Linesman sad at goal gaffe
THE URUGUAYAN linesman who denied Frank Lampard a legitimate goal against Germany has told England fans: Life goes on.
Mauricio Espinosa infamously failed to notice that Lampard’s strike had bounced well over the line during England’s 4-1 second round defeat.
The official admits he was wrong-footed by the pace of the shot, which would have brought Fabio Capello’s men back into the game at 2-2.
But Espinosa does not appear unduly concerned about the consequences of his error – one of the worst in the history of the World Cup.
“It was a very fast shot that I did not see properly, even though I was located in the right place,” he said.
“We didn’t see a replay in the dressing room at half-time but you could sense what had happened.
“It was only when we saw the TV that we realised what happened.
“I feel quite sad about it because we had prepared for such a long time for the World Cup.
“It could have happened to anyone, unfortunately it was us. You just have to accept it. Life goes on.”
Espinosa’s words will provide little comfort to Lampard, who has never scored in the World Cup finals’ and, at 32, looks likely to be overlooked for the next tournament in Brazil.
The Chelsea man appeared to have put England firmly back into contention after they had
fallen two goals behind to their old rivals in Bloemfontein last month.
So controversial was the incident that it forced Fifa president Sepp Blatter into a U-turn over the introduction of goal-line technology.
The world governing body has always firmly opposed the use of sensors of video technology but Blatter said the matter would be debated by the International Football Association Board this month.