Because it would set a precedent. In this case 3-1 is easy to say, because the game was almost over. But if it had happened in the first minute, how would you know how the game would have turned out. As outrageous as the decision was, can't change results after the event. Replay it possibly, specially if a cup game.
While all this is true, it's also true that we've started to play much better over the last few weeks, and have the results to prove it. We've only lost one of our last 11 to PL sides, and that was (arguably) due to two terrible decisions. In that span were very impressive wins, especially over Chelsea, but also over Newcastle and Burnley. Whether and to what degree our improved form continues, we shall see, of course. But one of the things that's changed is that we're now tending to get wins against lower tier teams, while before we weren't. Barely scraping them, true, but that's better than not barely scraping them. Looked at another way, we've played pretty well, over the course of the year, against teams that have tried to attack us, and poorly against teams that sat back. With the recent improvement, we're now sometimes looking very good against the former, and often decent against the latter. Calls like that tend to add numbers to my tin foil hat brigade. I've been trying to evaluate the fairness of the PL officiating for some time, recently bemoaned Spurs getting robbed of two wins and gifted one, and now we have this, one of the worst calls ever, in many people's opinion, costing Spurs a goal. While it didn't affect the outcome, it strongly contributes to the PL officials' Keystone Kops image. I've also heard some claims Defoe was offside on the ball that Vertongen fouled him. If so, that would be 2 goals we lost, with the first potentially crucial. They also missed at least a couple of relatively straightforward looking possession decisions, and were overall, for the second straight Spurs PL game, putrid.
Why didn't the 4th official get involved. He should have been perfectly placed to see that he was not offside.
It gets worse and worse, really. The call should never have been made in a million years, and it should have been corrected after the officials talked to each other.
I've replied to this comment because it allowed me to check something about the decision. Foy makes Larsson take the free-kick for the offside about 25 yards inside the Sunderland half. What's that about?
I'd say that's about a three month ban from officiating for both the linesman and referee and an absolute media ****-storm, if there's any sense in the world. That last bit of information has just made the worst decision ever several times worse. Can't remember too many times in the past when's bad decision was made solely due to ignorance of the rules!
I can't actually believe that a single person in the entire stadium did not have an adequate view. The ref and linesman forgot the rules, that's all.
If the call was correct, inside the Sunderland half is correct place for it to be. More of a ****storm if it's in Spurs' half?
So called professionals can't remember a simple rule of the game! And, apparently, that's acceptable to the increasingly aptly named F.A.?
Someone said to me today, "what's the fuss about, it didn't affect the result". The point is that "goal" could well influence where we finish at the end of the season. In recent seasons, we have seen Reading relegated from the PL on goal difference and we have seen Man United lose the title on goal difference, so of course it affects the result. That is 2 nights this shocker of a decision has kept me awake.
The first things I learnt when I started playing football competitively at the age of 9 where, how to take a throw in and that you can't be offside in your own half, how on earth can this happen in a premier league game, its incredible. How did the referee restart the match, a free kick in spurs half? Its ridiculous.
I suspect everyone knew the rules, they just thought Jan took the pass in their half. That is bad enough, but I don't believe anyone didn't know the rules.
I'm confused PNP said it was in the Sunderland half? Are we saying it's our half where the free kick was taken?
Ok, then if the referee and the linesman's eyesight is so poor that neither one of them could see that Vertonghen was 3yds inside his own half, then perhaps it's time they found another occupation not so taxing on their powers of vision?
Had it cost points though, or not come at the end of the game, it would be far harder to bury. And burying it is just what the F.A want to do. What makes this different to countless other poor decisions is that it is irrefutable evidence of a lack of competence of all the officials at the game. The mistake is so crass it's humiliating. It's like a cricket umpire calling a no ball when the bowler is a foot behind the line or a line judge in tennis calling the ball out when it was a foot inside the line. Firstly, you question their eyesight. Then you wonder whether they know the laws of the game they are officiating. It's an unbelievable mistake to make. It's not a judgment call like intentional handball or whether a player dived; it's a mistake you wouldn't see in an U-11s game.
So they thought vertonghen was in the Sunderland half when the ball was played? Where were the officials looking wtf. I thought they had made some new rule up as he was ahead of the goalie or something stupid. Its like the lampard goal against Germany when the ball went miles over the line, you can't actually believe its just happend and no one has seen it.
The most infuriating thing I see in football (because it just about never happens, or at least seems to happen, in American sports) is officials letting themselves be bullied. The knock on effect here is that Foy and the other officials have just made it far harder for themselves to stand up to pressure in the future. They've made fools of themselves, which of course hardly wins the respect of others, and their PL careers are or should be hanging by a thread, meaning they'll be (even) less likely to risk the ire of anyone influential, like, say, Mourinho. Controlling the game, and quashing challenges to their ability to do so, is the first job of officials in any sport. Allowing proven incompetents to remain as officials makes that less likely.
Was going to write my thoughts on Saturday but thought it would be over with but as we are still discussing it I will add ... This IMO was not a mistake or personal opinion-it is a failure by the officials.what happens in our jobs when we fail as opposed to making a mistake? Before the referee and assistant are allowed to officiate they need to take tests and prove they know the rules. This is an incident where they should pay the price of failure and receive a ban or as Poll did, admit they were wrong and retire.
