A number of stats from the group stage were presented:
Yellow cards: 162 (3.4 average per match) Red cards: 1 direct, 2 second yellow cards Penalty kicks: 24 (7 VAR) Actual playing time: 56min 45sec average per match Additional time: 6min 15sec average per match VAR ‘Checks’: 335 incidents checked (6.9 average per match) VAR Reviews: 17 Decisions changed after VAR Review: 14 Decisions confirmed after VAR Review: 3 Match changing decisions accuracy: 95 per cent correct without VAR, 99.3 per cent correct with VAR
Just as I thought. Actual VAR reviews not even one per game. So once again football has not died a little bit but has got better with the use of it.
Doesn't say what the last statistic actually means!
Does it include the "decisions" not to award penalties for all the holding incidents at corners. (At least half a dozen in the England - Belgium game alone).
Very common trick to follow good factual statistics by something which means absolutely nothing!
I don’t recall any holding incidents that warranted a penalty like the England Panama game did. As mentioned in the earlier post it is a contact sport and the ref can’t give a foul each time someone touched or held someone off because they were stronger than them. My question to you would be why are refs praising the system if it could take away some responsibility from refereeing the game?
There are still going to be incidents in games where you can question the refs interpretation of a foul like the one on Quaresma in the final minutes of the game last night. It’s not a perfect system and never will be but it is an improvement and it’s moving along with the pace of the game. And just one other thing on the celebration of a goal scored after it had to b checked on VAR. I didn’t see too many South Koreans not going bat shit crazy when it was confirmed their goal was good against the Germans.
Just let me say that I'm generally pleasantly surprised and proved wrong by the way VAR has operated for offsides and matters of fact etc..
My lingering dissatisfaction comes because I don't really believe that most fouls are actually a matter of interpretation.
If a player has not already played the ball, and is not attempting to play the ball, he must not deliberately impede or obstruct a player who is playing the ball.
If a referee sees this happen, he gives a free kick - there is no room for interpretation any more than he needs to "interpret" whether a ball has crossed the line far enough to warrant a goal! Referees can only call a foul if they clearly see something happen and often make mistakes. But at least we all know the rules.
Now we have moved to a situation where the VAR clearly often sees that a rule has been deliberately broken and effectively makes a judgement whether that particular foul warrants a free kick or penalty. I have no idea how they do this!
We have traded refereeing mistakes for deliberate muddying and disregard of the rules. As a spectator I don't really like that.
VAR doesn't decide anything, why are people still repeating this nonsense. All VAR can do is recommend the referee review the footage if they believe he has a made a clear mistake/not seen an incident.
So what happened in that incident towards the end of the Spain Russia Game? The ref paused but didn't look at the screen, does that mean VAR panel said there was nothing to review or that there was something to review but he chose not to? Because it looked a far better shout than the iran Portugal game handball incident which ended up being given
So what happened in that incident towards the end of the Spain Russia Game? The ref paused but didn't look at the screen, does that mean VAR panel said there was nothing to review or that there was something to review but he chose not to? Because it looked a far better shout than the iran Portugal game handball incident which ended up being given
Without hearing the conversation between the two (my biggest criticism of the system) we'll never know. It's could be the the whole replay (rather than just the last 2 seconds) shows the Spanish players pushing and shoving first, or the ref said he clearly saw it and don't think it was excessive contact (slow mm long always makes it look worse). I'm just guessing, as is everybody else unless the ref/FIFA come out and explain the decision.
So what happened in that incident towards the end of the Spain Russia Game? The ref paused but didn't look at the screen, does that mean VAR panel said there was nothing to review or that there was something to review but he chose not to? Because it looked a far better shout than the iran Portugal game handball incident which ended up being given
Without hearing the conversation between the two (my biggest criticism of the system) we'll never know. It's could be the the whole replay (rather than just the last 2 seconds) shows the Spanish players pushing and shoving first, or the ref said he clearly saw it and don't think it was excessive contact (slow mm long always makes it look worse). I'm just guessing, as is everybody else unless the ref/FIFA come out and explain the decision.
VAR: " It's a pen" Ref: " 2 mins to go, F that I'm in Russia- no pen"
I would like to hear the ref's explanation. It looked like a 50/50 call to me and certainly did not appear that a clear & obvious error was made by not giving the pen.
If you think about playing this match without VAR then IMO Perisic could not have any complaints if the referee decided to give it in real time. Same goes with France not having any complaints if they didn't get a penalty.
I have the same criticisms I had at the outset. Poor communication between ref decisions and fans in stadium, no transparency in ref communication with VAR team, no consistency in decisions being referred/not referred, and concerns about not stopping play immediately leading to a goal at the other end and the problems that would create.
I have no confidence that these issues will be resolved quickly or in a fair or satisfactory way as yet.
VAR is the worst thing that ever happened in football. Apart from removing the maximum wage... How the ref changed his mind for that penalty is ridiculous ... If that was handball i am a whinging cry baby remainer.
The two most contentious VAR decisions this world cup if I recall were handball calls in the Iran Portugal game and tonight. FWIW I thought neither were handball. Rather than calling out VAR it seems to me the handball law needs revisiting as it's so much down to the official's interpretation of events. The law itself is so vague.
VAR has eventually (after missed England V Tunisia challenges ) reduced a lot of the sly holding/tugging/pulling/pushing bullshit at corners and free kicks and it feels to me there’s been more goals for it , so that’s a big plus right there
Comments
There are still going to be incidents in games where you can question the refs interpretation of a foul like the one on Quaresma in the final minutes of the game last night. It’s not a perfect system and never will be but it is an improvement and it’s moving along with the pace of the game. And just one other thing on the celebration of a goal scored after it had to b checked on VAR. I didn’t see too many South Koreans not going bat shit crazy when it was confirmed their goal was good against the Germans.
My lingering dissatisfaction comes because I don't really believe that most fouls are actually a matter of interpretation.
If a player has not already played the ball, and is not attempting to play the ball, he must not deliberately impede or obstruct a player who is playing the ball.
If a referee sees this happen, he gives a free kick - there is no room for interpretation any more than he needs to "interpret" whether a ball has crossed the line far enough to warrant a goal! Referees can only call a foul if they clearly see something happen and often make mistakes. But at least we all know the rules.
Now we have moved to a situation where the VAR clearly often sees that a rule has been deliberately broken and effectively makes a judgement whether that particular foul warrants a free kick or penalty. I have no idea how they do this!
We have traded refereeing mistakes for deliberate muddying and disregard of the rules. As a spectator I don't really like that.
Are you allowed to pull shirt and hold on to an opponent? Doesn't seem to be any fixed rule about this any more. VAR decides. But how?
Ref: " 2 mins to go, F that I'm in Russia- no pen"
If you think about playing this match without VAR then IMO Perisic could not have any complaints if the referee decided to give it in real time. Same goes with France not having any complaints if they didn't get a penalty.
Watch Griezman cheat and do nothing about it! COWARD.
Riduculous penalty decision.
Just FUCK OFF and leave the game alone!
The penalty was a serious missed incident, so VAR was correctly applied. Once the ref reviewed the decision - several times - he made his decision.
This incident is a case of VAR being used correctly.
I have no confidence that these issues will be resolved quickly or in a fair or satisfactory way as yet.
Even with VAR.