Source: Northern_Echo
Why the beach ball goal should never have stood
DARREN BENT’S goal that deflected off the inflatable beach ball that had been punched into the Liverpool penalty area should never have stood, according to Premier League officials and former referees.
A goal that Sunderland manager Steve Bruce described as “the most bizarre”
he has ever seen proved the difference in an enthralling contest at the Stadium of Light.
But while Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez and his players, knowing their own supporter was responsible for the freak incident, had no complaints about referee Mike Jones’ decision to allow the goal, it has emerged that it should never have counted.
Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter said: “I’m absolutely amazed. It is basic law in football. The goal should just not have stood.
The laws of the game state that if there’s an outside interference the game has to be stopped.
“Talk about an outside influence – the ball went in off the beach ball and completely deceived the Liverpool goalkeeper.
“I am absolutely amazed that for a referee at that level of football, that between him, his assistant, the fourth official, they didn’t see what had happened and give the correct decision.”
“I try to defend referees wherever possible having been there and knowing the problems they face but, on this particular occasion, everybody’s having a laugh and a joke about it, but this is far more serious in terms of the laws of the game than when the referee doesn’t see the ball go over the goalline.
“That is understandable with the pace of the modern game and being unsighted, but this is just basic law.
“An outside influence is any outside influence. It is anything other than the 22 maximum players on the field and the referee.
“If it hits the referee and goes in, he’s part of the game.
If a spectator comes on the pitch and kicks the ball, the game must be stopped.
“It’s a basic law of the game – one that fortunately doesn’t come into practice too much – that a referee would learn on his initial refereeing cause, not when you’re an established Premiership referee.
“The fact that the referee conferred with his assistant, they knew something was wrong, it’s just amazing the goal was allowed to stand.”
Winter’s reading of the laws of football was also backed up by Graham Poll, who said the correct decision would have been a drop-ball.
And a Premier League spokesman said: “The beach ball was an inanimate object so the referee should have stopped the game as soon as he was aware it was on the field of play. However, the difficulty would be if he didn’t see it until it was struck by the match ball.”
The goal has sparked mischievous fans of rival teams flocking to Liverpool’s official online store to purchase the beach balls.
It has emerged that all remaining beach sets have sold out following the incident which occurred after one teenage fan had made the most of a 50 per cent reduction in price for the £10 sets.
OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE
Plastic Coffee Cup (1999) DERBY secured a much-needed 4-2 win over rivals Nottingham Forest in 1999, but their second goal owed much to a discarded plastic coffee cup.
As the ball travelled back to Forest goalkeeper Barry Roche, it struck the coffee cup and bobbled up, causing the luckless keeper to slice it into the path of Paul Peschisolido. The Derby striker calmly rolled it into the empty net.
The Rams instantly immortalised the coffee cup, producing videos and Tshirts that were immediately snapped up by the ecstatic fans.
Balloon (2008) SHEFFIELD United knocked Manchester City out of the FA Cup in January 2008 thanks to a goal that owed much to the on-field presence of a balloon.
Luton Shelton slotted home a closerange finish in the 11th minute after Michael Ball made a hash of clearing a Lee Martin cross because he was distracted by balloons that had been thrown onto the Bramall Lane pitch by City’s travelling support.
Pot Plant (1984) SWEDE Svante Rasmussen looked to have a gold medal in the bag when he pulled clear in the 4,000m cross-country, the final event of the modern pentathlon, in the 1984 Olympics in LA.
But just 20 yards from the finish, he tripped over a potted plant that had been positioned to brighten up the course. Italy’s Daniele Masala immediately shot past him to win gold.
Swallow (1969) LBW became SBW (swallow before wicket) when South Australia’s Greg Chappell bowled to John Inverarity of Western Australia in 1969. The ball hit a swallow in mid-air and was deflected onto the stumps. However, the umpire decided it was a no-ball and Inverarity was allowed to remain at the crease.
Frogs (1922) ENGLAND’S cricketers were touring South Africa in 1922-23 when the ball stopped almost dead after it had been pitched onto a wicket in Durban.
When the batsman tentatively prodded the wicket, they did not find a natural irregularity such as a bump in the ground, but instead discovered a pile of small green frogs. Play was suspended so the creatures could be relocated to a local pond.
Crocodile (1993) BEN Fouchee and Jurie Visagie were forced to curtail their third round in the 1993 Zimbabwe Open golf tournament in Harare – because they were chased by a crocodile.
The South African duo were forced to run for cover when Visagie accidentally stepped on the crocodile’s tail as he attempted to cross a bridge.
Anteater (1963) DURING the 1963 East African Safari Rally, Swedish driver Erik Carlsson was forced to retire because his car developed a mechanical failure. The reason? Because it had hit an anteater that strayed onto the road during the rally.
Dog (1987) ON May 19, 1987, Torquay trailed Crewe 2-1 at Planmoor in a game they needed to avoid defeat to stay in the Football League when a police dog intervened.
Seven minutes from time the dog named Bryn, believing Jim McNichol was running to attack his handler, sunk its teeth into the centre-half’s thigh. During the resultant four minutes of injury time, former Hartlepool striker Paul Dobson scored to keep Torquay up and send Lincoln down.
