The Ref Stop

Rice red card

Also a fair point by Dermot Gallagher saying that if CK doesn't book him and follows "common sense" then he will be outed for making the wrong decision on Ref Watch.

I try to avoid the opinions of the ex refs who are involved with media apart from DG, just feel like they undermine the current crop too much, and generally aren't the opinion of the PGMOL.
You can have "consistency" or you can have "common sense". Pundits who are bleating about needing both in the same game is the most nonsensical of all the nonsense that's come out of people complaining about this obviously correct decision.
 
The Ref Stop
You can have "consistency" or you can have "common sense". Pundits who are bleating about needing both in the same game is the most nonsensical of all the nonsense that's come out of people complaining about this obviously correct decision.
"common sense" trumps LOTG half of the time
LOTG trumps "common sense" half of the time
Pundits bleat because they disagree on what should be in which half
The game is more conflicted than ever. It was once a simple game. It was once an art to referee. Particularly since the introduction of VAR, it's now both an art and a science and it can't be both

Anyway, one of the biggest problems in the game is the relationship between the game and the refereeing community. Both sides pretty much have no respect for the other and both sides are equally at fault. That's why I call out referees and pundits in equal amounts. We're all as bad as each other
 
🗣️ Former premier league ref Mark Halsey on Declan Rice red card incident:

"The ball was rolling when Brighton’s Joel Veltman took the free-kick, so the restart would not have taken place as it would have been wrong in Law. Therefore, the delaying a restart does not apply."

"Kavanagh went looking for trouble and he found it. A ref of his calibre at this level should not be sending players off for this.

He should have managed the situation better by speaking to both players. Rice should have received a final warning" [The Sun]

Interesting view.

I would argue it is more a predictable, irrelevant and typical view. He, along with Keith Hackett, always say that whatever the referee did was wrong. In the past they have both criticised red cards then when an almost identical situation happened a few months later they criticised it not being a red card.

They are hypocrites, perhaps through necessity because if they agreed with refereeing decisions they wouldn't get columns in tabloids, paid to talk about decisions on talkSPORT, etc. Personally though I'd rather be skint that be wheeled out every week to give an opinion that I might not necessarily agree with.
 
I can sort of understand where every argument I've heard about this situation has merit, even if I don't agree, except one.

The argument that 'the ball was still rolling so the Veltman wouldn't legally have been able to play it so he can't be delaying the restart' is just an utterly ludicrous statement.

Even taking aside the fact that Rice's yellow card doesn't necessarily have to go down as 'delaying the restart'.
When a ball rolls, eventually it stops. Rice's little kick has increased the amount of time it would take for that free kick to be able to legally be taken. Really simple.
 
Two aspects to this
CK missing an earlier C4 is a big problem
Veltman engaged in sh1thousery and once again this type of behaviour was rewarded. Booting Rice drew attention to Rice tapping the ball a few inches. If CK had not dismissed Rice, this would not even be a topic for discussion. Football is not black and white. This second yellow card was not a black and white consideration on this occasion given the context and nuance of both players engaged in misdemeanour
CK was wrong to send Rice off, although I realize that's easy enough for me to say 3 days after the event from my armchair
 
Last edited:
I don't even think the earlier "missed" one is particularly clear-cut. He's only just off the pitch chasing a ball he's been trying to keep in and there was no possibility of a quick restart. Yes the restart is slower because of his actions - but it's gone from a restart that could have at quickest happened in 5-10 seconds to a restart that will now maybe take 10-15 seconds to get going. It's not a significant delay.

When Rice takes his action he is a) also not respecting the distance, b) has no other plausible justification for the action and c) stops a restart that was otherwise going to take place a fraction of a second later. It's an obviously more significant act and him getting kicked as a result of an illegal action removes any room for discretion the referee might have.

I'd have liked to see a matching card for the reckless kick from the Wolves player who must have known that even if he didn't kick out, Rice was still right next to the ball. But with Rice already being booked, it still would have been an Arsenal player sent off.
 
I don't even think the earlier "missed" one is particularly clear-cut. He's only just off the pitch chasing a ball he's been trying to keep in and there was no possibility of a quick restart. Yes the restart is slower because of his actions - but it's gone from a restart that could have at quickest happened in 5-10 seconds to a restart that will now maybe take 10-15 seconds to get going. It's not a significant delay.

When Rice takes his action he is a) also not respecting the distance, b) has no other plausible justification for the action and c) stops a restart that was otherwise going to take place a fraction of a second later. It's an obviously more significant act and him getting kicked as a result of an illegal action removes any room for discretion the referee might have.

I'd have liked to see a matching card for the reckless kick from the Wolves player who must have known that even if he didn't kick out, Rice was still right next to the ball. But with Rice already being booked, it still would have been an Arsenal player sent off.
Agree with everything apart from respecting distance. He is actually moving away from the offence location. The ball is moved towards him and he then takes the delaying action. I think it's a stretch to say not respecting distance because he doesn't encroach into the 10yds, and up until the moment of delay be is retreating.
 
I love listening to these two argue, but GS makes a good point. He rolled the ball towards rice in order to kick the ball at him and get rice sent off.

 
I love listening to these two argue, but GS makes a good point. He rolled the ball towards rice in order to kick the ball at him and get rice sent off.
I think like many people have already said, it doesn't matter where he's moved the ball to as CK was probably happy with the position of the kick due to not being in a dangerous position, and regardless by kicking it away Rice has invited the trouble.
 
I think it was Rice who got himself cooked (I don't believe no one has used that pun yet). The Brighton player just saw the opportunity and happily facilitated it and CK obliged.
 
I think like many people have already said, it doesn't matter where he's moved the ball to as CK was probably happy with the position of the kick due to not being in a dangerous position, and regardless by kicking it away Rice has invited the trouble.
It also doesn't matter because the ball may have stopped rolling before being struck, had rice not kicked it
 
I think it was Rice who got himself cooked (I don't believe no one has used that pun yet). The Brighton player just saw the opportunity and happily facilitated it and CK obliged.
He pilau’d him to do it when it was already simmering.

Commentators Matthew Le Tissier and Barry Fry weren’t as keen… he got a proper boiling on the Baz-Matti show.
 
Last edited:
Well I’m not as ‘amazed’ as Arteta but surprised the five person panel unanimously backed the Rice second yellow.

Personally I am not surprised. It was a clear and deliberate time wasting action. Even Rice has said sorry and he shouldn't have done it.
 
Genuinely shocked this caused so much debate, even the panel that often get's split between officials and non-officials was unanimous.
 
Back
Top