Football Association Board (IFAB) as to whether there was an offside offence or not. As a result the PGMOL guidance below clarifies the situation.

For the avoidance of doubt, similar scenarios in the future will be expected to be given as offside.

Do they always go to this much trouble for an offside goal?

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Good.

Can't really remember the incident tbh, but hope it wasn't a free kick either.

Obviously a grey area, hence the different views on it. Don't really see much wrong with them clarifying it

United consulted with referees before the freekick and had it confirmed as not offside. They stole the idea from Midtjylland apparently.

I'd call it offside but it's amazing that refs can't agree.

This one looked like it might be copied by other teams, creating a precedent. We did, after all, nick it from the Lilliputians.

I remember a few years ago, there was a bit of a fuss after a tweak to the offside law which saw Fat Sam's team placing players in what would normally have been considered clearly offside positions at free kicks, forcing the defending team to cover much deeper & leading to all sorts of confusion. It went on for a short while before clarification was issued.

This one seems to have been nipped in the bud a bit quicker.

So it goes.

Absolutely zero £#%&!s given

Originally Posted by hopkins

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It would've been the same if Watford had've scored it ffs.

Stop being paranoid.

It's bullshit though isn't it really, the ball goes over the Shrewsbury wall for £#%&!s sake, even if they hadn't been stood there the keeper would have been favouring that side of the goal and largely unsighted. The reason refs can't agree on it is because interfering with play is now such an elastic concept.

A bit of practive on the training ground to get the timing right and it will make no £#%&!ing difference anyway, although I doubt that will stop Owen going on about it.

Originally Posted by PeakyBlinder

It would've been the same if Watford had've scored it ffs.

Stop being paranoid.

It wasn't the same when Newcastle scored at OT with their player clearly offside directly in front of Dave and impeding his view. Oh no.

They're deliberately interfering with the keepers view and stood in an offside position.

Seems pretty obvious and easy call tbh.

Feel terrible about this tbh

Originally Posted by Billy Redface

They're deliberately interfering with the keepers view and stood in an offside position.

Seems pretty obvious and easy call tbh.

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Take the goal off we can call it 2 0 the bitter @#%&!s

Not surprised. Or bothered. Seemed a bit american football to me. As posted previously though, the Newcastle goal created slightly less comment and rule changes...

Typical. Someone takes a screenshot that shows United with a record number of players in the opposition's box under LVG, and the premier league has to piss on the big man's chips.

It's the law of Murphy, no question about that.

Couldn't care less

Originally Posted by Billy Redface

They're deliberately interfering with the keepers view and stood in an offside position.

Seems pretty obvious and easy call tbh.

I would agree, if they had been across the keeper's line of vision. they weren't. he was just shit.

henry used to stand right in the keeper's line of vision all the time.

get more annoyed about someone offside not interfering when the defence steps up to catch him offside and then someone else runs through. that is interfering with play, if the whole defence moves because of you.

Blatant offside, blatant interfering with his LOS...

Not sure what the issue is...

Originally Posted by Billy Redface

They're deliberately interfering with the keepers view and stood in an offside position.

Seems pretty obvious and easy call tbh.

As armers points out, they made the rule so convoluted that the obvious is no longer so obvious to the referees. Except now it is, thanks to MUFC.