Thats what I'm saying, how many penalties have been awarded in this tournament. It's ridiculous. I'm nothing counting and comparing with previous tourneys because it's obvious that there us a huge increase.
Brazil
Argentina
Germany
France
Spain
Belgium
Uruguay
Portugal
England
Other
One thing I have noticed is that every time there is a VAR review of a penalty incident, the ref always gives the penalty. It's like he's afraid to disagree with the VAR who told him to review it.
Thats what I'm saying, how many penalties have been awarded in this tournament. It's ridiculous. I'm nothing counting and comparing with previous tourneys because it's obvious that there us a huge increase.
20 so far & we’re only at the halfway mark.
A record.
Previous highest at the end of the tournament is 18.
I’m all for the wrestling & grappling resulting in penalties.
Refs who think the Iran penalty tonight was a penalty shouldn’t ever referee again. Simple.
That’s not VAR.
That’s just incompetence.
You can fix most of the problems with VAR if you just turn it into a challenge system - teams have say two challenges a game and they can call for a review (if they get two wrong that's it). At present what's basically happening is every time someone falls over at a corner half the team are making TV signs with their hands and the referee feels pressured into reviewing it. If you had formal challenges that would all disappear and it wouldn't disrupt the game as much (while still getting the big decisions correct more often than not).
And rather unsurprisingly it works. Each team gets one referral a game, use it wisely or lose it. Also there is the ability for the officials to refer decisions.
Looks to me though that FIFA have chucked all their eggs in this one basket and are determined to see it through. Last night showed everything that is right and wrong about VAR in a five minute period with the correct decision to award Spain's goal, and the wrong decision to award the Iran penalty. I'm also not convinced about Ronaldo's booking either.
Anyone think there was something slightly corrupt about it? If Iran had scored the big chance they had almost immediately after the penalty they would have won the group and played Russia in last 16.