Key Match Incidents Panel backed VAR’s award of Florian Wirtz’s 57th-minute goal at Fulham, citing Premier League SAOT “thicker lines” tolerance. For bettors, this suggests tight offside calls in the PL are more likely to stand than in leagues without tolerance—punters should factor SAOT margins into live goals/offside markets and avoid assuming close strikes will be overturned.
VAR cleared after Wirtz goal sparks offside row at Fulham
The Key Match Incidents Panel has ruled that the video assistant referee made the correct call in awarding Florian Wirtz’s 57th-minute goal at Craven Cottage. The assistant referee initially flagged for offside, but VAR intervened after applying the Premier League’s semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), awarding the strike that drew Liverpool level.
What the panel said
The KMI Panel unanimously supported the VAR decision, noting the call was within an extremely tight margin. "The VAR intervention to award the goal was supported as correct, given the tight margin of the offside call and thicker offside lines used for these incredibly tight calls," the panel said.
How SAOT tolerance affected the decision
The Premier League’s version of SAOT applies a small tolerance — effectively thicker offside lines — which in this instance gave Wirtz around five centimetres of leeway. That tolerance is not used in leagues such as Germany, Italy or Spain, where the same frame would likely have seen the goal ruled out.
Frame selection and broadcast perception
The controversy partly stems from which video frame was shown. VAR selected the frame when Connor Bradley first made contact with the ball; a broadcaster froze the image one frame later, creating the impression that Wirtz was more clearly ahead of the last defender. That difference in frame choice altered public perception of the call.
Reaction from Fulham and officiating body
Fulham manager described the goal as a clear offside and the club lodged a complaint with the officiating body. The KMI Panel’s ruling, however, confirms the decision stands under the Premier League’s SAOT protocol.
Implications for clubs, fans and bettors
Clubs may press for clearer communication on frame selection, but the ruling reinforces that the Premier League’s tolerance will influence close offside calls. For punters, this means tight marginal goals in the PL are more likely to be given than in competitions without tolerance, so factor SAOT margins into live betting and avoid assuming close strikes will be overturned.
Henrik Larsson names Liverpool player as the best in the world at his position
The VAR was correct to intervene and give Florian Wirtz's goal at Fulham despite the Liverpool player appearing to be offside, a panel says.
Yahoo! News
