Liverpool was robbed! Rule Regarding interference from "extra balls" on pitch.

OK, I'm bored cuz I can't play yet! My knee is getting better though...

In the match today between Liverpool and Sunderland, Sunderland scored when the ball deflected off a large balloon/ball on the pitch in front of the goal. The ball was deflected away from the keeper, replay showed it would likely have been saved had it not been for the balloon on the pitch. The referee allowed the goal.

FIFA rules of the game state:

Extra balls on the field of play
If an extra ball enters the fi eld of play during the match, the referee
must stop the match only if it interferes with play. Play must be restarted
by a dropped ball in the position where the match ball was at the time
when the match was stopped, unless play was stopped inside the goal
area, in which case the referee drops the ball on the goal area line
parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the ball was
located when play was stopped.
If an extra ball enters the field of play during the match without
interfering with play, the referee must have it removed at the earliest
possible opportunity.

I always wonder why players / asst referrees don't make more effort to get the balloons/streamers off of the pitch.... sometimes they will float around for several minutes.

See you next week, I hope!

Mark

i agree! how can that goal stand? this wasn't a balloon... it was a large rubber ball that completely changed the trajectory of the game ball...

what's really sad about it is that the ball had a liverpool logo, so it apparently came from the traveling liverpool fans behind the goal...

still, we played like crap, and didn't deserve to win the game, but, that was ridiculous... so, what now? fans can come to the game, throw rubber balls onto the pitch in front of the opposition goal, and wait for the ricochet goals?

At least common sense has prevailed among those in the English FA.....


LONDON - THE referee who incorrectly awarded Sunderland's winning goal against Liverpool on Saturday will not take charge of a Premier League match this weekend.

Mike Jones let striker Darren Bent's goal stand at the Stadium of Light after the ball hit a beach ball thrown onto the pitch by a Liverpool fan and deflected past Reds keeper Pepe Reina in a match Sunderland won 1-0.

The laws of football state 'the referee should stop, suspend or abandon the match because of outside interference of any kind'. As a result, Jones ought to have disallowed the goal and re-started the match with a drop ball.

He will now take charge this weekend of the second-tier Championship between Peterborough and Scunthorpe at London Road.

I can only surmise that the Referree (nor linesman) could see that the football deflected directly off of the beachball. But still, being in the keeper's line of sight, it was clearly interfering with play.

I am suprised that Liverpool is not appealing. While Benitez admits they were outplayed by Sunderland, for him to not argue that the goal should have been disallowed and try to get his (struggling!) team a point.... I don't get it.

Poor Liverpool ..... Torres and Gerard still out for Champion's league game today....

Mark

Poor Liverpool ..... If all they have are Torres and Gerard! They really need to get more quality players in so that they are not reliant on just these 2. How will they survive the season? Benitez's days are numbered and we may see him out before year's end!

benitez will be fine... if for any other reason than there isn't really any one else out there that can do the job... plus, it's not rafa's fault that torres and gerrard always seem to come back from their national teams injured...

that said, liverpool aren't just torres and gerrard... we haven't had mascherano for most of this losing streak, johnson missed the lyon game, agger has been out, riera has been injured, as well... sure, we don't have as much depth as chelsea and united, but both of those teams would struggle if they were without rooney, carrick, giggs, ferdinand, nani and essien, lampard, a. cole, terry, malouda... let's not get too crazy on rafa here...

he also got stabbed in the back by our horrible owners... he thought he would be getting the whole 30 mil from the alonso sale, 20 mil for aquilani and plus the other 10 mil for a backup striker... the owners said that rafa couldn't get the fourth player... rafa said he wanted four players, and got three... not his fault...

even is we lose tomorrow, i'd still put money on us getting to the CL knockout rounds and a top 4 finish... we do best when are back are against the wall... Istanbul anyone?