What does the regulation say?
Law 11 of football is clear. It signals that a player is carrying out a deliberate action regardless of the outcome of the pass or attempt to gain possession of the ball.
By analyzing these lines, we can deduce that Epolo’s failed check represents a “attempt to gain possession of the ball” and therefore signals the start of a new action, during which Bertaccini’s initial offside position no longer counts. In this case, the goal should therefore have been validated. “For me, it’s a second action that begins and that’s what the linesman told me”said the unfortunate scorer.
Adriano Bertaccini after Standard – St-Trond: “The linesman told me that the goal was valid”
Could the referee see the images?
The men in black will rarely check footage of offside. The VAR is responsible for drawing the offside line and makes a unilateral decision. They may be asked to form their own opinion when the phase is more ambiguous, for example when an offside player obstructs the goalkeeper’s vision.
The VAR would therefore have been inspired to invite Kevin Van Damme to take a few seconds to form his own opinion. “After the match, the referee confirmed to me that he should have looked at the images”explained Felice Mazzù. It is useful to clarify that nothing says that the main referee would have overturned the VAR’s opinion.
Can Sint-Truiden file a complaint?
According to the Trudonnaire coach, there is no doubt that it is “from a regulatory error, and not from an error of interpretation”without being in the perspective of “file a complaint” For now.
Genk did it last season after a match at Anderlecht, without ultimately winning their case. Several referees also explained to us that, according to them, it was more a question of interpretation because Epolo’s missed control does not automatically imply the start of a new action. This question must be resolved because in this case, a complaint would have no chance of success.
How does Matthieu Epolo feel?
The goalkeeper came very close to the biggest ball of his career. After the match, the Ultras chanted his name, remembering that he had been the hero of the qualification against Lyra-Lierse last Wednesday.
Ivan Leko also came to his defense. “He was happy because his mistake was not punished. He trains like a lion, he deserves everything that happens to him.”
