The Ref Stop

POL vs ARG Matchday 10 - Makkelie (NED)

Never a penalty in a million years. How can VAR possibly say that it was a clear and obvious error, let alone an error at all?

This is another one where the referee clearly, clearly, didn't want to give it after the review but felt he had no choice. No one can tell me that they aren't being told there will be repercussions if they go against a VAR review, this is the best referee in Europe who has been chucked under the bus. VAR in this tournament is making the EPL use of it look proficient.
 
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JamesL said:
Because? They are entitled to go for the ball with their hand, but they still can't catch someone on their face.
I don't agree with VAR getting involved here btw but that doesn't mean it isn't a careless foul.
Gone for the ball, missed it, caught opponent, it's a foul.
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Hmm. Disagree. Ball has gone. Contact was trifling.

There was no material effect on the game.

Football does not expect a penalty. Lio went looking for a VAR penalty by feigning injury.

This doesn’t happen anywhere else on the pitch.

The referee has seen it. We were promised No rerefereeing. It’s not clear and obvious.

There is a higher bar for penalties.

This decision stinks!
 
santa sangria said:
Football does not expect a penalty. Lio went looking for a VAR penalty by feigning injury.

This doesn’t happen anywhere else on the pitch.

The referee has seen it. We were promised No rerefereeing. It’s not clear and obvious.

There is a higher bar for penalties.

This decision stinks!
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Agree with all of this.
santa sangria said:
Hmm. Disagree. Ball has gone. Contact was trifling.

There was no material effect on the game.
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Not with this. There is about 0.5 seconds between header and contact. Seeing a 6ft plus keeper hurtling through the air hand first half a second before you head a ball is going to put you off. It might not have affected it but we don't know

The more I see it the clearer a foul it is, for me.

If it's not at what point does it, keeper can just throw themselves hand first at opponents with no repercussions but it's ok coz they can use their hands and they were trying to get the ball?
 
For me this is comfortably within the definition of normal football contact

I also don't think what football wants is a foul, but the #1 point is that is just not in the same postcode as Clear and Obvious.
 
JamesL said:
Agree with all of this.

Not with this. There is about 0.5 seconds between header and contact. Seeing a 6ft plus keeper hurtling through the air hand first half a second before you head a ball is going to put you off. It might not have affected it but we don't know

The more I see it the clearer a foul it is, for me.

If it's not at what point does it, keeper can just throw themselves hand first at opponents with no repercussions but it's ok coz they can use their hands and they were trying to get the ball?
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I think you are very much in the minority here James. 99% of everyone involved in football seems to think this was wrong, all of the commentators and pundits, my WhatsApps groups have exploded from people asking me why it was a penalty, and it seems even very few referees support it.

Had it been reckless or using excessive force, for example he had ended up punching Messi in the face, then I would absolutely support your view. But it was just the slightest of glances on Messi, and a totally natural consequence of a keeper coming out and trying to tip the ball away. Added to that Messi had already headed the ball and it was almost out of the play before the contact, it just seems anti-football to give a penalty there.
 
Yet I've been informed it's only the EPL that suffers from rubbish VAR

Do educate me
Maybe the World Cup doesn't count when judging VAR...

Doesn't matter which channel you put on, News, Sports News, Drama, Comedy, HORROR... VAR dominates the schedule
 
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Big Cat said:
Yet I've been informed it's only the EPL that suffers from rubbish VAR

Do educate me
Maybe the World Cup doesn't count when judging VAR...

Doesn't matter which channel you put on, News, Sports News, Drama, Comedy, HORROR... VAR dominates the schedule
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It comes down to how it is operated. It was pretty much universally agreed that it worked really well at the Euros, whereas this WC seems to be having real problems.

And this is perhaps the problem, you have strong opinions from refereeing leaders as to how things should be done, and they try to enforce those on the referees. The focus at the Euros seemed to be low profile, let the game flow, and generally stay out of the way. At this WC the referees are being told to be high profile, every single game has seen the referee hold up a corner when absolutely nothing has been happening, and in one game the players being spoken to weren't even within touching distance of each other. It isn't the referees that have chosen to do this, they have been ordered to, and I suspect the same applies to how VAR is being used.
 
It seems like they want a Messi and Ronaldo final for this WC. They both needed to finish top of their respective groups to avoid meeting before the final. Could this explain the dodgy penalty decisions both teams have got and why VAR is getting involved.

If we see more dodgy penalty decisions for these two nations, then maybe my crazy conspiracy ramblings might be true.
 
Faris said:
It seems like they want a Messi and Ronaldo final for this WC. They both needed to finish top of their respective groups to avoid meeting before the final. Could this explain the dodgy penalty decisions both teams have got and why VAR is getting involved.

If we see more dodgy penalty decisions for these two nations, then maybe my crazy conspiracy ramblings might be true.
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No. It just doesn't have the same lure as it did.
Both are remarkably off the pace now compared to former selves and past glories.
 
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