Libya U20 officials attacked the referee over this offside call. The problem? The referee was right.
https://www.gazzetta.gr/football/2574393/ofsaint-i-gkafa-toy-diaititi-i-fasi-poy-egine-viral-apo-tynisia-libyi-vid
This bizarre moment happened during the Libya vs Tunisia U20 match.
Tunisia’s goalkeeper had gone forward for a late corner, leaving only one Tunisian player closer to his own goal than the Libyan attacker when the ball was played.
The Libyan side protested the offside decision, and members of the team’s administration publicly criticized the referee over the call.
There’s just one problem: it was offside.
The offside law refers to the second-last opponent, not the “last defender.” Normally the goalkeeper is one of the last two opponents, which is probably why this situation confused so many people.
When the goalkeeper goes forward, however, the usual picture changes. In this case, there was only one Tunisian opponent between the attacker and the goal when the pass was made, so the assistant referee correctly raised his flag.
Disagreeing with a referee is one thing. Publicly attacking him over a decision because you don’t understand one of football’s basic laws is another.
For officials working with a national youth team, that is pretty embarrassing.