Nacho Ferri scored three times in the 0-7 win over PEC Zwolle, but data agency Opta initially credited him with only two. The KNVB quickly ruled that the Spaniard had in fact scored a hat-trick. The two sides disagreed, but Opta have now reversed their decision and awarded the goal to Ferri after all.
Feyenoord's opening goal was first recorded as a Simon Graves own goal after Ferri's shot struck him and flew into the net. ESPN, who use Opta's data, therefore did not credit the goal to the Feyenoord forward.
After the match, referee Alex Bos handed Ferri the match ball. He had noted that the striker had scored three times. Ferri was therefore also listed as the scorer of the goal on the official match sheet.
"The referee's observation, and therefore the match sheet, are decisive in this matter," a spokesperson for the football association confirmed to the Algemeen Dagblad. "Ferri has officially been credited with the goal."
Opta, however, maintained that Graves had scored an own goal. "We are the Eredivisie's official data partner. Our figures are leading for the official statistics used by the media. The KNVB use their own registration only for, for example, the Voetbal.nl app."
Even so, the data agency admitted the disputed goal was not straightforward to call. "It is a doubtful case. This is being analysed by a group of people. We may look at it again later today. But will it still change? That chance is very small, unless we suddenly get a new camera angle," a spokesperson told AD.
Opta have now changed their verdict and credited the goal to Ferri, which means he has scored his first hat-trick for Feyenoord.