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Hilarious moment when a soccer referee changes his mind and allows a goal – after watching a video of the shot a fan took on his phone!
- Lower league referee in Serbia denied team a goal for offside
- He studied the footage of the shot taken with a fan’s phone while reviewing the decision
- The match official finally allowed the score after studying the footage several times
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A football referee who disallowed a goal has changed his mind after a fan who videoed the shot showed him a replay on a cell phone as he passed the sidelines.
The match official in one of Serbia’s lower leagues originally ruled the goal off for offside after a player of the team in the blue strip headed home from a free kick.
But a hilarious viral video shows the referee examining a clip of the shot taken by a spectator dressed in a pink shirt leaning over the fence to show him the footage.
Not your average VAR: Serbian referee (center) studies footage of the goal on a fan’s phone as a man who appears to be linked to the scoring team (left) argues with him
After studying the video several times, he tells a player of the scoring team (in blue) that he will leave the goal – much to the delight of the side
Another video shows the shot in question, with one of the players dressed in blue heading the ball home from a free kick, but it was denied for offside
Another man in a black shirt – standing on the pitch and appearing to be affiliated with the disallowed side – argues with the official as he watches the footage, while other spectators join in as they try to overturn the verdict .
The referee then takes the phone to the field and continues to study the video as players from both sides come together to see if he will reverse his decision.
He appears to watch the footage several times before conceding the goal, sending the blue-clad players into a frenzy as they run off to celebrate.
It’s unclear whether the competition rules state that decisions can be reversed based on video evidence, especially when it was provided by a fan rather than footage shot for television.
The hilarious incident is a far cry from using high-pressure, high-stakes video assistants in top leagues around the world, including the English Premier League.
The EPL assesses broadcast images with as many angles as possible, all recorded in high resolution and played back in super slow motion.
How they’re doing in the pros: The semi-automated system being tried in the Champions League uses tracking technology and artificial intelligence, and caused Chelsea to disallow a goal against Dinamo Zagreb (pictured)
If the Video Review Assistant (VAR) believes the referee has made a mistake, he may recommend that the ruling be reversed.
A recent report states that the EPL has been set up to use semi-automatic offsides instead of the manually drawn lines 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 officer when a player is offside, using tracking technology and artificial intelligence for instant decisions.