Broken net confusion

A Brazilian match was held up for nearly 10 minutes due to confusion over a broken net.

Trouble started in the second half of Saturday's Carioca championship match between Boavista and Botafogo when a header from visiting striker Alessandro ended up in the net.

A goal was given but television replays clearly showed the ball had hit the ground wide of the goal and bounced in through a hole in the side.

Boavista players protested but, after several minutes of consultations, the referee again pointed to the centre circle.

The protests continued, the referee and linesman consulted again for another three minutes and the goal was eventually confirmed for a second time.

As Boavista players refused to re-start the game, there were more deliberations and the referee finally back-tracked and awarded a goal kick. Botafogo eventually won 2-1.