Subject: Euro 2008

And especially as Rumania turned France over in the qualification iirc .

Apparently should have been 4-0 as it wasn't offside.

Because Hackett says so, and that's the bottom line

Also contains: A Uefa official said the matter may get cleared up at its media briefing on Tuesday.

Got to admit, my understanding was that inside the goal was on the pitch, and outside the posts but beyond the touchline was not on the pitch, for purposes of offside.

Seems the Austrian equivalent of Hackett agrees:

Chairman of Austria's refereeing commission Gerhard Kapl backed the decision by Swedish referee Peter Frojdfeldt and said it was "100% correct, without any doubt".

Kapl pointed out that article 11.4.1. of the refereeing code stipulated that "an opposing player cannot be offside when one of the last two defenders has left the field of play".

From the article Donadoni: I ain't gettin involved, fool

as was the fact that the dutch took the world champions apart

I don't think there was much between the sides in terms of play and action. The score could have quite easily been 2-0 to Italy.

@woppa: i too thought if you were off the field then you are not counted as on the field in terms of offside...i guess you learn something new every day, but i'm sure i have seen offside given in these similar circumstances before...i can't think of many occassions a defender would be in a position to walk off the field to gain an advantage like that, so it seems a strange little rule.

Yeah, I thought it was offside, too. I was surprised to hear the likes of Hackett come out and say it wasn't.

The rule was brought in to stop defenders just walking off the park leaving the attackers offside. It used to happen quite a bit when they introduced the offside rule in the first place so they amended it. The Dutch just benefited from the rules.

I'm just trying to visualise when this might happen...i guess mostly in free kick scenario's when the defenders are already deep?

Do you remember it happening? I wouldn't imagine the defenders would be that deep that often.

would be quite funny to watch though. instead of them rushing out they rush off the pitch.

That is exactly what used to happen! The defenders would sprint behind the goal if they thought an attacker was going to receive a through pass. In those days it was the defenders that could "play" the offside rule, now it is Henry.

Did it ever work? I can't imagine a defender sprinting off the pitch quick enough at all in comparison to a pass.

In those days it was of goal hangers, mud and hobnail boots - no one ran anywhere much. It must have worked enough to get the FA(?) to change it.

You obviously have experience of those days jaize?

He's in his 50's isn't he? So i reckon so.

I reckon he may have been one of the founders of the FA mate......

kick a man when he is down! you are all kens

Well I did offer DJ £2 for his winger.....