Tunisia-Libya U20 draw sparks offside debate after late counter-attack

A late offside decision in Tunisia’s 1-1 draw with Libya at Under-20 level caused angry protests from the Libyan players and coaching staff during Saturday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations youth qualifying match.

Libya appeared to have a clear route to goal in stoppage time after Tunisia’s goalkeeper, Selim Bouaskar, had gone forward to join his team-mates for a corner. When Libya won possession, its players launched a counter-attack towards an unguarded goal and believed they had a four-versus-one advantage.

The assistant referee, however, raised his flag after ruling that a Libyan attacker had been offside when the ball was played forward. Several Libya players and members of the coaching staff immediately ran towards the official to challenge the decision.

Although the call prompted strong protests, it was consistent with the Laws of the Game. The Libyan forward had moved approximately one metre beyond the halfway line and the only Tunisia player behind him was Bouaskar, who was positioned in the opposing penalty area for the corner.

Under the offside law, a player is in an offside position if any part of their head, body or legs is in the opponents’ half of the pitch, excluding the halfway line, and is nearer to the goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. The position only becomes an offence when the player becomes involved in active play.

In this instance, the attacker would not have been offside if another Tunisia player had been behind him, or if the pass had been made before he crossed the halfway line.

The incident attracted widespread attention, with footage of the decision showing Libya’s protests during the dangerous attack.

The match ended 1-1 after Tunisia took the lead through Zirar Brik in the 24th minute. Libya levelled through Musa Ibrahim in the 64th minute.

The result ended Tunisia’s hopes of competing for a qualification place. Libya, meanwhile, missed the opportunity to claim three points that would have given them an additional boost before their final match against Morocco on Tuesday.