FIFA Explains Reason for Disallowing Croatia's Goal

FIFA has clarified the controversial decision to disallow Croatia's equalizer against Portugal, stating that the offside call was correct thanks to the integrated technology within the official World Cup match ball. The incident occurred during a Round of 32 match where Portugal had taken a 2-1 lead in stoppage time.

Croatia appeared to have found a dramatic equalizer nine minutes later when Josko Gvardiol scored. The play involved Ivan Perisic crossing the ball, which deflected off Renato Veiga to Mario Pasalic, who then set up Gvardiol for the goal. Initially, the goal was allowed, and replays suggested that Croatian player Igor Matanovic had failed to touch the ball with his head, which would have meant Pasalic was not offside when assisting Gvardiol.

However, the referee was prompted to review the play via VAR. FIFA's "connected ball" technology, embedded within the Adidas Truesce ball, indicated that Matanovic had indeed made a slight touch. This touch placed Pasalic in an offside position during the build-up, leading to the correct disallowance of the goal.

FIFA explained the decision on its social media platform, stating, "According to the data provided by the connected ball technology... it was confirmed that there was contact by Croatia player No. 20 Igor Matanovic during the build-up of the attack that preceded the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly call offside and disallow the goal." The technology's sensors can detect even the slightest touch, providing referees with unprecedented data for quick and accurate decisions.

“

According to the data provided by the connected ball technology... it was confirmed that there was contact by Croatia player No. 20 Igor Matanovic during the build-up of the attack that preceded the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly call offside and disallow the goal.