Hapoel Petah Tikva's Equalizer Disallowed Due to Offside Despite VAR Malfunction

On August 23, Hapoel Petah Tikva lost 1-0 to Ironi Tiberias in a match where a late equalizing goal by Frank Riboliya was disallowed for offside. The referee, Shnir Levi, did not see the play clearly in real time but ruled the goal out following advice from the VAR team. However, the VAR system's video feed was not functioning properly during the incident.

The professional committee later reviewed the disallowed goal and justified the intervention despite the VAR malfunction. They explained that player Shavit Mazal was in an offside position and interfered with play immediately, having played the ball during the sequence leading to the goal. The committee emphasized that if a defending player or goalkeeper is in the process of controlling the ball, even if they have touched it but not fully controlled it, an attacking player arriving from an offside position who interferes with the opponent will be penalized for offside.

This ruling clarifies the offside interpretation applied in the match and confirms the legitimacy of the disallowed goal despite technical issues with the VAR system.