Do those goal line officials do anything?

flazio

Quick question. Have the goal line officials (or umpires as I like to call them) actually done any good for the game?
No-one outside UEFA has adopted them, goal line technology is more widely used and there is talk of limited use of a TV match official.

Omackeral

''From what I can see, they get to travel the world and see top football with a great view and that's about it. It's a great gig''

-Damien Duff

dfx-

yes they do but they don't have a whistle or flag to demonstrate it

machiavellianme

I saw one pick his nose once. Does that count?

klose

There was another incident involving them in the legia-Ajax game last night

https://twitter.com/footballdailyuk/status/832336974400864257

Granted the keepers back is turned towards the official and he seems to be slightly hunkered down too. I've only ever seen the goal line ref once make a call and I can't even remember what game all I remember was being shocked that he actually done something at the time.

Hercule Poirot

I have a vague recollection of Louis Saha being sent off in a Europa League game for Everton on the basis of a goal line officials decision - and it was completely and utterly wrong - the only time I remember any of them making a big decision

alchemist33

dfx- wrote: »

yes they do but they don't have a whistle or flag to demonstrate it

This. They have a button on their wand/baton/stick to press and presumably have radio contact with the ref, so we don't actually know when they decide something is or isn't a foul.

They are not allowed to make a decision. They can only offer an opinion if asked from the referee.

jacool

I have two issues with them.
1. Why are they there in the first place - totally redundant?
2. If they have to be there, why are they on the "wrong" side of the goal? There is already a "lino" covering that segment. It would make way more sense to budge them over to the other side of the goal so that more of the pitch is covered. They could then see things like Martial's elbow, Bellerin's handball, etc. , or at least they could make me feel 1% happier !!

Richard Hillman

I support having the extra officials behind the goal. I would just like if they actually did something once in a while.

They have all seen holding and pulling in the box during corners and pretended they've seen nothing. It's cheating.

Nalz

Deleted User wrote: »

They are not allowed to make a decision. They can only offer an opinion if asked from the referee.

Really? The ref should always go to them then for freekicks or pens in the box then.

dfx-

Deleted User wrote: »

They are not allowed to make a decision. They can only offer an opinion if asked from the referee.

It will almost always be taken if offered. Not many referees asking for another opinion are going to overrule it...

Supposedly in the Bayern Arsenal game, the ref gave a corner to Arsenal before the touchline ref correctly called it as a goalkick and it was given as a goalkick. And Bayern went up the field and scored...

MrKingsley

I remember when they started out with them and UEFA/FIFA released a load of adds saying that they would see more, from more angles and get more decisions correct.

What I want to know is why do they stand on the same side of the pitch as the linesman? Would it not more more sense to have them on opposite sides of the pitch if they really wanted to see more?

Window dressing is all they are. Pointless.

Well put by Duff!

PhilipsR

klose wrote: »

There was another incident involving them in the legia-Ajax game last night

https://twitter.com/footballdailyuk/status/832336974400864257

Granted the keepers back is turned towards the official and he seems to be slightly hunkered down too. I've only ever seen the goal line ref once make a call and I can't even remember what game all I remember was being shocked that he actually done something at the time.

You know, this goal sums up the biggest issue I have with the placing of these officials. Why the hell aren't they on the OPPOSITE side of where the linesman is? I can't wrap my head around it at all and it's completely daft. You now have five officials involved in the games, yet a big section of both halves still hasn't got an official near it. Baffling.

mansize

They have given two penalties against Arsenal and one to them according to memory

ArmaniJeanss

jacool wrote: »

2. If they have to be there, why are they on the "wrong" side of the goal?

MrKingsley wrote: »

What I want to know is why do they stand on the same side of the pitch as the linesman? Would it not more more sense to have them on opposite sides of the pitch if they really wanted to see more?

PhilipsR wrote: »

You know, this goal sums up the biggest issue I have with the placing of these officials. Why the hell aren't they on the OPPOSITE side of where the linesman is? I can't wrap my head around it at all and it's completely daft.

Nah, they are actually on the correct side.
The referee if doing is job is basically supposed to 'run the diagonal' between the two corner flags where there are no linesman - therefore if he misses something in the penalty box it is most likely to be on the side at which the linesman is. Hence the additional official is placed on this side of the penalty box.

Think of something simple like a 'ghost goal' through the side netting from a corner. The referee should (longterm convention) be standing at the corner of the penalty box on his appointed diagonal. If this happens to be the near side he should spot such a ghost goal, if the corner is swung to back post and someone heads it in then the extra official is perfectly placed to see it. Conversely if the referees diagonal dictates that he is on the far side of the penalty box for a corner then he should spot the problem at the back post, and the new official will spot it at the front post.

That's the theory, obviously as we know between them all they still sometimes miss an incident, but the logic of their decreed positioning is fine.

Turtwig

klose wrote: »

There was another incident involving them in the legia-Ajax game last night

https://twitter.com/footballdailyuk/status/832336974400864257

Granted the keepers back is turned towards the official and he seems to be slightly hunkered down too. I've only ever seen the goal line ref once make a call and I can't even remember what game all I remember was being shocked that he actually done something at the time.

Clearly the official is blindsided. The raised camera angle is what let's us know it's a goal. That camera is possibly a metre or two higher than the official's eyeline. No way he can see it.

I actually like the concept of the the official but it's hard to know what if anything they actually do. Commentators love pointing out they do nothing but then again they love pointing out ignorant crap too.

R00ster

I feel sorry for them in the cold weather. They have a tiny area in which to move, even less than a keeper. They are effectively standing still for the 90 minutes, no way to keep warm. Must be brutal for a EL/UCL game on a snowy December evening.