Gary Lineker urges the FA to reconsider offside rules after Arsenal’s goal was disallowed against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
The goal was ruled out because they said Gabriel Martinelli was offside, even though the ball touched Harry Maguire. The current rules say that for a player to be onside, the pass must be controlled and deliberate. But the officials didn’t see it that way this time.
Lineker, who hosts Match of the Day, thinks the FA needs to clear up the confusion around the offside rule. He mentioned this during halftime on BBC Sport, saying the rules are too blurry.
He pointed out that the officials decided Maguire wasn’t in control of the ball, but Lineker argued that he should have been. He laid out a few points about what it means for a player to be uncontrolled, and he wasn’t buying it.
Lineker suggested that the FA should just say any deflection in those situations should be considered offside. It might not have changed the match’s outcome, but it could have saved the referee, Andy Madley, from some heat on a tough day.
Things got a bit messy for Madley later when he gave a questionable penalty to Arsenal after Maguire was said to have fouled Kai Havertz. But Martin Odegaard’s penalty was saved by Altay Bayindir, who had a standout performance that day.
