Var

[Romanis]

Yes I agree. Too many penalties not given.
What you think MA on these spate of wrong throws and yesterday when the Mexican player facing 2 Korean players left the pitch to get a better positioning and then came back on.
Now I can understand that the referee might not want to card him although under the Law it's an offence. But surely he must blow and penalise him, no?

[MadAmster]

Yes I agree. Too many penalties not given.
What you think MA on these spate of wrong throws and yesterday when the Mexican player facing 2 Korean players left the pitch to get a better positioning and then came back on.
Now I can understand that the referee might not want to card him although under the Law it's an offence. But surely he must blow and penalise him, no?

A spate of foul throws in quite a few games but I have only seen one called by a ref. I have seen one where the player taking the throw had both feet inside the line..... Refs are making too many errors of judgment. There doesn't seem to be the level of communication between a ref and his assistants we normally see. Is this because they are relying on VAR to make any contentious decisions for them?

Player leaving the field of play and re-entering without permission? Card. If he has left due to momentum, not a problem IMO, however, going off without permission, re-entering the field, again without permission and in a better position with regard to opposition players should be called every time. Did the ref see it? Did his assistant see it? Would I be right in saying it is outside VAR's jurisdiction?

At the start of the tournament I was happy with the level of refereeing. I am less so now. I was pleased yesterday's ref in the England game finally stopped warnig players and eventually gave a penalty for holding in the box. The practice needs stamping out.

[Romanis]

From what I understand Var is only for those really telling decisions. Penalties, red card (the Zidane incident 2006 would be a var case now).
So these minor infringements are out of it. But Saturday's incident happened on the line. The 4 th official and especially linesman should see it.

What about that Bundesliga incident? Players left for HT but called back for a penalty? Surely this is wrong?

[MadAmster]

1. From what I understand Var is only for those really telling decisions. Penalties, red card (the Zidane incident 2006 would be a var case now).

2. So these minor infringements are out of it. But Saturday's incident happened on the line. The 4 th official and especially linesman should see it.

3. What about that Bundesliga incident? Players left for HT but called back for a penalty? Surely this is wrong?

1. VAR may be used in 4 situations

Goals and whether there was a violation during the buildup (Stones push meaning Kane didn't get the first decision)
Penalty decisions (Was it wrongly given or wrongly not given)
Direct red card decisions (second yellow cards are not reviewable)
Mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card

2. Indeed they are out of it. For instance, offside or not? That would only be looked at if the possible offside had led to a goal.

3. Not wrong according to the regulations governing VAR as they currently stand. If the ball has gone out of play for instance and the throw in/goal kick or whatever has been taken then VAR can't intervene because play has stopped and restarted. In the Bundesliga case, IIRC, the incident was on the stroke of HT and the ref didn't give it but blew for HT. VAR looked at it and decided it was worth a 2nd look, the ref looked at the video and ruled it to be a penalty. As play hadn't restarted, the ref was perfectly correct in calling the players back to have the penalty taken.

You could draw a parallel with cricket where a similar rule was in force until the day, I believe it was WG Grace who bowled (or faced, can't remember which) the last ball of a day's play. The teams left the field and, over dinner, the batsman said to the bowler "I was surprised there was no appeal as I was out" or words to that effect. The following morning, before the bowler started his run up, WG, or the other fellow, shouted Owzat! and the umpire raised his index finger. After that the Law was changed so that once players have left the field no appeal will be entertained. Maybe we should have an "end of session" ruling in football too.

[Romanis]

Ok thanks for clearing no 3 up. Funnily I never checked it up. Heard it in the sports news on radio and said wtf? Can this be done? But never actually got round to reading up on it until you now cleared that up.

Today Var saved/won my bets for me with the last min decisions in Spain v Morocco (goal given). Iran v Portugal (penalty given).

[Romanis]

Do you still referee MA?
I stopped years ago. But I doubt I would have gone far. A bit too biased or dodgy.
Let me explain.

1 I did have a tendency to favour certain players or teams. I remember this Belgian kid once. I liked his playing style reminded me of Ceulemanns. And inevitably I would be a bit more favourable to him.
Same with another player, always got the good decisions of me.
Generally the more respectful the team was, the more favourable I was.

2.My friend joined a team as a reserve striker. I was selected to be the lines for that particular league (not centre). His team never lost a game I was officiating on the lines. And I think their coach also realised I was biased in their favour although no one approached me or vice versa.
So because of that they would always defend in my half for the first 45 and attack in the 2 nd half.
I would very strict in the first against the opponent but more lenient in the 2nd.
And my friend also benefited, he got a few games as a sub. Although basically he was crap.

They finished 2nd that year.
I think I probably helped anywhere from 10- 15 points, as I did I believe, 11 games involving them.

[i961pie]

Ok thanks for clearing no 3 up. Funnily I never checked it up. Heard it in the sports news on radio and said wtf? Can this be done? But never actually got round to reading up on it until you now cleared that up.

Today Var saved/won my bets for me with the last min decisions in Spain v Morocco (goal given). Iran v Portugal (penalty given).

The penalty decision for Iran was a joke, the ref in that game made some we get in div 2 look good and that is saying something.

[MadAmster]

Do you still referee MA?

Now and again. I haven't reffed "full time" since my cycling accident. I get a phone call when one of the local teams are short of a ref. I may do 4 weeks on the trot and then 6 weeks nowt.

As well as some higher league games I used to ref a team at my last club as a player. The first 2 seasons things went well. 3rd season? They had now "decided" that I was "their" ref. Some kind of 12th man and they started getting very anti on calls against them. 5th or 6th game of that season it got out of hand. I booked 1 of them for comments in my direction which cost him a €25 fine from the KNVB. Post game in the can**** over a beer they were aggressive towards me. I had played several seasons in the same side as half a dozen of them.... this decision was wrong, that decision was wrong, why did you give the other....... effin useless...... I never reffed them again.

They expected me to be "on their side" and couldn't understand that I was THE ref not THEIR ref. I don't work that way.

[MadAmster]

Last night...... Ronaldo. No penalty. Handball, no penalty.

VAR failed in both situations IMO.