Zlámal on offside obstruction in the goalie’s view: It affects the player terribly, you’re not in a comfortable situation

One Manchester goal was awarded by the referees despite offside, the other was not. Fans in England don’t understand the offside rule when such a player doesn’t touch the ball.

The involvement or non-involvement of offside attacking players in the scoring action seems to be a kind of subjective choice for the referee who is currently sitting at the VAR screens. Not so often in the Czech Republic, rather abroad.

There is dissatisfaction with uneven refereeing in the Premier League, but the truth is that no technology can decide this type of verdict. A calibrated line won’t help, so it will always be based on the referee’s opinion.

In other sports, obstructing the opponent’s view tends to be more clearly defined. The attacking player is guilty if he touches the goalkeeper (catcher in some sports). In soccer, it is possible to be guilty without touching.

“From the goalkeeper’s position, if there are players standing right in front of him, it affects him terribly. I know it on myself. When a player stood in front of me, it was uncomfortable,” Zlámal said on Premier Club Extra.

In England, the adjudication of these situations resonates for the reason that the two situations were unevenly assessed. Johnny Evans’ strike against Burnley was invalid, while Nathan Aké’s goal into the Fulham net was valid.

The influence of Evans’ goal by Rasmus Hojlund was evident, with the Dane even touching goalkeeper James Trafford. The Manchester situation was different, Manuel Akanji flicked with his foot, the ball missed but Bernd Leno had no time to react.

“Running out is uncomfortable, you can’t see the shot, you’re not in a comfortable situation. If Akanji had not influenced Leno, he would have caught the header,” Zlámal added.

Either way, the England referees’ committee needs to state how they intend to approach the situation by the end of the season. It is suggested that such goals should simply not be conceded if it is obvious that the goalkeeper was influenced by the movement of the offside player. That would probably be the simplest solution.

Source: Premier Club Extra