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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport

You are the Ref No323: Simon Mignolet

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line.

Keith Hackett's verdict

1) Devious, but it's not a goal. The keeper's fall was a direct result of the actions of the striker, who is clearly guilty of some pretty underhand unsporting behaviour. Disallow the goal, call the striker back and show him a yellow card, and restart with a free-kick to the defending team which can be taken from anywhere inside the six-yard box. Thanks to Dave Lomax.
2) An interesting problem, and another which shows you need to be ready to think on your feet and apply the laws as fairly as you can. The substitution, technically, has been completed – but a member of your team has made a genuine error, so I would show some common sense by allowing the substitution to be redone. You need to report the error to the authorities, post-match, though. Thanks to Phillip Mercer.
3) No, you can spare the player's blushes. The law on advantage is clear: you have to penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not transpire in that immediate passage of play. So take play back to the original incident and award a free-kick at the position where the player was fouled. Stephen Boustred wins the shirt.

Competition: win a T-shirt of your choice

Philosophy Football Shirt

For a chance to win a Philosophy Football T-shirt of your choice from the Guardian range send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in each new strip wins a T-shirt; Terms apply. For more on You are the Ref's history, click here.

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