Analyst: Stephen Appiah was offside before infamous Suarez handball incident (Video)

A new refereeing review has reopened debate over Ghana’s heartbreaking exit at the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-final Ghana vs Uruguay, with analyst Victor asserting that Stephen Appiah was offside in the build-up to Luis Suárez’s notorious goal-line handball.

Breaking down the decisive moment from the clash in South Africa, Victor, an experienced referee and instructor behind Referee’s Channel, argued that the incident should never have escalated to the dramatic conclusion that has since defined the match.

His frame-by-frame analysis points to an earlier infringement that went unnoticed by the officiating team.

“Before the handball offense, the ball came from a free kick. When the ball was headed to number 10, he was in a clear offside position,” Victor explained.

He maintained that the missed call fundamentally altered the sequence of events.

“He was 100% offside here before Suarez’s handball offense, and this was missed by the referees.”

According to Victor, a correct offside decision would have resulted in an indirect free kick to Uruguay, preventing both the handball and its consequences.

“Had he spotted this offside offense, Suarez would never have been sent off. So this was an incorrect decision in this match.”

Suárez was dismissed for denying a goal-bound header from Dominic Adiyiah, before Asamoah Gyan struck the resulting penalty against the crossbar, as Uruguay advanced after a shootout.