Tuesday 13 December 2022

Daniele Orsato in Semifinal Argentina - Croatia (discussion)

Daniele Orsato about to officiate his well-deserved semifinal at 2022 World Cup. Let's follow him closely during this duty. 



Game 61 - Lusail (20:00 CET)
ARGENTINA - CROATIA
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Ciro Carbone (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA) 
Fourth Official: Mohamed Mohammed (UAE)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mohamed Alhammadi (UAE) 
Video Assistant Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA) 
Offside Video Assistant Referee: Katryn Nesbitt (USA) 
Support Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto (VEN) 
Standby Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kyle Atkins (USA) 

167 comments:

  1. Very harsh words by Daniele Adani, former football player now commentator, he said that Mateu Lahoz refereeing was scandalous in previous Argentina's game and luckily he has been sent home, deserving that. Rarely heard on public TV here.

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    1. I think that is an international thing - a lot of criticism towards Lahoz in my domestic broadcast as well

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    2. Idem here. The Dutch public commentator, ofcourse more biased but also normal very neutral said they hope Orsatato has learned from Lahoz's disaster

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    3. It's "world news". Even Yahoo! has an article dedicated to dear Mateu Lahoz. It seems that it's the "pile on" Mateu Lahoz moment. Not much compassion for him currently.

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  2. What the heck? Where is the penalty? Totally wrong from Orsato. He should be retired long agora.

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  3. Correct penalty. Good waiting.

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  4. Argentinian coach wearing the same colour as the Croatian forwards. Let's hope this does not cause any issues for AR2. In UEFA competitions we have seen the 4th officials ask the coach to wear a bib if they don't have a different colour jacket/top

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  5. OFR for RC possible? Seemed very close.

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  6. Correct penalty + YC and excellent "wait and see" by Orsato, who was waiting a second in order to see whether a goal can be scored. Foul was clear though.

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  7. Correct penalty but how did Orsato miss the corner at the other end? Terrible mistake

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    1. Not so clear even in tv replays

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    2. I haven’t seen a replay but looked clear at the time

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    3. Never mind I’m wrong. Sorry Orsato :-)

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    4. I think we were all deceived by the odd trajectory of the ball. But even on replay, it was truly hard to decipher if the Argentine player had an actual touch. But I believe that Orsato got it right.

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    5. These things are much easier to see (hear and feel) in real life. Cameras provide a flatter image and often only the slow-motion catches what really happened

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  8. Rc for someone on the Croatian bench ?

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  9. Alvarez saliently drives his body against Livakovic's, who actually pauses, no movement of legs, even lifts his arms. The forward clearly promotes contact. Wrong PK. Crucial mistake.

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    1. Absolutely wrong decision. Alvaraez waits for regular contact to happen, the keeper does nothing to take him down. Crucial mistake, yeah.

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  10. How can some people here Say It wasn t penalty . It Is a clear penalty for dogso not Red card and so Yellow card

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  11. Clear penalty IMO. Perfect Orsato there! YC, not RC

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  12. Debatable IMHO, but no VAR stuff.

    https://streamff.com/v/VNmxbKwCYU

    I am watching the game on spanish tv and commentators are saying that it looks like gk didnt interfere the attacker playing the ball and then the attacker ran into him more than it was a tackle.

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    1. Iker Casillas is a commentator in Spanish broadcaster and said exactly so. Goalkeeper solidarity (?)

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    2. All we look for is whether the keeper is moving laterally. In this case, the answer is yes. The attacker taps the ball with the right foot. It falls naturally and the contact (created by the keeper) is immediately after that.

      Clear PK. Clearly YC, not RC.

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  13. Belgian commentator changed his mind about stonewall PK to wrong descion after seeing replay.
    Because GK does not activly try to stop/foul player. And 'holds in'/ stands still. He thinks its a collision. I'm not sure what I am supposed to think about that opinion. I understand the logic, but GK clearly impeeds the player to get the ball and score in an empty goal (DOGSO YC). I agree he doesn't activly foul the player but he commits to a challenge, doens't win the ball and collides with the player who try's to go for the ball he played passed the GK.

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    1. Exactly! Pk is the expected decision in this case, but seeing the replay one can indeed ask question if the gk did anything punishable

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    2. The gk doesnt touch the ball for sure , otherwise the attacker could play the ball t

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    3. The keeper does not collide with the forward whatsoever. It's the other way around. In no circumstance does Livakovic force Alvarez to the ground - no use of either arms or legs. If Orsato was able to sprint to get closer to the incident, he would realise it is Alvarez who visibly promotes contact, and the truth of the matter is that he successfully sets Orsato up. TV replays leave no margin for doubt.

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    4. The keeper (before the contact) moved laterally (to the right). Whether intended to make himself bigger, move into the attacker's path, or just a normal movement to make a possible save, it's movement INTO the path of the attacker. This is impeding.

      Being in the way is not an offence, but in that case we need a keeper who is not moving at all or moving OUT of the way.

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    5. As a Croat, I refrained from commenting during the match, but now, after watching the replays many times, I am still of the same opinion I had at the moment of this situation: penalty to be whistled. I admit that it's hard to say it and it definitely hurts to see your team lose in a semifinal, however I have to agree with Mr. W and Ref Al (also about the detailed explanation). It certainly wasn't a clear decision and I can understand all the good arguments for play on, but if I were to make a decision on the FoP, it would have been the same as Orsato's.

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  14. No penalty at all. First makkeile then lahoz now orsato. Why all this european referees doing everything possible for Mwssi to win this WC. Wrong penalties, missed RCs, YCs etc. You can like a player but so much love is unbelievable.

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    1. Everything is arranged for ARG to win the World Cup, some don't want to see it, but it's that simple.

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    2. It stares us all in the face. They want to give Messi the big title he lacks. But, hey, Karma is too stubborn. There are things they can't control or censor :))))))

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  15. How's that a penalty? What should the goalkeeper have done. That's a collision caused by the momentum of Alvarez

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  16. Penalty is expected decision, difficult to make a different analysis live on the pitch in my opinion, but there are rooms for the argument that attacker left ball and then quite deliberately or not, went against keeper and not the contrary. This because both are in movement and so you can read by both points of view. To me this is fully supportable and maybe even correct, but rewatching indeed one could say that the collision seems to be quite different from the one in which a keeper misses the ball and then hits attacker, being guilty.
    Like some other incidents in other games, you must expected always a whistle and a penalty here, for sure it's very hard to talk about a wrong penalty.

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    1. For these reasons, Mateu Lahoz surewly wouldn't have whistled it, causing by far more discussions :)

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  17. I understand now why Argentina always want European referees and demanded from FiFA to break the confederation neutrality rule for their matches.

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  18. That's a clear penalty, perfect YC and very good wait and see. No doubts about this penalty, clear and obvious, come on!

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    1. It's not "clear and obvious" PK. It's rather a crucial mistake committed on the biggest stage. Textbook case of referee swindled by attacker, which is quite embarrassing at WC level.

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    1. Agree, apart from very minor issues. As for the penalty, Alvarez could have continued the play if he had no impact from the GK. Clear goal opportunity stopped. And correct YC.

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    2. GK didnt stop him,if anything,Alvarez hits him.

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    3. " Alvarez could have continued the play". True but Alvarez preferred forcing contact with the keeper. Poor decision by Orsato who is no longer fit enough to properly assess these incidents. He's too far and is deceived by Alvarez. VAR should have intervened but of course Irrati would never embarrass his compatriot by exposing Orsato's mistake.

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    4. Very biased judgement. Orsato has shown clearly he's one of the top 3 referees in this WC. And this is a very common opinion even on this blog.

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    5. This will be a PK and YC in FIFA Instructional videos. Clear situation due to keeper movement to the right (with the right leg) just before the attacker plays the ball.

      We can't ask keepers to stand still, but unfortunately when the make the natural path of the attacker narrower and there is contact with impact, it is deemed careless.

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    6. David Hatfield believes that FIFA wants to give the Cup to Argentina. After that confession any opinion of Hatfield is worthless.

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  20. OT: We've seen some very unusual referee performances (even by well known names like Lahoz) in the tournament, so what does everyone think of the appointments so far, and if there is room for improvement going forward, what would it look like?

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  21. Before penalty there was corner not given,big mistake...

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  22. Also,attacking foul from Alvarez,why not VAR check????

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  23. The keeper does not collide with the forward whatsoever. It's the other way around. In no circumstance does Livakovic force Alvarez to the ground - no use of either arms or legs. If Orsato was able to sprint to get closer to the incident, he would realise it is Alvarez who visibly promotes contact, and the truth of the matter is that he successfully sets Orsato up. TV replays leave no margin for doubt.

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  24. Looks like Messi and his talking did the work.

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    1. My God. We undestrood u're from croatia but now stop please

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    2. Why stop?Where should GK go?
      Should he let him score???

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  25. English commentators and pundits/commentators are split here. Commentators on the game said penalty however studio panel said no penalty. Referee expert Peter Walton tries to explain very clearly why it is a penalty!
    Interesting one, for me there are arguments. I personally think no penalty here.
    I also believe at least 1 red card was handed out?

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    1. I'll also add, that I don't think it's a crucial mistake if you believe it's not a penalty and VAR can support and understand why Orsato comes to this decision.

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    2. Any fake penalty is a crucial mistake.

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    3. Respectfully, it's not a "fake penalty" viewed by many contributors and analysts.

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    4. Respectfully, it's a "fake penalty" or "ghost penalty", if you will, according to many experts.

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    5. So if opinion is split - how is it a crucial mistake?

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    6. There seems to be a split of opinion because it is Orsato.

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    7. Oh dear. Let's leave it there!

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    8. If its a split decision - what means that there are arguments for both decisions - there is at least no more room for stupid conspiracy theories!

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  26. In my opinion as a Croat (even though that shouldn't matter in referee discussions) you have to whistle this penalty. Yes, slowing down the video and showing replays will make it look uncertain but that is the case with literally every foul made on the pitch. Livakovic doesn't have anywhere to go but neither does the attacker who isn't forcing contact. If we dissect every single tackle we will always find elements for no foul or no PK. IMO the game excepts penalty to be given here and Orsato at full speed made the perfectly correct decision. His only fault is allowing dissent from Argentine players but punishing Croatians (Kovacic) for much less.

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    1. The attacker does indeed force contact. This is the gist. Never ever a penalty. Livakovic uses neither his arms nor his legs, so how on earth does Alvarez fall? Crucial mistake.

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    2. We get it, dude. You think Orsato got it wrong. But no matter how many times you regurgitate the same over and over. You're probably not going to sway anybody to change their views and agree with you.

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  27. I may note that Orsato's positioning is not that good. During Croatian attacks most of the time he's in line with a possible pass.

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    1. This isn't new concerning Orsato. It's well known that movement and positioning aren't strong aspects of his officiating style. But he more than makes up for these deficiencies with other skills/tools at his disposal.

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  28. For me, there are two types of standing your ground by a defensive player: 1. I'm already in this space you are about to enter and the contact is unavoidable, and 2. I will keep my position as long and as strong as possible so as to make the contact look unavoidable. Often the foul is given for either type of contact, and even though I haven't seen a review of the pk call, I think it is the expected decision.

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    1. My focus is on the outstretched right leg of the Croat keeper. Which in my humble opinion impedes the Argentine player.

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    2. Exactly. I would completely support no PK if Livakovic didn't outstretch his leg and only went in with his body. But this is a different story...

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    3. Ok, that's an important detail to note. Here's from FA website: IMPEDING THE PROGRESS OF AN OPPONENT WITHOUT CONTACT

      Impeding the progress of an opponent means moving into the opponent’s path to obstruct, block, slow down or force a change of direction when the ball is not within playing distance of either player.

      All players have a right to their position on the field of play; being in the way of an opponent is not the same as moving into the way of an opponent.

      A player may shield the ball by taking a position between an opponent and the ball if the ball is within playing distance and the opponent is not held off with the arms or body. If the ball is within playing distance, the player may be fairly charged by an opponent.

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    4. So keeper's right to his position doesn't negate his oustretched leg.

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    5. The keeper's right leg clearly moves into the possible path of the attacker.

      https://streamff.com/v/VNmxbKwCYU

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    6. Livakovic stretches his leg out before contact is forced by Alvarez. By doing so, Livakovic wanted to reduce the angle. Then Alvarez, quite deliberatey, drives his body into Livakovic's.

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    7. Wow. The attacker plays the ball (to the left of the keeper). The foot comes down very naturally a mere moment before contact. No attacker could have avoided contact here once the keeper made themselves bigger.

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  29. We can rule out Brazilian referees from the final, maybe Argentina will get again an UEFA referee...

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    1. Why to rule out them? And if in 2014 Uefa referee was in Uefa vs Conmebol final, why would not we see Conmebol referee in final now. Would not be first time!

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    2. If I were Argentinian opponent in finals I would demand a neutral non-UEFA referee. Why Argentina can always choose the UEFA referee and they always win? I would not agree with that.

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    3. Because CONMEBOL referees don't get the same privilege that UEFA referees get regarding CONMEBOL vs UEFA match-ups.

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  30. 2 different situations: (1) Winger runs at full back, plays the ball past him and collides - ref always gives FK for obstruction (2) Attacker runs at GK, plays the ball past him and collides - PK or not? My view is no, GK is not same as defender. Defender has to avoid contact, but GK doesn't.

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  31. As Elfath was born in Cassblanca I strongly doubt that he is appointed for the final even if Morocco loses. I already see the newspaper by arguing that Elfath whistled against the team that had won against Morocco. I mean in times in which it‘s even a problem if an Argentinian referee whistles Portugal only because of the Messi/Ronaldo-Rivalry I can‘t imagine that FIFA takes this risk…

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    1. FIFA should ignore this sort of consideration and just appoint a good referee. Losing teams, like Portugal, will always whine about something. No point catering for them. Even winning teams (like Argentina) will whine. But playing PR chess to try to avoid criticism is a waste of time. Whiners will whine!

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    2. They absoulutely should ignore them I completely agree with you. But at the same time I doubt they will unfortunately. My guess is Marciniak (or maybe Makkelie) anyway.

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    3. A pure merit principle would also work against Elfath since he was mostly mentioned as the best neutral option (before Morocco) and is seen as below several UEFA referees.

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  32. OT:
    Gentlemen, if FIFA is truly serious about having a free-flowing Final where the referee doesn't interfere at all and gives out absolutely no cards. They need to dispatch a plane to Guatemala City ASAP and bring back Mario Escobar. Then simply instruct him to do exactly what he did in his CONCACAF Gold Cup Final. (j/k) ;)

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    1. Why even bother with a referee at all? lol

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    2. I would highly recommend and prefer a charterflight from Turkey with Mr. Cakir in it!!!!!

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    3. If Cuneyt Cakir officiate 2022 FWC, I think he will officiate World Cup final 2022 as the honour as the record breaker 3 times Euro and World Cup and the legendary referee(16 years FIFA license from 2006), fyi, most of world cup final referees is below 10 years of FIFA license...

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  33. Great performance from Orsato imo. Sure, the game seemed to be quite one-sided, however, how Orsato managed this game is quite masterful. No call was really challenged, he let the play go on when he needed to. Excellent whistling technique and card management. I'm really impressed. Orsato for final please

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  34. Nothing to say about the second half, the game was definitely one-sided, Croatia didn't manage to put in trouble Argentina. Very easy win by South American side.
    I think this was an excellent World Cup for Daniele Orsato, he gave everything, I can ensure you that he has been a totally different referee in this tournament, than the one who was officiating in serie A until one month ago. There was a clear difference of approach. He set his mind to make the best in Qatar and he did. As external observer, I can say that it is very sad to point out how much this attitude by the Italian was defeated by the decision to assign him only for a semifinal, planned a long time before. Nevertheless, I can't blame Collina & Co, there can't be Italians everywhere, but surely Orsato was among the best in this tournament. He showed a concentration in every incident that it is very hard to find in other referees. I think he could even retire after this game. I think we will miss an excellent referee, I still remember when he was assigned for CL final, during COVID times, many people were shocked, talking about an unexperienced referee for that duty.. I think you all now appreciated him. Let' see what he will decide but I think he has now reached the maximum in terms of dedication and application to refereeing!

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  35. No problem for Osrato in an Easy match

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  36. Hard to be objective,cause I am Croat.
    Orsato is one of my top refs and I like his style,but I dont know about that 1 crucial decision tha changed complection of the match.
    Corner was maybe missed, but never penalty for me,where is GK suposed to go?

    After that,okay performance from him.

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    1. Also ,hard to swallow that in ever, important match some 50 50 big decision goes the other way.

      2018,Griezmann simulates,gets FK and France scores.
      Doubtful penalt, that Pitana gives.
      And now this.

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    2. Sorry mate, I am Croat as well, it's hard to say, but it is clear penalty for me.

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    3. In dubious situations, Orsato tilted toward ARG. It's sad to see this at WC level, but it is what it is.

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  37. Best referee of the wc being best referee of the wc

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  38. Nobody was even close to Orsato at this WC (well, Mateu in his two first games). Masterclass! Had it been quality that matters, he would've been appointed to the final instead of this semi. Chapeau bas, Mr. Orsato!

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  39. The fact that their is an (quite equal split i think) of YES OR NO PK. I find it one of the great things of football and refereeing. Everyone has their opinion and that is great. I actually agree with most of the argument (Pro and Contra). You can say it's obstruction or you can say it's a searched contact/collision. And I think this is the greatness of refereeing. On the field the decision needs to be made in real speed. Because VAR can't intervene(I think the arguments from both sides prove it is not clear and obvious). This is were experience comes in to play, 'fingerspitsengefüll', feeling of the game. Every referee is different and chooses to handle it in their way based on their opinion, training, experiences, instructions ...

    I think this is the great thing about this blog is that people have their view and arguments about a situation. And this is where I can read them. It's facinating and it keeps me loving refereeing. so lets all embrace the fact that we have our opnion/view and that others may have theirs. It may inspire you and it keeps me in love♡.

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    1. Split of opinion on Faghani penaty too. At the end of the day, we all now how this works.

      Will you censor it too and give yourself away once and for all?

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    2. Different POVs yes, but I actually think it's more worrying that that. There should be agreed principle for this, not left to individual referees 'instinct' or 'experience'. That principle is: does a GK have a responsibility to move out of the away of a striker to avoid a collision? After all these decades of football, I bet you couldn't even get agreement on this blog about that. If you don't start from a common principle, then the decisions made by referees (which as you say are much harder in real time) are a lottery.

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  40. Now the brazilians sampaio and claus out of the final because Argentina in the final

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  41. And English referee Taylor out of the final political with Argentina

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  42. In normal conditions this Final can be easily given to TURKISH MAN called CUNEYT ÇAKIR. 💔

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    1. I would LOVE to see him here...

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    2. Me too. Why he is not at the tournament?

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    3. Cuneyt Cakir originally deserved for the final since he will break record 3 Euro and World Cup, and he is one of the legendary referee with longest FIFA license period(16 years FIFA license since 2006)

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  43. Today Orsato showed all his best skills: concentration, personality, match control and a correct KMD with a brilliant wait and see. What a great WC for him, the best referee of the tournament by distance. He would have deserved the Final but Collina's choice was mandatory, 3 italians in the last 6 WC finals would have been too much

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  44. What do you think - who was the better referee? Rizzoli (with WC final in palmares) or Orsato (semifinal, but excellent WC)?

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    1. Rizzoli in my book. He had an ability to calm players, and communicated with them very well. Highly respected by everyone. Although I have to say, this takes away nothing from Orsato - both are top class with their own styles.

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    2. I deem Rizzoli as very overrated referee. In big finals he got his performances were really weak. He bent the LotG too much, just to play a players' friend.

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    3. I personally preferred Gianluca Rocchi.

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  45. I do think the very heavy praise of Orsato is a bit exaggerated and wouldn't be given to other referees. This was an easy game all the way through. Croatia never seemed to have a real chance. This reduces the tension and challenges to calls on its own.

    And after a game like the last, a drop in emotion is often the case. The players come to their senses and emphasize staying disciplined. Any referee who walks on the field is assumed better than the last one.

    The referee did his job and did nothing to take away from his reputation as one of the best, but the score must be capped by the easy game.

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  46. Analysis for final wc 2022 referee orsato and ramos and ghorbal and Mohammed and aljassim and sampaio and claus and jesus and taylor and elfath are out the final now between makkiele and marciniak and i candidate makkiele for wc final

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    1. I would pay good money to whoever convinces the Argentine press Makkelie has been appointed.

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    2. 0% chance to appoint Dutch referee for Argentina after all that happened in ARG-NED in 1/4 game.

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    3. Tomo, I fully agree. This is not Makkelle's final

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  47. I wish, Mohammed rabie hammad would pay me good money for each "makkiele" he posted during the current tournament.

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  48. It must be Marciniak or... - Barton. If we see only his good performances so far and not the lack of experience, but hey, WHO T F ELSE???
    Marciniak would be a safety-bet,
    Barton a well-deserved riskier one.
    But in the end, even Collina is a politucian, we get Elfath for the job and will wish him all the best...

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  49. Unbelievable statements by Marijo Strahonja, referee analyst on Croatian national TV. He is very angry about Orsato's decision, he is trying everything to prove that it was not PK. He says that Orsato doesn't deserve to be in semifinal because of his poor physical condition and bad positioning. "On this level referee cannot run on his heels" and so on.
    Of course, every Croatian media is sharing out his statements and I can say that Croats are very furious right now.
    As Croat I need to say, it is not easy to accept referee's decision when you have in your mind moments from WC2018 final when we were clearly destroyed by some decisions. But, even that wouldn't be a problem today if we could get independent referee 'expert' on national TV.

    TLDR: Marijo Strahonja shows once again that he is not able to objectively comment on situations from the World Cup, pretty same like he comments situations in domestic championship.

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    1. Unfortunately, I have to agree with you regarding his commentary tonight: I understand his views about the penalty situation perfectly, but some of his words were too harsh and pretty biased. It should also be mentioned that, just a few days ago, he was predicting Orsato for the final (when asked about his personal opinion). He was full of praise for him after his last two games and although he did speak about his physical condition, he never used such strong words. That's a remarkable change of opinion.

      This evening has been pretty painful for us all, I felt terrible after the match, I admit to that. However, patriotism and objectivity can and should be present together, not go against each other. IMHO, speaking so harshly against a referee who passed all the tests is not objective at all. Again, I am perfectly OK with everyone who thinks it was not a penalty, however Strahonja went too far IMO.

      There is one other thing I noticed about his comments: he seems to be holding a personal grudge against Mateu Lahoz. Maybe I'm wrong, but he is always too critical of him, no matter the performance. Of course, if a performance ends up being bad, like the last one, his criticism is all over the place. I'm sorry, but it's not nice to hear.

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    2. I find it pathetic that someone who has been a referee speaks like that about another referee. It shows ignorance and meanness. Orsato and Matéu are by far better than Strahonja was. Some easily forget that they were referees.

      And regarding Orsato's fitness, it seems absurd to me. He passes the physical tests and on the field his level of success is very high and he is close to the plays. We don't need athletes, but great referees like Orsato. It is my opinion.

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    3. Yeah, for instance I tried to wait a bit to see what others say about the pk, then when I heard foreign commentators discussing it I decided to write a comment on the blog. And we are so unimportant here, I dont understand how then someone in front of millions of people watching can be so openly biased and emotional, knowing what it means to be a referee at highest level. And also, regarding Orsato and fitness, there was a period when we all commented that and it looked that he doesnt walk normally so it could be some injury or something. And I was very crytical, saying that if he cant walk and run, he cannot be on the field. But on this tournament we havent seen such problems I think.

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  50. Now with Argentina finalist rest only name option: Marciniak. Makkelie is out due the last fight occured in NEDARG. The brazilians are out because Argentina doesnt like a regional refereeing its games. Englishes because the political factor and football discussion since "la mano de Dios" in WC86. For the others I dont see how Collina could get more risk for a tournment already conturbated where the negative image of referees are on spotylight

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    1. Is Elfath ruled out if France gets to the final?

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    2. Definitely not but to be honest, not quite trust him enough

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  51. Has it ever happened that someone gets both a semi-final and the final?

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    1. I remember as if it were yesterday that John Langenus handled both the semi-final Argentina - United States and the final Uruguay - Argentina in 1930.

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    2. Now that you bring it up I remember exactly what I did back then.

      But realistically that means no loophole for Orsato or Ramos.

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    3. I wouldn't suggest that: I also remember that Ivan Eklind handled both the semi-final Italy - Austria and the final Italy - Czechoslovakia in 1934.

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  52. Jan Langenus 1930 and Iwan Eklind 1934.

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  53. OT - UEFA Referee Committee has released the match official appointments to Women's Champions League Matchday 5 (Thu/Fri). Full appointments posted below.

    https://law5-theref.blogspot.com/p/domestic-competitions-appointments_78.html

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  54. Any chance for Valenzuela for the final?

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    Replies
    1. Not a chance for Valenzuela, because he is from CONMEBOL, from where Argentina came. I think the only option for the final is Marciniak.

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    2. Even if France who is from UEFA makes it to the Final?
      A CONMEBOL team with a CONMEBOL referee = NO
      But a UEFA team with a UEFA referee = YES?
      Totally makes sense!

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  55. Have you noticed a difference of additional minutes between GS and KO stage? No more games with over 10 extra minutes. The transition obviously was not made suddenly, but now we are as we were used before. I think that Infantino oredered(read as "convinced") Collina to abandon the project.

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    Replies
    1. I'm always surprised when people write that some non-refereeing people directly involve to instruct Colina what to do. I don't believe in such conspiracy theories. I personally think it's much simpler.
      Firstly, there are less time wasting (due to injury faking etc.) in KO phase compared to the group phase (remember a surprising lead of Saudi Arabia against Argentina). Teams in KO stage are more focused on football. Of course, we still have exceptions, such as The Netherlands-Argentina with 10 minutes of stoppage time. The numbers of goals in KO stage is lesser compared to group stage.
      Secondly, goal difference in KO phase in not important. So, probably referees don't care so much about the stoppage time if the result is 3-0 in KO stage compared to 3-0 in group phase.
      I strongly believe that if referees stick to strictly adding additional minutes in the future competitions players would eventually stop wasting time so much (yes, I'm thinking of Atletico Madrid).

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  56. https://twitter.com/fifamedia/status/1603048166148001792

    Bad news for Massimo Busacca : Busacca's mother passed away on Tuesday night

    My condolences to Busacca and his family !

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  57. After reading your comments about the refereeing of Orsato in the ARGCRO, I think that the Argentines have done well with Mateu's critical play. FIFA put an Italian referee who in case of doubt always favored the Argentines. Messi seemed to be directing the game. Orsato points out a penalti that does not exist and opens the Scoreboard and favors Argentina's victory. I sincerely believe that the time has come for FIFA to change Mr. Collina and look for alternatives outside of Italy, which the Italians have been at the top of for many years. FIFA arbitration and we are going from bad to worse. Germany, England, Spain etc have qualified people who could lead the. FIFA arbitration and thus rest from the Italian failures

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  58. Analysis: ARGCRO

    Key match Incident:

    32' Penalty to Argentina + YC to CRO1 (ball-focused DOGSO), YC to CRO8 for dissent
    https://streamable.com/gxev3r
    A situation where many disagreed on whether the action of the Croatian goalkeeper was an offense or not. In fact, I find this situation fascinating because both penalty and play-on are very credible calls. It is a nice reminder that refereeing is not a perfect science, and this situation is certainly not falling in the black-or-white category. Daniele Orsato made his mind immediately, and after delaying his whistle for a few seconds (much like he did in the opener Qatar-Ecuador), he ultimately decided to award a spot-kick to the South American team. While watching the game live, I believe almost everyone was keen to say the Italian took the expected and correct decision. Hovewer, the replays showed the situation wasn't so obvious to read !
    Personally, I think Orsato was right, IMO it's a foul, hence a PK to be given. The detail that makes me say "penalty" is quite well highlighted in the third replay: the GK is putting his right leg on the path of the attacker, impeding him to continue his chance (even if he didn't initiated the contact), therefore commiting an offense.
    Nevertheless, I respectfully hear the arguments of the play-on defenders (attacker running into the goalkeeper, malicious foul engineering, etc.). It's the readon why I trust Orsato's judgement on this one, and I fully support Irrati and the VAR crew silence: This is no binary situation, and each outcome (though I feel like play-on would've been harder to advocate for) is worth being supported.

    Balance:

    After delivering two rock-solid performances in QATECU and -especially- ARGMEX, Daniele Orsato was deservedly trusted with one of the SF of this WC. He repaided this trust with a third sound display. The game wasn't visibly challenging, yet there was a few moments where a lack of concentration / a drop of accuracy from the officials could have been very prejudicial, like in 6' (https://streamable.com/r81dlj). The Italian controlled the game with his style, always staying true to himself: it is a tribute to him considering the games where officials enforced the FIFA vision and not their philosophy. Four YCs were shown in 32' (x2: genuine DOGSO in PA and dissent), 68' and 71' (reckless challenges). I'd like to underline his reaction after the last booking: pure class and excellent facial expressions. His leadership style was at the top: instant reactions against DtR in 36' and 45+4', body language showings in 6',32',59',72'. He kept a visible line throughout the game regarding foul recognition (sensible play-ons in 14',22' x2,48',54'). The minor mistakes of the Italian are on a positioning level (central positioning leading him to be too close with play, 38' and 49' being on the edge of interfering).

    Both assistant referees had a quiet night, AR2 didn't flagged any offsides, AR1 signalled two in 45+3' and 90+1', the latter not being whistled by Orsato who played advantage, nice cooperation between them.

    The Italian could be very proud of what he achieved in Qatar, being a very strong contender for the Final with high-class refereeing. He was one of the best !

    Marks:
    Daniele Orsato - 7 (8.5)
    Ciro Carbone - 7 (8.4)
    Alessandro Giallatini - 7 (8.4)
    Massimiliano Irrati - 7 (8.4)

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