The Sunday News
Although arguments are still abound on whether it was an offside or not, IFAB rules on offside state that:-
A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:
gaining an advantage by playing the ball
That rebounds or is deflected to him off the goal post, crossbar or an opponent having been in an offside position.
That rebounds, is deflected or is played to him from a deliberate save by an opponent having been in an offside position.
A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent, who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save), is not considered to have gained an advantage.
Definition of ‘save’
A ‘save’ is when a player stops, or attempts to stop, a ball which is going into or very close to their goal with any part of the body except the hands (unless the goalkeeper within their penalty area).
The BF incident has attracted worldwide attention, but no one has come up with a conclusive explanation, with Fifa technical gurus and the local referees body all not giving an answer, leaving divided fans to argue to eternity. However, what fans can not argue about is that in football, “the referee’s decision is final”, whether wrong or right. – Nqwele Dube.
