A ghost goal in football is referred to as a goal that is questionable or awarded wrongly. Also known as the phantom goal, it describes a goal that did not cross the goal line or a goal not given despite the ball crossing the goal line. It is not rare in professional football. Photographic proof of whether the ball crossed the goal line or not helps decide whether a goal is indeed a valid goal. In some cases, the referee fails to see if a ball indeed crossed the goal line or not, awarding a phantom ball or not awarding a valid goal to the playing team.
Ghost Goals in the History of Football
In some cases, even the commentators, spectators as well as the goalkeeper perceives a ball to be a goal. However, when videos of the play are reviewed and played in slow motion, the ball seems to be no longer a goal, making it a ghost goal or a phantom ball. Almost fifteen years ago, the Liverpool 2005 Champion's League was considered to be one of the most controversial games in professional football. During the fourth minute of the game, a ghost ball against Chelsea added controversy to one of the most popular and most anticipated matches during that season. Another famous ghost goal in professional football is the goal scored by Thomas Helmer from Bayern Munch in 1994. His team was against FC Nurnberg during that time. In the slow-motion replay, the ball did not cross the goal line, however, the assistant referee also saw this as not a valid goal. However, the assistant referee had no position to counter the decision of the referee who called it a ball.
Other Controversial Ghost Goals in Football History
Monitoring whether the ball crossed the line or not is not an easy task for referees, assistant referees, and linesmen. Due to the lack of an efficient Goal Line Technology, there have been several controversial and memorable ghost goals over the history of professional football. Sulley Muntari gave a close-range header over the line that gave Gianluigi Buffon a hard time, scrambling to get the ball back out. To much surprise by both players and fans, the goal was not given. During the Scottish Premier League, the ghost goal phenomenon also took place. During the match, the referee, together with the linesman, Paddy Connolly clearly made a goal and the defending team even picked up the ball and recognized the ball as a successful goal. However. Referee Les Mottram signaled the game to play on clearly missing a valid goal.
