Walton said contrary to the belief by pundits and football fans that the ball had gone out, the curvature of the ball did not go out of play
By Kehinde Okeowo
A former Premier League referee, Peter Walton has explained why the last goal in Japan’s 2-1 win over Spain on Thursday night was allowed to stand.
Fans and Pundits such as former Man United defender, Gary Neville and Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness slammed the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for not disallowing the goal which eventually eliminated Germany.
But Walton said contrary to the belief that the ball had gone out, the curvature of the ball did not go out of play
The replays from the angles shown on TV suggested that the ball had rolled out before Kaoru Mitoma managed to put it back into play for Ao Tanaka to tap in from close range.
However, a lengthy VAR check concluded the whole of the ball had not crossed the line.
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Speaking on ITV, Walton said the FIFA’s technical crew must have seen images confirming the curvature of the ball did not go out of play.
“There’s a misconception in law that just because the part of the ball that is on the floor is over the line is out – well it clearly isn’t because it’s the curve of the ball,” Walton said.
He went on to say that VAR actually looked out for the evidence that led to the referee’s initial decision that the ball went out of play but could not find any.
“The law is specific, the ball is still in play if the curvature of the ball breaks that line – do we have that evidence to show?” He added.
Japan’s shocking 2-1 defeat of Spain meant that Germany, who are one of the tournament’s favourites crashed out of the World Cup at the group stage, while the Asian giant qualified for rounds 16 as group winners.