In the end the two teams in England replayed the game. If it was so obviously a mistake, the red team could have scored a goal against themselves and started even. First let me preface this by pointing out that I am mired in the nether regions of Northern Michigan where most of the referees have never seen anything above a U19 contest. Also the instructors were all a long way from thier glory days of field officiating. Ivve seen smaller stomachs iin sumo wrestling.
Blue team has an injured player on the field AND possession of the ball.
Blue team player points at his injured teammate and kicks the ball out of bounds to allow him a stoppage to receive treatment. This happened in a FA Cup game involving Arsenal and as a matter of fact happened in the USA v Mexico game this week with no goal result. The outcome of any match is often unfair and the role of the referee is NOT to lie about a rule to achieve a specific outcome that the referee may feel is fair. This no different than giving a MAKE UP call when you think you may have made a mistake. OR letting a foul go because the offended player deserved it anyway.