Fulham lodge PGMOL complaint over Florian Wirtz offside decision at Craven Cottage

Goal reports Fulham have formally contacted the Professional Game Match Official Limited (PGMOL) to seek an explanation after Florian Wirtz's controversial opener was allowed in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage, with the club convinced the German was clearly offside despite the new tolerance rule.

The goal came when Wirtz latched onto a through ball and scored while the assistant referee kept their flag down; replays in the stadium and on television appeared to show him in an advanced position, but a check using the semi-automated offside technology confirmed the strike. Fulham’s request for clarification focuses on the calibration of the system and why the visual evidence seemed to contradict the digital output.

The decision rested on a 5cm tolerance introduced ahead of the season, under which attackers and defenders within 5cm are treated as onside; the technology deemed Wirtz to be within that zone. Marco Silva demanded answers after the match — “We felt the same, many people in the stadium felt the same, but the semi-automatic we have to believe in it,” he said initially, later adding, “For me, I cannot believe how that goal was allowed, it was a clear offside...

Key Topics

Sports, Fulham, Pgmol, Florian Wirtz, Craven Cottage, Marco Silva