CARDIFF’S 3-1 Championship win over Wigan is being investigated by the FA because one goal was bigger than the other.
Mark Hudson, the Bluebirds’ caretaker manager, revealed that two of his coaching staff saw one crossbar being TWO INCHES taller than the legal eight feet.
However, Hudson stated that referee James Bell insisted on investigating the situation for “two hours,” thus the game was played with different-sized goals.
To add insult to injury, Ryan Wintle’s third goal for Cardiff came off the underside of the taller crossbar at the North End of the Latics’ DW Stadium.
Wigan boss Leam Richardson said: “It just summed our day up – if he’d had the free kick at the other end, it would have bounced off the crossbar and not into the goal.”
The EFL confirmed to SunSport that goal-line technology was recalibrated before kick-off, but FA Law 1, regarding the field of play, stipulates goals must by eight foot tall by eight yards wide.
Furthermore, if a crossbar becomes displaced or broken, play must be paused until it can be reinstalled in position – and if it cannot, “the match must be abandoned.”
Yesterday’s game, which was delayed for only seven minutes due to the crossbar issue, also calls into doubt the Championship’s integrity, given two of Cardiff’s three goals were scored in the illegitimate goal.
Hudson declared: “Two of my coaching staff spotted the problem, which we tried to flag straight away.
“We were told by the ref that it would take two hours to investigate, but we just wanted to continue.
“I did ask if we could just use the one goal for the whole game!”
Wigan Warriors also play at the DW Stadium, however they haven’t played a home game since mid-September.
Wigan ground crew deconstruct the goals at the end of each game and reassemble them before the next game.
The Professional Game Match Officials Board, the authority in charge of match officials in the Premier League and the English Football League, was approached for comment.
According to SunSport, the decision to play the game came after match and club officials agreed to play because spectators were already in the stadium.
Match officials are required by EFL regulations to guarantee that the Laws of the Game are followed.
And the EFL will now write to home club Wigan, demanding answers, after believing the issue had been resolved prior to kick-off.
