Chairman of the PSSI Referee Committee Yoshimi Ogawa explained why Dewa United Banten FC U-20's goal against Bhayangkara Presisi Lampung FC U-20 in the Elite Pro Academy U-20 (EPA U-20) competition was not offside.
The match, held on Sunday at Citarum Stadium, Semarang, caused chaos after the referee ruled Dewa United's second goal, which was offside, was allowed.
This goal is suspected to be the root of the problem of the riot which was marked by brutal actions in the form of punches and kung fu kicks, including involving the Indonesian U-20 national team player Fadly Alberto Hengga.
"This situation was clearly not offside because the Dewa United U-20 player who was deemed offside was simply following the ball and ultimately didn't touch it. The ball was eventually retrieved by another Dewa United player who managed to score," Ogawa said at the Refereeing Workshop for Media at the GBK Arena.
The incident began when the ball was passed into Bhayangkara's defensive area, where a Dewa United player who appeared to be in an offside position chased after the ball, but the player failed to touch the ball.
