On June 21, Xavi Simons was disallowed a goal during France – Netherlands (0-0) for a positional offside. While this decision had angered the Dutch, UEFA has just ruled in favor of the referee.
Was there a goal by Xavi Simons against France? For UEFA, it is no. The body, through its refereeing committee, ruled on the goal disallowed by the Dutch midfielder during France-Netherlands (0-0), on June 21 at Euro 2024. UEFA judged that the referees had made the right decision.
“Listening to the conversation between Anthony Taylor and Stuart Attwell, I think it’s very clear why they made this decision,” said Roberto Rosetti, UEFA’s director general of referees.
“Firstly, the decision was made on the pitch, so the referee saw the player’s offside position. He then communicated with his assistant and assessed the potential impact of the attacker on the goalkeeper. This impact is a key element in the final decision, as is the trajectory of the ball and the goalkeeper’s ability to stop it. In the end, the decision that was made was that there was offside because the attacker obstructed the goalkeeper. The UEFA Referees Committee fully supports this decision. We think it is correct.”
A lively controversy
In the second group match of the Euro, on June 21, Xavi Simons thought he had scored for France in the 69th minute. But referee Anthony Taylor decided to disallow the goal after a lengthy video check, considering that Denzel Dumfries, in an offside position, had interfered Mike Maignan.
The disallowed goal sparked a heated debate in the Dutch camp. “For me it’s clearly a valid goal,” Dutch coach Ronald Koeman lamented on his country’s television. “Okay, our player (Dumfries, NDLR) is in an offside position. But look at the images: he does not bother the French goalkeeper who is late and does not have the possibility of diving. The presence of a player in his vicinity changes nothing. Look: from Simons’ shot, Maignan is beaten. He is no longer able to prevent the goal.” This is not UEFA’s position.
