Reminder of the rules, explanatory video… FIFA did not skimp on the justifications this Friday, the day after the controversial validation of Japan’s second goal, which beat Spain on Thursday evening (1-2), in Group E of the World Cup in Qatar. In the 51st minute, when the ball seemed to have gone six meters to the naked eye, Kaoru Mitoma had thrown himself to cross on Ao Tanakawho scored.
After watching the VAR, the South African referee Victor Gomes had granted the goal, synonymous with qualification for the Japanese and elimination for the Germans, victorious at the same time from Costa Rica (4-2).
According to FIFA, which defended the arbitration decision, the ball on the action “was not entirely out”. “Cameras may have presented misleading images but according to the available evidence, the ball was not entirely out of bounds,” said the body that governs world football in a tweet.
A history of rounded part of the ball
In a second message posted on the social network, this one specifies that “the 2nd goal of Japan was checked by the VAR to determine if the ball was out of bounds. Officials responsible for video analysis used goal-line technology to find out if the ball was still partially on the line or not.
FIFA also presents a small video showing a ball appearing to be placed outside a pitch. If the placement does indeed show that there is a space between the part of the ball on the ground and the outside edge of the line, seeming to accredit the thesis of the exit of the limits of the field, the image also shows that the rounded part of the ball that does not touch the ground this time is located vertically inside the line, thus supporting the demonstration of FIFA.
IFAB Law 9 states that the ball is considered out of play when “it has entirely crossed the goal line or the touchline, whether on the ground or in the air”. CQFD.