Friday 6 July 2018

2018 FIFA World Cup Match 57: Uruguay - France (discussion)

Let's discuss here the performance of Néstor Pitana in Uruguay - France. Good luck to the officiating team!
Match #57
Nizhny Novgorod, 6 July 2018 16:00 CET
Uruguay - France
Referee: Néstor Pitana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 1: Hernan Maidana (ARG)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Pablo Belatti (ARG)
Fourth Official: Alireza Faghani (IRN)
Fifth Official: Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR1: Mauro Vigliano (ARG)
AVAR 2: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
AVAR 3: Paolo Valeri (ITA)

109 comments:

  1. Pitana va a pitar un partido importante :-). Mucha suerte al árbitro!

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  2. 10': missed YC - Stuani. Reckless tackle.

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    1. He has taken the choice not to sanction. I wonder if that comes back at him later. It’s bold and may pay off. Ordinarily YC would be preferred there so let’s see what happens.

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  3. 10 ' How is that not YC?????

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  4. "Only" reckless but very mandatory booking there...

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  5. Very strong verbal warning to Suarez. Good now.

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  6. Pitana with 2-3 YC situation already. One was surely mandatory - in 9th minute. But that's instruction for the refs obviously. Mazic did almost the same and was criticized here, but is appointed for the biggest 1/4 final derby match. So, obviously he did what Committee wanted.

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  7. Very "unmodern" gestures by Pitana, maybe more typical in CONMEBOL, but excellent prevention with Suarez.

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    1. I would like to know whether he officiates in Argentina's domestic league with that gestures as well...

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    2. Yes he does. Even much more.

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  8. Now good verbal warning for making 'VAR-signal'.

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    1. Don’t think it was for VAR. He meant ”don’t yell out loud and demand a foul”

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    2. To me it looked liked Pita made the VAR-gesture followed by the warning. But perhaps i'm wrong

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  9. Stuani's next foul is for sure bookable,too much agresivness from him.

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  10. Pitana made the VAR gesture to explain that every possible penalty situation will be analyzed.

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  11. Now mandatory Yc for Hernandez.

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  12. Great advantage, well done ref!

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  13. 38': absolutely mandatory YC to Bentancour.

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  14. Both correct bookings,very agressive game from both teams.

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  15. Stupid, unnecessary foul for booking resulted with first goal.

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  16. Maybe the dragonfly Lloris nearly swallowed gave him some powers :D

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  17. Now missed penalty (foul on Godín - holding his undershorts)...

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  18. Penalty of Giroud??????????????

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    1. I think yes, Giroud was holding firmly Godin's undershorts. At least controversial situation for me.

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    2. Should be OFR - let Pitana to give final decision. But, don't forget - VAR is Irrati.

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    3. Is it just me or does Irrati hardly ever call for reviews?

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    4. Yes and maybe that's the reason for which he is really appreciated as VAR.
      Only very clear mistakes must be corrected...

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    5. Like the Pogba strike to the head, Chefren?

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  19. Considering the level of contact allowed at this WC in the penalty area, I doubt they are giving that nor reviewing it especially in a crowd of players. Maybe in a 1v1 challenge

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  20. This definitely is not one of Pitana’s better performances.

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  21. Rather blatant YC for Torreira missed now. Late step on the foot, missed by Pitana, reported by Faghani it seems.

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  22. 65 ‘ : that’s absolutely weird that Pitana forgot some clear fouls like this one on Pavard....

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    1. I think he waited for the advantage rule...

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  23. Very bad management from Pitana now. And Pogba got nothing??? Incredible!

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  24. Pogba strike to the head, he should be off! It must be difficult for the VAR to review *everything* with so many different people involved, but that's a big miss IMO.

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    1. That's why Irrati is so appreciated :-)

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    2. Ok true but Godin kicked Mbappe on the ground too, no sanction at all. Poor management by refs here.

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    3. Did he kick him? I didn't see a replay showing that, only unsporting behavior and yelling at him.

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    4. Correct me at all. He catched him strongly. So same attitude than Pogba...

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  25. In this tournament it is forbidden to show a RC, now that's clear :)

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    1. We are in QF and only 4 RC...VAR effect?

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    2. It’s not VAR effect it’s directives effect. Many red cards have been ignored in the WC so far.

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    3. Agreed Victor. This is why I don't agree with people who say "well at least the referee kept 22 players on the pitch." There have been multiple incidents where players deserved to be sent off, the referees should not be praised for failing to do so (though perhaps they are just following foolish directives...)

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  26. Pitana management is weird. Why Mbappe is already booked here ? No reason at all. If he considered simulation, no card for Uruguay player consequently. Passive approach, no charisma here.

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    1. What’s weird? It needed a card for each side after what was nothing more than handbags. Mbappe started it with his shit. A yellow each way is spot on. Still 22 players to sort out the result

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    2. Come on. That’s the third time that Uruguay players kicked French players away from the ball...no reaction at all for that (please see foot on Giroud early in the match). Lenient approach and faults detection...

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  27. Now some pushing and shoving,I think Pitana didnt handle this situation well.

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  28. Cards issued earlier during mass confrontation would have been better

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  29. Pogba deserved at least a YC. AR should have spotted it.

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    1. A yellow for Pogba? Meh. He touch his head, nothing more

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    2. He deliberately struck the head with non-negligible force. That's an automatic red card.

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    3. If you excluded Pogba, it’s the same with Godin...

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    4. Oh come on man. He touched the back of another guys head. That was all. That is not a red card.

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    5. Is that a joke ? Pogba didn’t deserve a YC at all, and even less a RC.

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  30. Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    2. South American teams will do that to ref. :)

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    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. Europeans do The same when are loosing. This is a humane instinct

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  31. I feel like these mass confrontations where players simply refuse to listen to the referee are also a result of the lenient line. At least Pogba had to be booked, same as Godín who basically followed Pitana all the time, even when they got multiple gestures to stay away.

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    1. Completely agree with Howard. Expected level by Pitana but not a great performance either.

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    2. Why should Pogba be booked there? For touching the other guys head? I get that a lot of referees want a card for head contact but that was NOTHING.

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    3. Ok, we have a real rugby referee with us ;)

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    4. Benoît, true but even he, with his stout presence, had some troubles calming down the situation.

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    5. If you were in the middle, 9 players would have been sent off and the game would be over.

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    6. Good, they'd deserve it :)

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    7. Was speaking about That Guy Andreja ;) ! ^^

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    8. Benoît, I know 😉.

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  32. Unfortunately erosion of respect for refereeing is continuing . I believe it is FIFA’s lenient approach to please “industrial” soccer is causing it.

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    1. Strongly agree with Ahmet :)

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    2. Completely agree. The World Cup should be a showpiece of fair play for the world. With the leniency, it's been completely the opposite. I'd rather see FIFA tell the referees to be even harsher than normal with dissent, confrontations, unfair tackles, etc. As it is now, it's setting a horrible example for the world, and will surely have indirect ramifications at the grassroots level around the world.

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    3. 100% right. Nothing to add.

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    4. What part are you referring to? The comment(s) or the referee?

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    5. One of the best comments since the begining of the tournament.
      I'm affraid we will see the same ugly scenes tonight

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    6. Bravo. Very well said, Ahmet.

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  33. Turkey Football Federation announced that Turkey VAR system will be implemented in 2018-2019 football season in the Super League.

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  34. I haven't seen the match so I've one question : Has Pitana performed well enough today to be a candidate for the Final??

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    1. He has not been very convincing, therefore not a prime candidate for the final in my opinion.

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    2. He had a good tournament, but I don't think so.

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    3. He had a good tournament, today he was not perfect but solid. Nobody will speak about the referee today, for me he is a candidate, along with Faghani, Kuipers, Cakir and maybe Ricci.

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    4. I think it was still a good performance by Pitana, but probably not enough for the final. But who knows, maybe other referees will be worse...

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    5. When you take the weapon from the referee (Yellow card, Red card) and sent him to the to the football war...
      the result is known

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    6. Pitana wasn't bad, but this was his worst performance. That means he was excellent in his first two matches, but not today.

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    7. I think so. I had a question around him holding a yellow back in the 9th but ultimately, I feel it paid off. There was one mass confrontation where it was handbags and a few posters wanted 10 red cards but he gave two yellows and we moved on. Player safety not an issue and let players decide it. In control of the game. At the most, we can debate if he maybe had one or two more yellow cards but in terms of match strategy, think he found the right balance. There was stuff all bullshit from the players other than MBappe whine got a yellow

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  35. I think none of the qf referees will handle final,,sf and final referees already chosen by Collina

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    1. Would be so unfair on the 4 QF referees if that is the case!

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    2. Why would that be unfair? That could also be said for other referees with good performances who have not been appointed again after GS (Shukralla comes to my mind).

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    3. Because just an expected level performance in Panama v Tunisia and Poland v Senegal doesn't ever compare with 10 years of experience in high profile UEFA/CONMEBOL matches... Shukralla was never a candidate for anything more than group stage but these 4 QF referees were all potential final candidates and have'nt put a step wrong yet in this tournament... So if one of them performs superbly to give the best performance of the tournament in the QF it will be unfair for them if they don't stand a chance for the Final anyway as someone is already selected!

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    4. I agree that it would be unfair if referee for the final is already selected, but disagree if somebody says "referee X" was never a candidate for anything more or "referee y" is not fur such a big games...

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    5. Shukralla showed many times to be a great referee, the way (it seems) FIFA have treated him in 2014 and 2018 is a pure joke, if I were him I'd be furious.

      I would be really happy to see him again (Semifinal), maybe he is treated the same like Kamikawa at WC2006.

      Soham the way you speak sometimes is not very appropriate, objective and respectful, at least according to my opinion.

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    6. But truth remains that FIFA doesn't rate him too highly and I absolutely concur with their thoughts... I cannot appease people, I am stating the fact here about what FIFA thinks and I'll again say he was never a candidate for anything big in this tournament... He wasn't even planned for a second match in group stage and that's the fact! Anybody is entitled to dislike me saying this or consider this inappropriate but it's a fact and it will remain so! And also I have seen him a lot in AFC competitions too, he is very lucky to even attend 2 World Cup tournaments and whistle 4 matches there! I can't and I won't lie or state wrong facts just to look respectful or whatever!

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    7. I strongly disagree with your statement, Soham. So, in your opinion, it is fair to appoint the same referees for 2/3 (Pitana, Kuipers if they do any further progress) because they performed good enough in the GS, but just leave other referees who also performed well in the GS with none because of their name/confederation. There is only a WC every 4 years. It is not only special to players, but even more for referees who, in many cases, will only have the chance to attend once or twice. And their good job in GS is not enough for them to deserve, according to your opinion, a match in KO stage. Yes, not all of them can get one, but how on earth is it fair that some get 3 and you get none? Is the difference so big? To me, it isn't. I have to say that I was more impressed with Shukralla's performance in Poland - Senegal than with Kuipers in Spain - Russia. Personal opinions, I guess.


      But I'm going to say something to you, Soham. I have defended you when you felt you were not welcome here. You are welcome, but there are some things you should change and that you will notice with age.


      How can you say that Shukralla was not planned for anything else than the group stage "and that is a fact"? Do you have direct line with Collina, Bussaca or FIFA's refereeing Committee members? Do you know for sure, because they have told you, what their plans were? TBH, I really doubt they would share that info with anyone, starting with the referees themselves. How would they enter the pitch if they already know that they had no chances to progress? So, best case, what you report as a "fact" is a probable a priori guess. But things change and, a posteriori, performances may provide a new plan. Brych or Marciniak are an example of that: if a poll had been made before the start of the WC about which referees would be going home after the first cut, almost no one would have selected Brych, and very few, Marciniak. I would have selected none of them. Yet both are already home. Do I think this was FIFA's plan? No. Do I know that for sure? Not at all. So it is not a fact, it is just an educated guess… as is yours, Soham. You should try and avoid these kind of "I know everything and I have absolute truth" posts, as they close any chance to start a debate with you.

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  36. I can’t believe what these comments are about. This was a top performance by Pitana. If you think differently, then clearly you’re not very experienced referees, or don’t understand what football is about. Sorry I don’t mean to be aggressive, it’s just that all the comments are so superficial and unsupported by proper specific arguments. I am sure we will see the Argentine trio either in the final or the match for the 3rd place now that Argentina is out. FIFA’s assignment of Pitana for this game, a round after France knocked-out Argentina, is such a show of confidence for him from FIFA for he handled well the Uruguayan players (same language and all) and he performed so well that he will for sure remain a candidate until the very end. All the discussions about YC and RC are laughable... he managed the game well. That’s all that matters. The sooner you get that the closer you will get to comprehend te FIFA criteria and mentality. Good luck guys.

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    1. I haven't seen the game but in most of the places other than here it's all praise and applause for Pitana!

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  37. For me the performance of Pitana was not bad at all - but the line he chose looked like he didn't feel really comfortable with it himself. On one side his typical "classic" gestures and strong warnings, but then ... too often nothing happened. A bit too leniant for my taste. But he followed that line consequently. Good positioning and body language as we know him. Foul detection a bit worse than in hus other matches but still ok. And for me still good management. So IMO: Yes, still a strong candidate for final or at least HF.

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  38. Folks, I used to enjoy reading this site. However, so many of the posts are negative about the game and the referee. Many lack clear understanding about game (which is on the world stage) and the officials' roles.

    Football is a game of passion and emotion. We are now in the QF where this will be especially high. This is NOT a U16 Girls Recreational match where every and any referee would be fine.

    These referees (who have more experience than most of us combined) have a great feel for this, study the teams, and understand their roles. Brandishing YC and RC for every single bit of misconduct is NOT the way to officiate these games. Like I do in my higher level matches, the referees go into these matches with a GAME PLAN and for fouls to be called and for cards to be brandished, the situation must be absolutely obvious, the card needs to have a purpose, and the timing of the card is essential. This is sometimes a feeling and sometimes a part of a plan.

    Instead of analyzing every situation as an ERROR, try to LEARN: Why in the world would a FIFA referee (in fact TWO) NOT brandish a card here? What is the game plan? What is the purpose?

    Once you understand that, you will see that this game (and even Geiger's to some extent) was much better handled than most of you believe.

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    1. Thank you for that. I agree with you.

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    2. Thanks for your very good and well placed arguments! But...didn't you have the feeling that Pitana being a LITTLEBIT (more I did not say!) less leniant as he is normally would have been better for himself and the match, too? I did not ask for a massive cardfestival like others - and these times are gladly gone - and still that was a good performance for sure. But 95% of us here - surely most like me never whistling on that high level - try to discuss possibilities of improvement. And when someone like Geiger whom we backed after SKO-GER before uses the control completely on the field we talk about the reasons and how to make it better. Sure, in such sides you will always find some guys arguing offensively and playing the big cool superprofessional condemning anyone being apprentice inkl.most of WC-refs whom they don't see in the mirror every morning... and sometimes things get too emotional. But in general the criticism is fair and we try to argue wellbalanced.
      I hope we will read more from you here! Cheers!

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    3. 100% agree. Very good assessment.

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    4. Totally agree. One guy wanted a red card on Pogba. Sure, in the MLS, hoist everyone for farting. This is the WC and the mass confrontation required two yellows and that’s all for what was handbags

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