I actually don't think it was a penalty at all - accidental tread on foot initiated by the forward cutting across. However I can see why it might be given. VAR is supposed to be for clear and obvious mistakes. In no world was that obvious. We're now swapping one 50/50 call for another 50/50 call. Had he given it originally, fair enough stick with it.
The media are gleefully reporting how Switzerland beat Panama 6-0 last night, seemingly unaware that they're setting up the eventuality of them doggedly holding England to a 0-0 draw where Jamie The One-Season Wonder gets sent off for diving in the 87th minute.
I have a feeling that you might have had a different opinion if that had been not given as a penalty for Spurs!! Agree that the ‘clear and obvious’ phrase muddies the waters and that this incident could have gone either way - even after VAR review. But I’m not sure how the system can be foolproof. If we were to go down the line of offering challenges to teams then I have no doubt that Italy would have used one for that incident and would have been successful.
I thought that VAR might be a leveller with the certain teams who always get the benefit of the doubt from the refs. Now I'm wondering if it can be used to even cut out those small proportion of decisions that go against them. Because if VAR can be used to change a 50/50 decision (or not, delete as applicable) then it can be used to always favour those teams because, well, "you can see why the ref gave it" or "you can see why the ref didn't give it". A whole new nightmare, how naiive of me to think that it might help.
Sky are reporting that the FA have started looking for a replacement for Martin Glenn and that he will be gone after the World Cup. He should have gone last summer. I wonder if he'll be able to keep his feet out of his mouth until he goes? Prior experience indicates that it's unlikely.
Just posting this because Walker-Peters is heavily involved in the highlights, despite playing out of position as usual. Wins the ball for the first goal and makes two really important blocks. The Hagi playing for Romania is Ianis, 19-year-old son of the legendary Gheorghe. They're both currently at Viitorul, the league leaders in Liga 1. The father is manager and the son is captain. Onomah and supposed target Maddison seemed quite involved in the other game. Kovalenko seems to have been selected for the U21s instead of the seniors because it was a competitive game, rather than a friendly. He's played 16 matches for the national team in the last couple of years and he's their rising star.
Has normal service been resumed? It's ages since some teams last played a PL game. And with cricket being in the headlines all week, it was only the weather which convinced me it wasn't summer.
It was always going to result in more controversy it's the nature of football. Use it to see if a ball went over a line ok but once you get into decisions on play it is a matter of opinion. That's why we have a referee FFS. Cricket and tennis both use tecnology to check technical decisions like lines and balls hitting wickets not the way players play. I'm sure we are stuck with it because TV want's it, it's their reason to exist. Slowly but surely the price for all their filthy lucre is the ruination of the game of football. Just look at the video of Ronaldo posted by HBIC and ask yourself is that in spite of TV or because of it?
If VAR cannot be linked to screens inside a ground then it should not be used for that game. You cannot have a ref looking at replays that everyone bar the actual spectators can see.
“This guy [Carter-Vickers] is steady, man, steady as a rock. He’s hard, he’s alert, he’s better than you think with the ball. ”He looks like a running back, but as you can imagine, when the moments come that he’s got to get in on a play, or not allow a guy to get behind him, he knows how to use that body. There’s a lot of big guys that don’t, and there’s a lot of little guys that do, but he’s a big guy that knows how to use his body and moves better than you think. He’s just been very consistent all week long.” - USH2G2 interim coach Dave Sarachan on CCV
FIFA has announced their list of officials for the World Cup and not a single British representative is on it. The fact that Mark Clattenberk was being considered for a role goes a long way to explaining why...
