Goal or no? - Controversy marks close JPL semi-final between Portmore, Mt Pleasant

Cory Burke's controversial strike in the 69th minute of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) first-leg semi-final tie for Portmore United against Mount Pleasant is still being widely debated, after the goal was awarded then ruled out by referee Okeito Nicholson at the National Stadium on Sunday.

 Burke thought he had given underdogs Portmore the lead after skipping a challenge on the left and coasting inside before slamming a shot off the bar and, presumably, over the line.

Nicholson, initially pointed to the centre circle and the Portmore team celebrated wildly, after thinking they had taken the lead. However, after protests from the Mount Pleasant camp, and after consulting with his assistants for roughly eight minutes, Nicholson changed his decision and ruled out the goal.

Replays on the big screen inside the National Stadium at the time of the incident proved inconclusive, even though spectators inside the stadium argued on both sides of the aisle.

Although the overruled goal was a big blow for the Portmore camp, assistant coach Ricardo Smith was unsure if the ball had fully crossed the line, but questioned why VAR was not in place for games of this importance.

"I saw the referee pointing to the centre, signaling a goal. So we worked with what he was doing. I don't know if the ball crossed the line. We are going to see replays over the coming days.

"I don't know (if it crossed the line). I am not sure. I will have to look back in the coming days to see what we saw. Honestly, I don't know and I am going to say I don't know until I see the replay, but most of the stadium said the ball crossed, but I don't know," he insisted.

He continued. "I have seen VAR used here before. So why in a big game like this, the federation, or whosoever, couldn't set that up for a big game like this? That's what I am questioning, Why the VAR system don't set up for these games?

"I was hoping he (referee) would have stuck to the first decision he made, pointing to the centre. Obviously, the linesman told him the ball did not cross the line.  I was waiting to see if we got the goal, and we didn't. We just have to move on because nothing can be changed about it now, but why isn't the VAR system set up so we can have them for these games? So we can all know what happen?"

Portmore's captain Ramone Howell was also uncertain as to whether or not the ball was completely over the line.  However, after the disappointment of not getting the goal, he said they had to put it behind them as quickly as they could.

"Not sure if it's a goal or not, but it looked like a goal on the big screen. The referee overruled it and didn't give us the call, but we couldn't stop playing. We had to continue to play. We were past that and, unluckily, we conceded and lost the game," he said.

Mount Pleasant coach Theodore Whitmore was not too keen on taking questions on the subject, although he thought Nicholson did not follow the protocol for the situation.

"The game finished 1-0," he said bluntly, when asked his thoughts on the controversial moment. When pressed to give some view on the incident, he stated: "I am not a referee. I am not VAR. There is a procedure you have to follow. I don't think the referee followed the procedure, but that is beyond my control.

“I deal with coaching. I am not a referee assessor or anything. That's their part to deal with," he stated.

When asked to explain what that procedure was, he concluded, "I don't want to go into that.  I want to talk about how my team played and what we have to do for the second leg."

Mount Pleasant defender Kyle Ming was fully convinced it was not a goal, but insisted it's the referee who has the final say in all matters.

"The goal didn't score. So I am happy about that (not given). At the end of the day, calls are going to be made, mistakes are going to be made. It's all decided by the referee," he said.

Mount Pleasant went on to win the first leg 1-0 on Warner Brown's 82nd-minute goal.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com