Search results

Regarding the first quote, to be totally fair when was the last time Darren Bond ran a line for a game? I can't imagine he was totally comfortable on the line. For the second quote, is it possible that Hussin knew he was done and that any sort of attempts at treatment would be fruitless? While...

I’m still trying to find the clause in the Laws where “gaining an advantage” is a consideration for handling. The only part of the Laws that comes close to that is the language around scoring a goal via the hand/arm or immediately after.

Very good referee in the matches I watched her work. I’m surprised that she made the move into management now. She’s “only” 40, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think she still had another couple of years at the EFL/Premier League level and 3-5 years at the upper levels of the women’s game.

Thought Rob Jones was very good in the Manchester United-Fulham opener. Good spot on the Maguire dive, had a good foul bar, was consistent, and strong fitness. I thought he moved well late in a game that stretched. Hope the rest of the weekend goes as well for the third team!

Don't tell that to Mexico's Cesar Ramos. He was the center referee for the Colombia-Uruguay Copa America semi last week. There was a Colombia player down, and he ran 50 yards behind the play to check on him. He took one look, pretty much just said "eh, nothing to see here", and started the game...

Kind of surprised to see the negative reactions about the Sonic Blast. I started using it last fall and really like it - particularly when I'm working in larger "stadiums" (for perspective, these are usually fields also used for high school or college American football that have 1,000 to 3,000...

Bjorn Kuipers had the Euro 2020 final, which was his final UEFA/international match. Happy to see UEFA entrust the final to some new blood who has by all accounts been a rising star for some time now. Big challenge for sure, but I think Letexier is up for it.

It's just too hard for those looking for anything to fit their own narrative that (English) refs suck to realize that the issues at WC18 were all because of Mark Clattenburg's decision to leave PGMOL/English refereeing to take the Saudi Arabia job. As we know here, at that level it's not like...

Ian Darke on the US Fox broadcast said if Schar didn’t have a yellow already, he probably would have got one there. Which I don’t like at all as a method of refereeing……

Again, off-topic-what a brilliant shot by Saka. He’s such a great player to watch-easily one of my favorites.

To be fair, probably a good thing that was a goal by Embolo. Had it not been a goal, it very likely could have been a DOGSO red and a penalty for the Trippier hold/pull.

I’m firmly convinced that if Taylor had given a penalty, social media would be in an uproar with the exact opposite argument they are making now. Simply put, social media automatically assumes English referees are wrong.

Off topic from refereeing, but England looks a lot more attacking minded in this setup. Good initial adjustment by Southgate to match Switzerland’s three at the back.

Admittedly not as intense and chaotic as the first game today, but overall I felt Oliver managed things very well. Players seemed to respect him. It probably did help him that Fernandes was (inexplicably) subbed out in the second half.

Thought the same thing. My 15-year-old son watching with me clearly corrected me saying it was a headband. I'm so old . . .

Absolutely agree on Orsato for the final unless things go very sideways. As for teams, I'm going out on a limb a little and will say Spain (OK, not going out on a limb) vs Switzerland (that's my out on a limb pick) with Spain winning. Sorry to my England friends and colleagues, but Saturday's...

I say this as someone who is a big fan of Michael Oliver. A team like Portugal with Fernandes, Ronaldo, and Pepe is a big challenge for any referee. Oliver's always really calm and measured on the field, but I feel like you need an "a$$-chewing" mode when dealing with guys like those three...

If the Chellini play on Saka in the last Euro final wasn't a straight red (but honestly I thought that one was), this one wasn't a straight red in my opinion (and wasn't even in a vacuum without any context). Rob Green on the US broadcast summed it up well as you did - Carvajal knew he was...

Given how UEFA often interprets handling, I have to admit I'm surprised Taylor was not called to the monitor. Now I'm not overly upset that's not handling, but just surprised given UEFA often has a rather strict interpretation of handling.

Definitely missed a caution on the Kroos foul (or didn't decide to give one because "it's still early"). The second one is probably also one, but less obvious than the first one for me. Pedri subbed off, and I am curious to see how that impacts Taylor's match management. I get it's a major...