Maybe the rules have changed since I learnt them, but I remember being told that if a "foriegn object" was on the pitch, then the ref could stop play, but if he /she didn't, and the ball hit the object and a goal resulted, then that was perfectly legitimate. We even discussed the case of a fan running onto the pitch and kicking the ball in - if it happened during play and before the ref blew up, then the goal should be allowed.
Yet now all the talk is that the beachball goal should defintiely have been disallowed.
I'd be interested in the views of the current refs on this board on this one.
In the meantime, the ref has been demoted.
0
Comments
I thought that the game just goes on, and to be honest as the Liverpool fans put the beachball on the pitch and Reina didn't clear it properly then its their own fault.
To be fair though, none of the Liverpool players nor Benitez have used it as an excuse.
Is it too late to demand a replay?
The usual suspects were really going into one about how the referee should not take control of a game if he doesn't know the rules blah blah
Now my take is this. Liverpool had 8p plus minutes to score two goals against a defence that includes Nyron Nosworthy and Anton Ferdinand amongst its ranks, second off, Reina or umpteen other players could of toed the thing out of the way, thirdly I would much rather referees were concerning themselves with keeping up with play etc.
Steve Bruce summed it up quite well when he said it's just sods law and if you knew that rule you were a bit sad!
And whoever bought up the point about the Man City incident with balloons has it right too, it's poor hard done by Liverpool fans creating. It's one of them things, if when you are playing you take one off the ball (I mean off another player out of the referees eyeline) then you accept it and exact revenge at an appropriate time when said referee is not looking. C'est la vie
There was actually footage of Reina on MOTD2 moving the beachball into his net before the Bent incident occurred. For not throwing the thing over the bar, the sheer stupidity of Reina leaving an inflatable object, unsecured, and directly behind him on a windy day means he deserved it to be honest!
There we go then!
Me? I would of lobbed the thing behind the goal or back to the fans but what do I know