Croatia’s Igor Matanovic has admitted that he made ‘slight contact’ with the ball as his nation saw a late equaliser against Portugal ruled out. Croatia thought that they had scored a dramatic equaliser in the 13th minute of added time through Josko Gvardiol before it was ruled out for offside.
A VAR review showed that Matanovic made contact with the ball in the build-up to the goal. With technology akin to seen in cricket used to come to the decision.
Speaking after the game, via A Bola, Matanovic said: “Honestly, I think I felt a slight contact with my hair.
“I asked the referee, I wasn’t 100 per cent sure if I had touched him. He told me that they have a chip in the ball, that there was a slight contact and that, therefore, it was offside.
“It’s difficult to find the right words after the game. We played very well in the second half and deserved more. I haven’t seen the penalty yet, but if this is given… Three goals, offside, a post… I have no words, we were very unlucky today.”
Giving an explanation for the decision, FIFA confirmed the use of the technology in the ball to determine slight contact.
“According to the data provided by Connected Ball Technology housed within the @adidasfootball Trionda, the official match ball of the @FIFAWorldCup, it was proven that contact was made by Croatia’s #20 Igor Matanović in the build up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal,” they wrote on X.
“IMU sensors housed within the Trionda ball are capable of determining any slight contact, displayed to viewers in the broadcast as a ‘heartbeat graphic’, and allowing officials an unprecedented level of data to make fast, accurate decisions.”
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