“The law is not fit for purpose” – Ex-Premier League referee terms Carabao Cup Final offside decision ‘nonsense’ 

Ex-Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes the offside law is chalking off too many goals following a disallowed goal for Liverpool during the Carabao Cup Final.

Liverpool defender Joel Matip thought he had put his side 1-0 up against Premier League rivals Chelsea when he headed home from close range following a free-kick.

But after a long pause in action, referee Stuart Attwell was called over to the VAR monitor screen to analyze the goal, with officials deeming Virgil van Dijk to have interfered with play from an offside position.

Van Dijk was adjudged to have blocked off Chelsea defender Reece James as Liverpool went on to score in the Carabao Cup Final. .

Hackett believes there is a flaw in the laws of the game with regard to the decision.

Hackett told Football Insider:

“I think this is the difficulty of the law. If you look at the law, you look at the incidents then it is correct. It shows that, in a way, the interference is more technical. These are decisions made on a drawing board more than on a field of play."

He further added:

"My principles are they are right in law but the law is not fit for purpose."

One positive to take from the decision is that there seems to be more consistency with this type of ruling.

The decision echoes back to Raphael Varane's disallowed goal for Manchester United against Burnley a few weeks back. Harry Maguire was similarly judged to be interfering with play.

But Hackett feels the rule stops the excitement of goals and is unnecessary.

“What do fans want? Fans want goals, ideally against the opposition. We are seeing a law that is chalking off too many goals...The law is not fit for purpose. I think the law regarding the interfering of an opponent, is, frankly, nonsense.”

Should Premier League rethink its laws following Carabao Cup Final?

VAR has been a hot topic of debate this season and the incident in the Carabao Cup Final has added to the strong opinions,

The excitement in football is being taken away every time a VAR call is made. The ominous feeling for a side when the referee holds his finger to his ear just after they have scored, before sprinting towards the VAR screen, must be dreadful. Such instances usually lead to goals being disallowed.

The drama in English Premier League matches is often diluted as the ball ending up in the net no longer means a goal has been scored. This takes away the feeling of the moment.

Liverpool's goal looked as clear as daylight in real time, until analysis was made with regard to van Dijk's interaction. As soon as the replays showed van Dijk blocking James, it was clear it would be given as an offside offense.

But Hackett's words have merit given that it takes away the thrill of attacking football. There is now more leeway for defenders in moments of contention. Maybe the Premier League needs to go back to the drawing board with regard to this rule. Otherwise, a repeat of the Carabao Cup Final fiasco would be very unpopular among fans.