Don't believe your eyes

Long-time reader Antonio R. sent news about FIFA's explanation for why England's extra-time goal against Norway during the World Cup was allowed. For me, FIFA shows how not to use data.Flash back to the quarter-final match between England and Norway. The match was tied at 1-1 after regulation time during the first half, and we were two minutes into injury time. The Norwegian goalkeeper kicked a long ball past the halfway line. The ball dropped fortuitously to an English player, who collected it and launched a counter-attack. Two passes and a strike later, the ball ended inside Norway's net. England went up 2-1, and that would be the winning goal. That was when controversy emerged. The observers at Fox Sports noticed that the long ball from the goalie had been diverted mid-air by a hanging cable, which was why it fell to the English player at midfield. On replay, one can see the unnatural trajectory of the ball, as it suddenly executed a vertical drop. Understandably, the match referee…