UEFA Supports Dutch Goal Decision

UEFA has emphasised that the goal scored by Netherlands striker Ruud van Nistelrooy in last night's UEFA EURO 2008™ match against Italy in Berne was valid, and that referee Peter Fröjdfeldt acted correctly in awarding it.

Not offside

UEFA General Secretary David Taylor was reacting to claims from some quarters that Van Nistelrooy was standing in an offside position when he scored the first of the Netherlands' goals in their 3-0 win. "I would like to take the opportunity to explain and emphasise that the goal was correctly awarded by the referee team," he said. "I think there's a lack of understanding among the general football public, and I think it's understandable because this was an unusual situation. The player was not offside, because, in addition to the Italian goalkeeper, there was another Italian player in front of the goalscorer. Even though that other Italian player at the time had actually fallen off the pitch, his position was still relevant for the purposes of the offside law."

Still involved

The starting point, said Mr Taylor, is the Laws of the Game – Law 11 – which deal with offside, whereby a player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponents' goalline than both the ball and the second-last opponent. "There need to be two defenders involved," the UEFA General Secretary said. "If you think back to the situation, the first is the goalkeeper, and the second is the defender who, because of his momentum, actually had left the field of play. But this defender was still deemed to be part of the game. Therefore he is taken into consideration as one of the last two opponents. As a result, Ruud van Nistelrooy was not nearer to the opponents' goal than the second-last defender and, therefore, could not be in an offside position.

Rare incident

"This is a widely-known interpretation of the offside law among referees that is not generally known by the wider football public," he continued. "Incidents like this are very unusual – although I'm informed that there was an incident like this about a month ago in a Swiss Super League match between FC Sion and FC Basel 1893. [It was] initially suggested that this [goal] was a mistake by the referee in terms of the offside law – the commentator later apologised publicly, as he didn't realise that this was the correct application of the law."
Law appliedMr Taylor concluded: "So let's be clear – the referees' team applied the law in the correct manner. If we did not have this interpretation of the player being off the pitch then what could happen is that the defending team could use the tactic of stepping off the pitch deliberately to play players offside, and that clearly is unacceptable. The most simple and practical interpretation of the law in this instance is the one that is adopted by referees throughout the world – that is that unless you have permission from the referee to be off the pitch, you are deemed to be on it and deemed to be part of the game. That is why the Italian defender, even though his momentum had taken him off the pitch, was still deemed to be part of the game, and therefore the attacking player put the ball into the net, and it was a valid goal. The law in this place was applied absolutely correctly."

Ronaldo Points Way Forward For Scolari

Luiz Felipe Scolari may be going into Portugal's UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign without many of the figureheads who served him so well four years ago, but in Cristiano Ronaldo, he insists he has a worthy talisman to take a new golden generation forward.

Faith

Speaking to euro2008.com, Portugal coach Scolari stated his belief in the Manchester United FC player's ability to carry his scintillating form into UEFA EURO 2008™, and to assume the responsibility of being a leader in the team. "He is a young player who has been on a spectacular journey so far in his life," said the Brazilian. "Today he is one of the main reference points for our team."

Inevitable

Scolari said that like former talisman Luís Figo, it was natural Ronaldo would develop leadership skills. "One day he could well be the sole captain of the Portuguese national team," Scolari said. "For now he is part of a group of five team captains, with some of the older players in the group. But he has the stature to do it. Whoever the captain was, whether it was Fernando Couto or whoever else, he [Ronaldo] has already assumed positions of responsibility. A team captain is formed naturally. Figo didn't need to wear the armband either. He imposed his presence with the quality he has."

Great future

Ronaldo's development, according to Scolari, is in tune with the changes in the Portugal side as a whole since UEFA EURO 2004™. Though many feared the end of the much-discussed golden generation would weaken Portugal, Scolari always had faith in the talent coming through. "We have great players with excellent qualities, who have great futures ahead of them," he said. "I don't know for sure if we will, but we will probably have players who can form another golden generation."

Repeat performance

The 59-year-old admitted the experience of the likes of Figo, Rui Costa and Pauleta would be missed, but he believes his current side's youthfulness could be an advantage as they look to improve on Portugal's run to the final four years ago. "What we have today is a group who still have great technical quality but less experience than the players of four years ago. [The younger players] are privileged from a physical perspective. If we have confidence in ourselves I'm sure we can reach another final in this competition."

Goalscoring options

Nor is the Portugal coach worried about goalscoring being a problem, despite the retirement of all-time top scorer Pauleta. "We have quality. In fact, we have probably four of the best ten wingers in the world," said Scolari who believes the likes of Simão, Nani and Ricardo Quaresma can be key in taking Portugal out of Group A and beyond. "We have the quality to go all the way to the final, and to win the final, because we have players in all sectors of the pitch who can score goals."

Robben Ready To Fly Again

In the Netherlands' UEFA EURO 2008™ warm-up matches, one player has caught the eye more than any other – winger Arjen Robben.

Sparking to life
The 24-year-old has been fast and direct, displaying a willingness to dribble past opponents whenever possible. Robben, who won the Primera División with Real Madrid CF alongside Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy, returned to Oranje action in style against Denmark on 29 May. He set up Van Nistelrooy's opener in that 1-1 draw, then scored his ninth goal in 33 internationals against Wales four days later. It was form recalling his youthful best, before the injuries that limited him to 12 league starts in his first season with Real Madrid.

Happy return
"I feel very strong and fit now," the former FC Groningen, PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea FC flier told euro2008.com. "I have been out of international football because of injuries for far too long. I am delighted to be back with the squad after more than six months." Robben's previous outing for Marco van Basten's team had been the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Slovenia on 17 October. He attributes his recovery to a tip from former FC Twente coach Fred Rutten, who contacted Robben's father to recommend an osteopath from his own playing days. "He worked with me for some time and unlocked certain parts of my back, and that has been a big help," said the wide man.

'On the right track'
The collective picture, as well as the personal, gives Robben hope for the Netherlands' Group C tests to come. "We have put in some good performances, we have shown good things and we have improved where necessary, so we are on the right track," he said. "But whether that will be enough, we will only find out during the group stage." The Oranje's first game is against world champions Italy in Berne on Monday, before meetings with France on 13 June and Romania four days later. "Obviously Italy are a very strong footballing nation and, as a team, they are always very well-organised," the winger continued. "But they are not the only strong side at EURO and everyone is here to win it."

Cannavaro sympathy
For all his desire for Dutch success, Robben takes no pleasure in the misfortune of Italy captain and Real Madrid team-mate Fabio Cannavaro – ruled out of the tournament this week with an ankle injury. "I did not find that good news at all," he said. "It is very sad as I know what it means to miss out on things through injury. But Italy have enough quality to replace him, they can cope. The match against Italy is going to be about the small details, which in the end will decide who will win. It will not be easy for either side."