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Revision as of 13:18, 19 August 2009 by Clyde1998 (talk | contribs) (→Background)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Ghost goal (or phantom goal) is a term used in association football to describe a questionable goal, usually involving incertitude or controversy as to whether the ball crossed the goal line.
Background
The term arose from a quote by Chelsea FC manager José Mourinho following the 2005 Champions League semi-final against Liverpool FC, ultimately decided by a single goal by Luis García and awarded by referee Ľuboš Micheľ, but dubbed a "ghost goal" and described as "a goal that came from the moon" by Mourinho.
Television replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball crossed the line. Micheľ said that his decision was based on the reaction of the assistant referee, and had he not awarded Liverpool the goal, he would have had no other alternative but to award them a penalty kick and send off Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech for a foul on Milan Baroš. "I believe Chelsea would have preferred the goal to count rather than face a penalty with just ten men for the rest of the game. If my assistant referee had not signaled a goal, I would have given a penalty and sent off goalkeeper Petr Čech."
After studying a series of still images of the incident, motion expert Dr Mike Spann concluded that Micheľ had made the correct decision by signaling a goal.
The positioning and body movements of Chelsea's William Gallas, who tried to clear Luis Garcia's shot with his right foot, as well as the movement of the ball relative to Gallas, led Dr Spann to conclude: "It was a goal."
The term likely arose through Mourinho's direct translation to "ghost", with the expression "phantom" more often used by native English speakers. After the 2005 incident, both "ghost goal" and "phantom goal" have been used to describe similar incidents.
The term has been recently applied to a number of questionable goals, notably a goal scored by Reading against Watford in a 2-2 Championship draw in September 2008. Referee Stuart Attwell awarded a goal, despite the ball having passed wide of the goal on closer video inspection. The decision has been dubbed 'one of the worst in football' in the media.
Another case was another Championship game, at Ashton Gate. Crystal Palace's Freddie Sears, put the ball in the net, but hit the stanchion at the back of the goal, and bounced out. The goal was not given.
Other uses
The term was also applied to some goals scored by Martin Peters, dubbed 'The Ghost' at West Ham United, due to his often arrival in the box where no defender expected him.
References
- The world according to Mourinho, BBC Sport. 31 October, 2005.
- Barnes, David. "Anfield ref: I reckon I did Chelsea a favour", The People 8 May, 2005
- Harris, Nick. Motion expert says Garcia's shot did cross the line, The Independent. 5 May, 2005.
- Norrish, Mike (2008-11-04). "Did phantom goal ref Stuart Attwell get Watford's Aidy Boothroyd the sack? Football". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- "BBC SPORT | Football | Championship | Watford 2-2 Reading". BBC News. 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- Biggs, Alan (2008-10-11). "'Ghost goal' referee Stuart Attwell is set for promotion to international duty". Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- "Martin Peters - England Caps (UK)". England Caps. 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2009-06-06.