A referee who disallowed a goal has changed his mind after a fan who took a video of the shot showed him a replay on a mobile phone when he came over to the sideline. The match official in one of Serbia's lower-tier competitions originally ruled out the goal for offsides after a player for the team in the blue strip headed the ball home from a free kick.
But a hilarious viral video shows the referee studying a clip of the shot that was taken by a spectator dressed in a pink shirt, who leans over the fence to show him the footage. Another man in a black shirt - who is on the field and appears to be connected to the side that had the goal disallowed - argues with the official as he reviews the footage while other spectators join in as they attempt to have the ruling overturned. The referee then takes the phone onto the field, still studying the video, as players from both sides gather to find out if he will reverse his decision. He appears to watch the footage several times before awarding the goal, which sends the blue-clad players into a frenzy as they run away to celebrate. It's unclear whether the competition's rules state that decisions can be overturned based on video evidence - especially when it's been provided by a fan instead of footage shot for television. The hilarious incident is a far cry from the high-pressure, high-stakes use of video assistants in top-flight competitions around the world, including England's Premier League. The EPL reviews broadcast footage using as many angles as possible, all shot in high-resolution and replayed in super slow motion. If the video review assistant (VAR) believes the referee has made an error, they can recommend the ruling be overturned. A recent report stated that the EPL is set to use semi-automated offsides instead of the manually drawn lines the VAR currently works with, after the system was successfully trialled in the Champions League. The new system works by sending an automated alert to the VAR official when a player is offside, using tracking technology and artificial intelligence for instant decisions. (Source: Daily Mail)
Serbian chiefs reportedly didn't take too kindly to the incident from a lower league match going viral around the world - allegedly stripping Stefan Lazovic of his duties. The decision has prompted outrage from fans online - with former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic among those to have offered their support to the axed whistler. Matic, now of Roma, commented on a piece supporting Lazovic with two hands raised emoji - agreeing with the points made. The post by Instagram account ftbl.serbia read: "Support for Stefan Lazovic! Why should only he suffer, why such a rigorous sentence, why a lifetime ban from trial? How is it possible that there is no penalty for the delegate and all other authorities from the responsible FS of that district? How could the match be allowed to be played without one assistant referee?! Who is responsible here? Why does Stefan's spear break? At the end of the day, the fact that he watched the video and changed the decision, just shows that he wanted everything to be fair! He talks about the fact that he was not a slave to his vanity, but he admitted and corrected his mistake. Well, this video went around the world and now millions of people have heard about the "over there" football clubs Popovic and Apollon, as well as the village of Vrnjci! In short, we appeal to the judges' organisation and the competent authorities - now you change the decision! Let the VAR system work for you too and cancel the penalty. Correct the error!” Plenty of other commenters agreed with the post. One wrote: "Punishment for correcting a wrong decision." While a second added: "He always turns out to be an honest man, he didn't harm anyone, he just did the right thing, good for Stefan Lazovic." (Source: The Sun)