VIDEO: Is this a goal or not?

The footage shows an incident from the dramatic penalty shoot-out to decide a cup final between Hutchison Vale and Newcraighall Leith Vics U14s.

This was given as a goal. Was the referee correct?

When the clip was posted online it received 120,000 views in less than a day and it was clear the public certainly couldn’t decide, with social media comments being split right down the middle.

Former top official, Willie Young, was asked to comment in a purely personal capacity and this is what he had to say.

“An interesting situation indeed!

The Laws of the Game state that a penalty kick has only been completed when the referee decides it has (Law 14).

“It also states that “when a penalty kick is taken….. a goal is awarded if, before passing between the goalpost and under the crossbar, the ball touches either or both of the goalposts and/or the crossbar and/or the goalkeeper”.

“This applies during and at the end of a match and to kicks from the penalty mark to decide a match.

“In this clip the ball appears to have been “saved” initially by the goalkeeper who then releases it almost immediately and as part of the same movement, allowing it to roll between the posts and into the goal.

“In terms of Law 14 it is for the referee to decide when the penalty kick has been completed and it appears that he has decided that it was not completed unitl after the ball had passed between the posts having been “touched” by the goalkeeper.

“As soon as he appears in frame the referee seems to signal that a goal has been scored, since he points towards the other half of the field of play, which is the traditional (albeit unofficial) signal that a goal has been scored.

“So the answer is ‘Yes’, it was a goal.

“Of course, the referee could have opted to decide that the penalty kick had been completed when the ball was ‘saved’ initially by the goalkeeper, in which case he would not have awarded the goal.”