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Ref has final say on England’s 2,000th goal

Comment: 0 November 17th, 2011 by: admin

WHO will be credited as the official scorer of England’s winning goal against Sweden in their friendly last Tuesday? Was it Gareth Barry or an own goal by a Swede defender?

The final say on the issue will fall on the Czech referee who officiated the match which saw the Three Lions earning a 1-0 victory that enabled them to finally defeat the Swedes after 43 years of agony.

A report coming from referee Pavel Kralovec is being awaited by the Football Association and that will be the basis to decide the matter.

The FA, the governing body of football in England, awarded the 22^nd-minute goal to Barry, who also prowls the midfield for Manchester City.

It was the 2,000^th goal England have scored since they started playing internationals in 1872.

But confusion arose as others credited it as an own goal because Barry’s header took a deflection off the head of Daniel Majstorovic.

The FA said they have awarded the goal to Barry but they will abide by the referee’s decision.

‘If the referee, in his report, states the goal was an own goal, then we will change it in line with his report,’ stressed the FA.

The football body also said they will ask Kralovec to study the footage and take a view, clarifying that if the match would have been in a FIFA or UEFA competition, the match committee would decide, but in a friendly the decision falls mainly on the referee.

England coach Fabio Capello said he was not concerned as to who scored the landmark goal.

‘It is just statistics, for me it is not important. It might be important in 10 years who scored that 2,000^th goal but not now,’ he said.

British bookmaker William Hill joined the excitement surrounding the goalscorer issue as they are paying out any punter who backed Barry as being the first, last or anytime scorer, and also on anyone who backed a 1-0 scoreline with Barry as scorer.

The scoreboard at Wembley showed throughout the game that Barry was the goalscorer.

William Kenyon-Slaney scored England’s first-ever goal during a 4-2 win over Scotland on March 28, 1873, while Jimmy Greaves netted the 1,000^th goal during a 5-1 triumph over Wales at Wembley on Nov. 23, 1960.

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