Own goal sparks offside row

14 April 2012

A controversial own goal by goalkeeper Ian Walker extended Leicester's sequence without a Premiership win to 11 games after their 1-1 home draw with Bolton.

Walker was distraught when his howler presented Bolton with an equaliser after Les Ferdinand's 10th goal in 14 starts this season had broken the deadlock.

But the goal sparked a row over Bolton's exploitation of the new FIFA interpretation of the offside law which now only penalises players who touch the ball in an offside position or who are clearly in the goalkeeper's vision.

Bolton players deliberately stood in offside positions for free-kicks before moving back when the kicks were taken. The tactic unsettled the Leicester defenders who didn't know who to mark.

The visitors manager Sam Allardyce is against the new ruling despite making it work in his side's favour.

He said: 'I hope common sense prevails and we change the regulation back to what it was before. FIFA have got it horribly wrong, but more managers are going to look at it like we have unless that happens.'

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