Video replay somehow got this call wrong in the A-League semifinal, it appears
Video replay was supposed to solve all our problems. The minor injustices we see everyday in soccer were going to be replaced with fair and accurate refereeing. Offside goals would be a thing of the past.
Except, maybe that's not actually going to happen. In a semifinal match-up between Perth Glory and Sydney FC on Saturday, a clear offside goal was allowed, even after being reviewed by a video assistant referee:
http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/k6YunbjhMGmKOrmLNFg?ui-logo=false&autoplay=0
It's a big controversy that, even after video replays, that goal was allowed to stand. Brazilian attacker Bobo was a step ahead of Perth's defenders on the play and then he impeded a defender when Sydney's Jordy Buijs scored. Referee Peter Green and his linesman initially seemed to think the goal shouldn’t stand but sent the decision to video assistant referee Strebre Delovski, who ruled there was minimal interference.
Sydney went onto win 3-0 and they are one step closer to the A-League championship.
This controversy seems to highlight one fatal flaw of video replay: Everyone interprets the laws of soccer differently. This play didn't even involve a referee trying to rule on intent, which is one of soccer's thorniest matters for a referee.
Yet, video replay is probably here to stay. It's spreading to leagues around the world and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said he'd like to see it in the 2018 World Cup. But, safe to say, video replay isn't going to eliminate referee drama and debate from the sport anytime soon.
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