FIFA has released a simulated image of the build-up to Japan’s controversial winner against Spain and warned against “misleading” angles from other cameras.
Kaoru Mitoma’s cutback for Ao Tanaka to give Japan what proved a decisive 2-1 lead on Thursday was initially adjudged by South African referee Victor Gomes to have been from outside the field of play.
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But the official reversed his decision after a lengthy VAR consultation and the result ensured both sides reached the last 16, with Germany crashing out of the tournament on goal difference.
Television stills from varying angles were widely shared on social media, with some appearing to show grass between the ball and the line, and others seemingly showing the curvature of the ball still in touch with the edge of the pitch.
IFAB, who set the laws of the game, define the ball as being out as when “it has wholly passed over the goal line or touchline on the ground or in the air”.
FIFA said on Twitter on Twitter on Friday that Japan’s second goal “was checked by VAR to determine if the ball had gone out of play” and added that video match officials had used goal line camera images “to check if the ball was still partially on the line or not”.
As well as posting match footage of the incident, the sport’s governing body also released a simulated image of the ball in relation to the touchline and said: “Other cameras may offer misleading images but on the evidence available, the whole of the ball was not out of play.”
Other cameras may offer misleading images but on the evidence available, the whole of the ball was not out of play. pic.twitter.com/HKKEot0j1Y
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) December 2, 2022
Though FIFA said goal images had been used, the goal line technology system — which sends information within a second to the referee’s watch — only applies to the goal line itself.
That means the goal was checked via the eye-test in the VAR room, in line with FIFA protocol.
VARs at the World Cup work from a centralised video operation room in Doha and have access to 42 broadcast cameras — eight of which are super slow motion and four of which are ultra slow motion.
Spain boss Luis Enrique told a news conference after the defeat: “In football you deserve it or not and we didn’t deserve it.”
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Japan play Croatia on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Read more: Japan was eliminated by Croatia on penalties to advance to the quarterfinals
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Why did Japan's second goal vs Spain stand?
(Photo: FIFA via Twitter)
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