Six years ago I published a short work of fiction on my refereeing blog about an assistant referee who disallows a stunning goal during the 2018 World Cup.
The Greatest Goal Never tells how a 67-pass move, followed by an eight-man dribble, followed by a spectacular overhead kick from a maverick Colombian striker lands in the bottom corner of the Italian goal in the crucial final minutes of a group game. Yet it’s adjudged to be offside by the flag-raising linesman, by the tiniest of margins. As the soccer world holds its breath, the Video Assistant Referee takes three and a half minutes to confirm that the decision is correct.
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