Tuesday, 12 September 2023

2023/24 European Qualifiers - Referee Appointments MD6 (12 September 2023)

To complete all September's assignments for Euro 2024 Qualifiers, here the last set of MD6, games to be played on 12 September. 

Elchin Masiyev (AZE, Talents & Mentors) will be observed by Roberto Rosetti


20:45 CET - Granada (Estadio Municipal Nuevo Los Carmenes)
SPAIN - CYPRUS | Group A
Referee: Simone Sozza (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Tegoni (ITA) 
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bresmes (ITA)
Fourth Official: Livio Marinelli (ITA) 
Video Assistant Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Doveri (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman (NED)
UEFA Delegate: Rainer Koch (GER)

20:45 CET - Oslo (Ullevaal Stadion)
NORWAY - GEORGIA | Group A
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (MNE)
Assistant Referee 1: Vladan Todorović (MNE) 
Assistant Referee 2: Srđan Jovanović (MNE)
Fourth Official: Miloš Bošković (MNE)
Video Assistant Referee: Nejc Kajtazovič (SVN)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rade Obrenovič (SVN)
UEFA Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras (GRE) 
UEFA Delegate: Aldi Topçiu (ALB)

20:45 CET - Milan (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza) 
ITALY - UKRAINE | Group C
Referee: Alejandro Hernández (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo (ESP) 
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo (ESP) 
Fourth Official: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz (ESP)
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra (ESP) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel (FRA) 
UEFA Delegate: Peter Lundström (FIN)

20:45 CET - Ta'Qali (National Stadium)
MALTA - NORTH MACEDONIA| Group C
Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan (ARM)
Assistant Referee 1: Mesrop Ghazaryan (ARM) 
Assistant Referee 2: Artur Gdlyan ((ARM)
Fourth Official: Zaven Hovhannisyan (ARM)
Video Assistant Referee: Fran Jović (CRO)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dario Bel (CRO)
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge (NOR) 
UEFA Delegate: Felix Grigore (OU)

20:45 CET - Brussels (King Baudouin Stadium)
BELGIUM - ESTONIA | Group F
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
Assistant Referee 1: Marcin Boniek (POL)
Assistant Referee 2: Jakub Winkler (POL) 
Fourth Official: Damian Kos (POL)
Video Assistant Referee: Piotr Lasyk (POL)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Pawel Pskit (POL)
UEFA Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić (SRB)
UEFA Delegate: Michal Mertinyak (SVK)

20:45 CET - Solna (Friends Arena)  
SWEDEN - AUSTRIA | Group F
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin E. J. Zeinstra (NED)
Assistant Referee 2: Johan Balder (NED) 
Fourth Official: Joey Kooij (NED)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink (NED)
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci (ALB)
UEFA Delegate: Lukasz Sojski (POL)

20:45 CET - Sion (Stade de Tourbillon)
SWITZERLAND - ANDORRA | Group I
Referee: Elchin Masiyev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 1: Elshad Abdullayev (AZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Parvin Talibov (AZE) 
Fourth Official: Kamal Umudlu (AZE)
Video Assistant Referee: Mete Kalkavan (TUR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Alper Ulusoy (TUR)
UEFA Referee Observer: Roberrto Rosetti (ITA) 
UEFA Delegate: Jean-Pierre Cassagnes (FRA)

20:45 CET - Tel Aviv (Bloomfield Stadium) 
ISRAEL - BELARUS | Group I
Referee: Ricardo De Burgos (ESP)
Assistant Referee 1: Iker De Francisco (ESP) 
Assistant Referee 2: Jon Núñez (ESP)
Fourth Official: José Luis Munuera (ESP) 
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado (ESP) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL) 
UEFA Delegate: Darko Ramovs (SRB)

20:45 CET - Bucharest (National Arena)
ROMANIA - KOSOVO | Group I
Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Philippe Jeanne (FRA)
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard (FRA) 
Video Assistant Referee: Benoît Millot (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)
UEFA Referee Observer: Ognjen Valjić (BIH)
UEFA Delegate: Andrew Shaw (ENG) 

101 comments:

  1. 1. Good game for Nalbandyan, Hdz Hdz, and Delajod, maybe decisive match to qualify.
    2. De Burgos, no comment, very undeserved.
    3. Normal game for Sozza, Frankowski, and Gozubuyuk.
    3. Interesting to see Machiyev, and Dabanovic, especially Dabanovic with Vassaras, will be 42 this year, from small nation, is it still possible for him to get promotion?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Undeserved in which sense for De Burgos? For me it looks like a relatively normal game.

      Delete
    2. Its a very regular game for a category 1 indeed. You should not use Elites there.

      In general, we see that UEFA and confederations try to keep as many referees satisfied as possible. Take Netherlands as an example. In June, Lindhout, Higler and Makkelie were appointed. Now, Van der Eijk and Gozubuyuk. Same for Spain, Gil Manzano was appointed in June, now Hdz Hdz has the big game. I think we can pencil Gil Manzano for a high profile game MD1 UCL (Group A or F) and one of the crucial EC qualifier games in October.

      Delete
    3. I mean with his performance he should never officiate in UEFA level, very very poor referee but still in relatively young age.

      Delete
    4. De Burgos must be one of the current referees with the highest gap of 'reputation' between UEFA and domestic competition :D

      In LaLiga, his last 2-3 seasons have been very good, last year handling two Clásicos and several decisive relegation games in a row with success. I do think 1st Cat should be his ceiling, but IMO he's quite good and one of the best cases of referee improvement since the nightmare performance in 2017 Supercup Clásico. People can be deceived by his unorthodox (cooperative?) style that at first glance might look goofy and amateurish (his gestures, running style, general demeanour etc can't be described as 'elegant' either), but for CTA-RFEF he's one of the most trusted referees.

      Delete
    5. I forgot De Burgos now 1cat or 2cat but iinm Juan Martinez Munuera just promoted this season, do you think Burgos better than Munuera?

      Delete
    6. If you think de burgos is bad you should rewatch the PSV rangers game by Sanchez. I know which referee imo is far better and id prefer to see in a match. I see van der Eijk has a match. Curious how he will perform. In NL he was a disaster together with Joey Kooij when he started in the eredivisie,but imo van der Eijk has improved whereas Kooij is still a big mess. Still dont understand why the latter has an UEFA badge. Imo Kooij is not even on eredivisie level. Cant wait for whole europe to get a glimpse of his matches. ;)

      Delete
  2. Important appointment for Hernández Hernández, we were thinking about Gil Manzano for this game and indeed it was a Spanish Elite, but the new one. I think he can do that, but last performance in Azerbaijan (Qarabag - Ljubljana) was not perfect. Nevertheless, I think that in past times, committee wouldn't have made this appointment, now I perceive a bit of more flexibility in treating Italian national team and that's fair.
    Masiyev from Talents and Mentors group with Rosetti: another possible name to be observed by the head of committee was Nalbandyan. He wil be in Malta with Hauge.
    Good game for Sozza as Category 2, but very easy on paper, even more knowing the current form of Cypriot team...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don‘t understand RR why he will observe a referee in on paper such a clear match as switzerland-andorra.
      It‘s worth more if it‘s more challenging.

      Delete
    2. As first argument, we must remember that referee is a Category 2, so a very challenging game in European qualifiers would be hard to get. Of course, a small step above this one was possible, but I also think that Rosetti is more interested in meeting the referee before all the rest. He planned this appointment in Switzerland, like the next one in CL (Young Boys). I think that he makes the selection for his observations based on the referees he wants to see and not on the potential difficulty of the game.
      This wasn't the same for Collina, you can argue Collina was more "technician of refereeing", while Rosetti works in a different way.

      Delete
    3. I agree with you absolutely and of course there is a reason that RR will observe two matches in a row in Switzerland (UEFA duties?).
      I am still of the opinion that there are definitely matches like for example Latvia-Wales or Montenegro-Bulgaria to watch a referee in a more challenging match.
      We had the same with Nalbandyan in Alkmaar - FC Santa Coloma (And) with Velasco as observer. I watched the match and there were absolutely nothing to see what the referee was like.

      Delete
  3. So, now its official: zero Croatian referees in 46 games. I dont understand it, except maybe in the fact that in these 2 rounds the committee chose a tactic: good appointments- high profile referees, low reputation/less competitive - low reputation referees from "small" nations. I really dont remember when was the last time this competition was used as a test to so many referees without much international experience, I would expect it in NL groups C and D normally.

    ReplyDelete
  4. After 6 MDs following countries have no referee assignments: Ireland, Finland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Luxemburg, Belarus, Andorra, Wales and Gibraltar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Faroe Islands only Hovdanum I remember in his debut UECL GS in Tallinn same with Icelandic, I forgot the name.
      Finland after Gestranius simply no chance.
      Luxembourg, is Durieux retired?
      The rest we know the reason.

      Delete
    2. Israel doesn't belong to this list, because Frid had in June LIESVK ja Grinfeld in March SWEBEL.

      Delete
  5. Any idea as to who the SCO ENG "friendly" referee is

    ReplyDelete
  6. Round 5 and 6, no Turkish referee appointed. I think Turkish Referees are not treated fairly by Rosetti and Co... there is also effect of Ceferin on that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cüneyt Çakır da ceferinle sorunlar yaşadı Euro 2020 finalini çok hak etti politik sebepler gafil avlandı

    ReplyDelete
  8. Any thoughts on who will be appointed for the 150th SCO-ENG aniversary fixture at hampden park on tuesday evening?

    ReplyDelete
  9. SCOTLAND - ENGLAND
    R: Davide Massa (ITA)
    AR1: Filippo Meli (ITA)
    AR2: Stefano Alassio (ITA)
    FO: Matteo Marcenaro (ITA)
    VAR: Michael Fabbri (ITA)
    AVAR: Valerio Marini (ITA)


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And here we go still involving Italian for “important/historical” match.

      Delete
    2. To be honest, with all the respect for Scotland - England game, it is only a friendly. The contrary argument (Italian second Elite referee getting only this one and not an important qualifier game) seems to be more valid.

      Delete
    3. But still Italian elite

      Delete
    4. I think we have enough pool of “low-middle/newcomer” elite referees, even from big5 like Bastien, Hdz Hdz, Stieler, Siebert, Gozubuyuk.

      Delete
  10. GERMANY - FRANCE
    R: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
    AR1: Dan Cook (ENG)
    AR2: Gary Beswick (ENG)
    FO: Darren England (ENG)
    VAR: Michael Salisbury (ENG)
    AVAR: Tom Bramall (ENG)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No way Salisbury act as VAR even this is only friendly match after catasthropic no intervention, you can easily switch Darren England and Salisbury.

      Delete
    2. No you can not. Because Salisbury is only a Uefa video match official and not a Uefa match official (as he is not on international list). So I don't think you can switch them. Michael Salisbury is regarded by Howard Webb as one of his best VAR's. They acknoledged the mistake in Wolves-man Utd game. If you listen to the audio in the new premier league referee's mic'd up show. It is understandable how he got to the wrong descision, as he doesn't think it is clearly wrong. The more games you do the more chance you have you make a mistake on 'line/bar of intervention'. Of course mistakes on interventions that are made that are clearly wrong are unacceptable.

      Delete
  11. AZERBAIJAN - JORDAN
    Referee: Arda Kardeşler TUR
    Assistant Referee 1: Ceyhun Sesigüzel TUR
    Assistant Referee 2: Ibrahim Çaglar Uyarcan TUR
    Fourth official: Tural Kurbanov AZE

    ReplyDelete
  12. OT: the observers for UCL MD2 are already announced. It seems, the officials for MD1 and MD2 are indeed appointed as one set.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The game is temporarily suspended in Bucharest because of a politic themed banner from a radical group of Romanian "supporters"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why would you stop a game because of a banner, I thought it was because of the pyro.

      Delete
    2. There was a pyro also, but this is minor. The info is that the main reason is a banner (maybe more than one) and also chants from a radical group - all political related. Extreme right wing groups of "fans".
      The game still did not resume.

      Delete
    3. The banner says ”Kosovo is Serbia” which is a political conflict in that area.

      Delete
    4. Nevertheless, Kosovo is a independent country and has its own government etc.

      Delete
    5. Exactly
      Romania is one of the few countries in Europe which, for some reasons, does not officially recognise Kosovo, along with Spain, Greece and a few others.
      Regrettable situation, hundreds of thousands of people suffer because of a few hundred idiots. I don't understand why they don't evacuate the problematic people.

      Delete
    6. In the same group, great performance by De Burgos in the first half of Israel vs Belarus; lets the game flow and uses the advantage rule sensibly.

      Delete
    7. I think that Kosovo refused to play?

      Delete
    8. Not to get to political on here as it is a blog about referees but do you, Matei, reckon that Romania does not recognize Kosovo because it would legitimize an independence movement from the large Hungarian minority in the country or is it something else? Just generally curious :)

      Delete
    9. Yes, in fact they were the first to left the pitch. 2 minutes later, Delajod sent the players to the changing rooms.

      Delete
    10. @Elliot,same with Spain (alao not recognizing Kosovo)and their Catalonia "problem".

      Delete
    11. Elliot, I genuienly don't have an opinion about it but I like to think the politic is discussed outside the stadium. But the reason invoked in the past by the gouvernment officials, yes, is that by recognising Kosovo independence would create a precedent for Transnistria in Moldova or the Szekely Land in Romania.

      Delete
    12. Good news, the players are back on the pitch warming up. The game is expected to resume soon.

      Delete
    13. Thanks for the answers :)

      Delete
    14. Serbia is the only country that doesn’t recognize Kosovo due to a long conflict. The other countries mainly do it for political reasons in their own countries (for example Spain with Catalonia) or due to good relations with Serbia (for example Russia)

      Delete
    15. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo but recognizes another fake country.

      How pathetic.....

      Delete
    16. Now the natch is getting hot. Maybe a more experienced ref was needed

      Delete
    17. All in all, a very convincing display by De Burgos. Used the advantage rule to perfection.

      Delete
  14. Correct penalty by Gözübüyük, clear tripping by SWE #4

    ReplyDelete
  15. Masiyev with 4 yellows against SUI after a reckless tackle against a swiss player. Incl. Swiss coach, one on the bench, two on the field

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The reason was, that Masijew Misses a clear red card for AND. Not a convincing performance by the Azeri.

      Delete
    2. Now he whistles a dive on the field and VAR corrects to a penalty

      Delete
    3. I can see how you can miss the penalty call. From his position it might look like the defender played the ball. However, giving YC for dive is scandalous IMO, as attacker is just falling over sliding opponent.

      Delete
    4. Disappointing performance from Masiyev in front of Rosetti.

      Delete
    5. Probably no reason for Rossetti to go and see him in the future

      Delete
  16. https://x.com/talkingthfc/status/1701661916433694914?s=46&t=LffzUPvca4WwK73pavkQNA

    Situation from a friendly match tonight what do you think?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. English referees at the top!

      Delete
  17. Disgraceful from Andy Madley! Terrible call

    ReplyDelete
  18. Half time.
    Delajod did good, especially considering the context. Before the interruption 2 YC for fouls. After that, 1 YC for a foul and 2 YC for a conflict between players. All of them correct so far. But after it came a second yellow for KOS #18. This one is debatable, some may say harsh decision. Excellent foul detection otherwise. He tries to impose his authority with many talks and body movement, succesfully so far. Difficult game to manage.


    https://twitter.com/OuiSports/status/1701694197126860803
    Should be supported?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Forgot to mention, 2 very good advantages let by Delajod in the first half, another one now. He feels good this kind of moments.

      Delete
    2. IMO second YC is spot on. IUA is obvious. Clear contact of elbow to the face, not negligible for me.

      Delete
  19. Excellent performance by Davide massa! NO Crucial mistakes let the game flow and all of this right in front of the FIFA president! I’m sure Davide will have a great future!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Swiss- Andorra
    Penalty (OFR)

    https://streamable.com/mrm460

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. what do you think guys?

      Delete
    2. I think difficult for referee to understand live whether ball was played or not, defender's body can cover the scene, so not the worst mistake we saw and a kind of incident that it's fully OK for VAR.

      Delete
    3. Referee first gave YC for simulation. Very strange initial decision

      Delete
    4. on first replay it looks as though the attacker steps into the defender, can see why he gave YC for simulation

      Delete
  21. Penalty for Romania awarded by Delajod. Soft at the first look, waiting for replays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It wasn’t penalty at all

      Delete
    2. Apart from the penalty, nothing more to report. Unexpected a little bit, quite second half with no incidents except for that penalty that was missed.

      Delete
  22. Possible RC for SFP/VC in SUI-AND:

    https://streamable.com/95b5ve

    What do you think? Also regarding the Azerbaijanis management?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VARs should be suspended and the referee severely criticized. Textbook RC.

      Delete
    2. Very, very clear red card. Unbelieveable that there was no OFR, but to be honest the referee should the this on the field of play too.

      Delete
    3. Very clear RC. Awful decision

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    5. It is a clear VC, nothing to do with the ball, just going straight to the opponents leg. How you say only YC for this 😲

      Delete
    6. Defender missed the player, slight contact, so clear yellow nothing more than that, no VAR intervension at all...

      Delete
    7. Particular situation, sometimes the reaction of the players say everything about an incident. In this case they had a reaction like red card. VAR wouldn't have questioned on it, if given by referee. The point is that if RC, it must be for violent conduct, looking for the evidnce that it was made on purpose, because if you assess it as late challenge, you don't have enough arguments for saying it was SFP. The "context" makes the red card here, if you understand me. For some aspects I can understand VAR, but with a RC directly issued by referee, all would have been managed in the best way.
      All in all, rather a mistake by referee in missing a red card live.
      Possible that Rosetti will assess this as mistake,
      Looks like Switzerland - Andorra turned to be into one of the most challenging games, contrary to all expectations... Rosetti will have important elements to assess the Azeri referee, if he wants to do that...

      Delete
    8. Fortunately, he did not hit his right leg resting on the ground otherwise he would most likely have broken it. Intervention with very high energy, with obvious intention to hurt the opponent and without contesting the ball. Clear violent conduct and RC. And the 19 say a prayer for being saved from serious injury. Players and their health must be protected, don't they always tell us that? Here there is little to think about, straight to the showers

      Delete
    9. Typical borderline offence. YC must be given, RC would have been supportable. In case of RC, VAR intervention is not required.

      Delete
  23. Good performance by Serdar Gözübüyük in Sweden 🇸🇪 👍🏻 Correct penalty to Austria 🇦🇹

    ReplyDelete
  24. Excellent Delajod tonight. All crucial decisions spot on, good advantages on a couple of occasions in a match much more difficult than expected, mainly because of the Kosovo team. Very refreshing to see after the disastrous perfomances of the Slovak ref in LVA - WAL and the Azeri ref in SUI - AND.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Delajod, serdar and Brooks with the performances of the round, though I missed Fridays matches 👏👏👏

    ReplyDelete
  26. Overall, Delajod can be very happy with his performance tonight, in a difficult game. Don't forget that it was his debut in games between countries at senior level. The KMI were the RC and the PK - both correct by the book. Excellent foul detection, I counted 3 very good advantage rule let. He succesfully impose his authority and was accepted by players. The game could have easily get out of hand but he managed to control it with no problems. With only 3 YC in the second half. Congratulations!

    As I said before, bright future for him ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing special, missed PK...

      Delete
  27. Brilliant performance by Delajod tonight in a very complicated game ! Really impressive.congrats ! Natural authority, very good foul detection.

    ReplyDelete
  28. The 2YC in ROM-KOS (R: Delajod), some will say it is correct by the book, but some will say, the reaction by the player is exaggerated. Personally I think that top refs like Marciniak would manage the situation and give a final warning, especially given the (political) context. A 2YC should be crystal clear and not cheap.

    Not the first time that Delajod draws the attention with (harsh) disciplinary approach or soft penalties. The Euro U-21 penalty awarded to Portugal was also deemed wrong. He comes across as a raw ‘law enforcer’ referee, very brave, loads of potential, but also someone who desperately wants to prove himself? As a result, harsh 2YC’s or soft penalties. No common sense. I mean, it is also fine to end a game with a 8.3-8.4, without a 0,1 bonus for a ‘supportable’ Pk 😀 Especially if 22 players shake hands with the CR after the game. That is more worth than a 0,1 bonus on paper…

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fun stat. Last season (22/23), Delajod whistled 9 games in UEFA competitions, and whistled 9 penalty’s in 8 games. It could be a coincidence, but it also could be a young ref striving to upgrade his ratings by whistling as much PK’s as possible, instead of applying common sense. I think he should be careful and learn from his compatriot Turpin. Turpin has the incredible quality to always avoid the headlines. He’s barely controversial or the talk of the town after his games

      Delete
    2. In Turpin’s earlier years (the same stage Delajod’s career is in right now), he definitely didn’t possess that quality though. It was impossible for Delajod to avoid headlines yesterday, as his decision to suspend the match will naturally lead to a ‘freedom of expression vs ban politics from football’ discussion

      Delete
    3. True. After the Euro 2021 Clément is one of the best in avoiding headlines. Delajod reminds me of a young Turpin

      Delete
  29. The two yellow card yesterday for the red card was crystal clear and fully expected.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Second YC and penalty by Delajod in Romania - Kosovo:

    2nd YC: https://streamable.com/ysycda
    Penalty. https://streamable.com/ddun6b

    It is clear that the talent of Delajod, differently from other referees, is first of all in his decision making. He is not afraid of taking decisions and he always goes without hesitation. That's something that makes him better than many other referees, but... of course there could be the other side of the coin! The taken decisions must be very clear.
    While I can agree on second YC because elbow to face is clear (but, as somebody wrote, you could question on the intensity and to me not a 100%, with few chances to support careless), the penalty call doesn't convince me. I think it is soft if not wrong. VAR can't intervene, but I wouldn't have whistled it. While I praise the French, I wish him to take always important decisions with accuracy and not only because a decision is expected (this is not strictly related to Romania - Kosovo, but in a more global extent).
    Of course I definitely rank below the referees who are afraid of taking decisions...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No 2 yc, no penalty that's for sure...defender clearly played with the ball, never a penalty...2 yc player feels the opponants hand and felt down, for 2 yellow must be something more celar than that, never a second yellow...nothing special from the referee, just an avarage referee who is hyped by some of you up here...

      Delete
    2. It is very interesting. We criticized referees that are hesitating to make a decision (I won’t mention names) - Delajod is rather the opposite. Indeed, as if he always wants to make a decision, instead of waiting on VAR when things are not so clear or rather soft.
      I won’t trust any stats blindly, but 9 penalty’s in 9 games is definitely a lot :D

      Still, I think it is probably easier to teach a referee how to step on brakes, instead of teaching a referee how to make an instant decision.

      Delete
    3. 2YC for Muriqi 100% correct - the video doesn't show it, but the fouled player had his lip broken and needed a huge bandage to stop the bleeding.

      For the penalty, if we play the last replay in 1/4 speed, we can see around the 0:20 second that Rrahmani hits the Romanian player with his trailing foot (left knee), causing him to lose his balance and fall. Indeed the ball is also played, however the tackle is at least reckless so fully supportable decision. And in the end the penalty was missed, so this decision didn't influence the match outcome.




      Delete
    4. 2nd yc correct
      Pk rather wrong, very soft and questionable.

      Delete
    5. Agree with Forlan. Absolutely.

      Delete

Thank you for writing a comment on our blog!