Arsenal fans will not thank me for saying it, but the disallowing of Gabriel Martinell’s first-half effort at Goodison was the right decision under the revised laws of the game.
But I would be the first to admit Arsenal fans have every right to feel aggrieved because we have ended up with a situation that is far too grey.
It was a sublime finish from the Brazilian, who thought he had scored his first Premier League goal of the season but the Var, Stuart Attwell, ruled that Eddie Nketiah had been offside by a trailing leg in the build-up. Gabriel’s sideways pass from inside his own half was deflected by Everton forward Beto before it reached Nketiah. He failed to control the ball but Fabio Vieira played in Martinelli who guided his shot past Jordan Pickford.
Strictly following the offside law, Beto was judged not to have played the ball deliberately, even though he was trying to block Gabriel’s pass, which meant Nketiah was offside. For it to be deemed a deliberate play that defender must be in control of the ball or have the possibility to control it, and neither applied in this situation. The fact that Beto made a deliberate move towards the ball did not sway Var.
The first check by Var is to determine the Arsenal player’s position, remembering that the law states that it is not an offence to be in an offside position in itself
A player is in an offside position if any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponent’s half nearer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent.
The screen shot confirming that Nketiah was in an offside position did not appear to line up with what we had witnessed in actual playing time.
I was disappointed that with some very close calls in the Premier League that they have not adopted the semi-automated system which uses its own camera systems and Artificial intelligence.
I am certain that this system used in the recent World Cup is what the top league in the world should have adopted and would supply better pictures of offside positions etc.
However, having watched a replay of the incident it was clear to me that the Arsenal player was in an offside position.
The debate over whether Beto’s intentions will rage on.
The lawmakers the IFAB issued additional text in July 2022 to clarify what constitutes deliberate play or a deflection.
Essentially, a player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays/played the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent.
Deliberate play (excluding deliberate handball) is when a player has control of the ball with the possibility of passing the ball to a team-mate, gaining possession of the ball or clearing the ball (eg by kicking or heading it).
Confusing? You bet.
