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Some controversy over the referee's decisions in the play-off semi-final against Torquay led me to wonder how referees arrive at their decisions, most of them split-second judgements. To just about everybody except the referee, it seems, Torquay's penalty was never a penalty.
Yet referees, more than anybody, should be acquainted with the FA guidance and laws of the game and should receive appropriate training and monitoring to improve their refereeing skills. With that in mind I decided to read those laws and guidance myself (always worth a look). They appear to be pretty comprehensive and detailed. They're all there: offside, handball, free kicks, penalties. But I still can't for the life of me understand how referees arrive at some of the decisions they make, including Torquay's penalty in the semi-final game last Saturday.
Take a look for yourself: file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/laws-of-the-game-2021-22.pdf
I have strong doubts that even the introduction of modern technolgy will solve all these dilemmas; some situations are so finely balanced they could go either way even with a dozen cameras focussed on them.
I should say here that I'm a Torquay supporter, and I thought the Gulls had a much better claim to a penalty in the first half when Wright was brought down in the penalty area and which the referee ignored. But that's football.
Anyway, commiserations to all at Notts County. If there's any justice, I'm sure it won't be too long before you're back in the Football League. If it's any consolation, Torquay United have been stuck in the National League since 2014, including a season in National League South! Fingers crossed for Sunday's play-off final!
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Originally Posted by Fairfoul
10 points difference, we can't have any complaints and, as much as we've been screwed over in play off games in recent years, I still wouldn't want to see VAR at Notts matches. The one time we did play with it, we lost 8-1.
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That link won't work for us unless we find the pdf in question and put it on our C: drives in the right spot hehe.
I think referees are humans, work with incomplete information and are subject to intense influence from crowds, players, managers, and the position of the planets. Sometimes you get some poor decisions against you, sometimes you get some good ones.
Unless of course you're Notts County. We have fantastic luck and can snatch defeat from the jaws of any victory.
Best of luck with the final mate.
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Thanks. Try this link:
https://www.thefa.com/football-rules...e/lawsandrules
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Welcome. I think VAR should be brought into all key matches, probably will happen in years to come .These are big moments, but often in very tight decisions, depending on where a referee is positioned, human error is likely . Just a bit cross , that Notts have been on the receiving end of it twice in recent years. . The fact remains Torquay,s 1st goal is not given if their is VAR, that is highly significant to the outcome of the game
In terms of Torquay next week at the final i wish them well, they were leading the division for long spells, and if it were not for injuries would have finished top in my opinion
New Member
Hmm.. Was it offside? Possibly. Possibly not. Even with the laws and rules available, decisions are likely to be contentious. In cases like this one VAR would not make decisions easier; referees would still need the judgement of Soloman:
Offside offence
'A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:
interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
interfering with an opponent by:
preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or
challenging an opponent for the ball or
clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or
making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball
or
gaining an advantage by playing the ball or interfering with an opponent when it has:
rebounded or been deflected off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent
been deliberately saved by any opponent
A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent.
A ‘save’ is when a player stops, or attempts to stop, a ball which is going into or very close to the goal with any part of the body except the hands/arms (unless the goalkeeper within the penalty area).
In situations where:
a player moving from, or standing in, an offside position is in the way of an opponent and interferes with the movement of the opponent towards the ball this is an offside offence if it impacts on the ability of the opponent to play or challenge for the ball; if the player moves into the way of an opponent and impedes the opponent's progress (e.g blocks the opponent) the offence should be penalised under Law 12
a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence
an offence is committed against a player in an offside position who is already playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the offside offence is penalised as it has occurred before the foul challenge
*The first point of contact of the 'play' or 'touch' of the ball should be used'
New Member
Similarly, there are ifs and buts relating to the handball rule:
Handball:
Not every contact of the ball with the hand/arm is an offence
A player’s hand/arm position should be judged in relation to their body movement in that
particular situation
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I'd say it was our pathetic defending that cost us the game as per Harrogate
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Good luck in the final, hopefully next season we can get that 1st place as don't fancy the playoffs again!
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Looks like ref decisions coming back to bite Torquay. Rub of the green last week and had a perfectly good goal disallowed. Now Hartlepool winning.
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