Did Mosele score an offside goal with his arm for Pirates? Ex-FIFA referee Ace Ncobo opens up

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Orlando Pirates midfielder Goodman Mosele scored a late controversial goal as the Sea Robbers claimed a 2-1 win over Cape Town City at the Orlando Stadium last weekend.

Haashim Domingo opened the scoring for the visitors in the 21st minute before Tshegofatso Mabasa scored his fifth goal in the ongoing campaign after guiding Mohau Nkota's cross into the net in the 67th minute. Mosele, who had come in for Makhehleni Makhaula, then scored in the 87th minute to win it for Bucs.

Some fans and stakeholders felt the midfielder's goal was from an offside position, while some feel he could have scored with his arm.

‘Assistant referee was correctly positioned'

Orlando Pirates fans. Photo Imago

“I don’t have a good enough angle to make a conclusive decision on whether or not it was offside,” Former FIFA referee Ace Ncobo told Extra Time.

“But what I watched for was the position of the assistant referee at that moment and when you look at that moment when the ball is headed in into play, there seems to be one foot of the Orlando Pirates player [Mosele] inside the goal area there, whilst that second-last defender, those feet are outside the area.

“But you can’t tell from this angle. What I do trust though is that the assistant referee is correctly positioned at that moment, and he allows play to continue. He can only trust that he may have seen them in line.”

Was it a handball?

Orlando Pirates
Image – Orlando Pirates

“I don’t think there is a case for that [handball], because it comes from another limb of his own body,” he added.

“The finish itself is in that area of the arm which is deemed to be part of the shoulder. Remember from the armpit, level upwards, that’s deemed to be part of the shoulder.

“So even if it touched that part as he was pushing it in, it’s within the laws.”

Pirates next game will be away to Marumo Gallants on Saturday.

Did Mosele score an offside goal with his arm for Pirates? Ex-FIFA referee Ace Ncobo opens up

Willis Sob

Willis Sob is an experienced journalist who has been in the game since 2009, covering major assignments around the continent.
His hunger for African football is unmatched, always getting the best angles and facts to feed the fans and quench their thirst.