Referees Directorate: Amrabat Was Offside Against Kawkab Marrakech, Referee's Decision Correct

Referee expert Freddy Foutghel confirmed during a communication meeting organized by the National Technical Directorate of Referees that Wydad Athletic's goal against Kawkab Marrakech involved a clear offside situation for player Amrabat, following a review of the incident using Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

During his explanatory presentation, Foutghel stressed that the offside determination process involves verifying all cameras and ensuring their precise synchronization before the system begins to calculate the position based on different angles and projects points onto the field according to accurate geometric standards.

Referee expert Freddy Foutghel stated during the National Technical Directorate of Referees' communication meeting: "It is always important to ensure that all angles are correctly synchronized. After that, the system begins to work by identifying the specific points for the defender and the attacker, and the computer is responsible for calculating the offside and projecting the lines onto the field."

He added: "The referee does not interfere with the offside calculation process. The operator identifies the furthest point based on the images, while the computer handles the technical calculations. When the footage is zoomed in, the image becomes clear and confirms the offside situation."

Foutghel also explained that the VAR protocol mandates assistant referees to delay raising their flag in certain situations, allowing the video technology the opportunity to correct any incorrect decision or to avoid prematurely disallowing a clear scoring opportunity.