Fourth game for Michael Oliver in the tournament, he will referee Portugal - France in the Quarterfinals.
Game 46, Quarterfinals
Hamburg, 5 July 2024 21:00 CET
Hamburg, 5 July 2024 21:00 CET
PORTUGAL - FRANCE
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cook ENG
Fourth Official: Szymon Marciniak POL
Reserve Assistant Referee: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cook ENG
Fourth Official: Szymon Marciniak POL
Reserve Assistant Referee: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: David Coote ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich GER
UEFA Delegate: Mark Evans WAL
Olivier doing great job
ReplyDeleteFor all readers still commenting in the Spain-Germany thread, after 200 comments new messages will not be shown anymore. It’s a Blogger thing I guess.
ReplyDeleteClick the "show more" button and everything is okay :).
DeleteThey just don't want to show comments supporting Taylor
DeleteWe get it. You're solely a Taylor apologist. Because you've been M.I.A. for the rest of the tournament.
DeleteDamn, didn’t know this! Was under the impression Blogger still maximized threads to 200. Thanks!
Deleteto arbiter ,you name is a joke because you clearly have never refereed any sport at any level and are a pure armchair critic ,with little knowledge of the game
DeleteAnd just like most of your comments today. You are wrong yet again. I've done my time as the man in the middle and continue do it to this day. Taylor's performance will serve me well in instructing new referee's on how not to referee a match. And I will continue to churn out new referees who are more like me and less like you.
Deleteif you had refereed you would be less critical because you would understand what a difficult job it is at any level
DeleteOnce again, you're @$$uming and yet again, you are wrong. As referee's we should never adopt a "I know it all" attitude. We should be sponges throughout our entire career and never stop learning from each and every match we work. Because in order to grow as a referee (and in any aspect of life). One must be open and receptive to criticism when we err.
DeleteWhen excuses are constantly made for us or we're coddled it stunts growth and development. Even though the truth may hurt, it doesn't stop from being the truth.
Easier start compared to Taylor's game but he's called everything correct. Also a good offside call from AR1 on Mbappe.
ReplyDeleteVery calm match in first half, only 6 fouls - a moments of silence are needed for refereeing after Taylor's performance.
ReplyDeletedifference France and Portugal want to play football ,Spain and Germany just wanted to damage each other
DeleteTaylor was complicit and was an accomplice to those attitudes by failing to caution players in a timely manner and by disregarding the Laws of the Game. He is definitely not without fault here.
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DeleteIts ok you saying that after you've watch numerous camera angles and replays ,A referee has one view and has to make a decision instantly
DeleteGet real. There was no need for additional anything to know that Kroos' challenge (foul) on Pedri was deserving of a caution.
Deleteyou clearly have never refereed any sport because if you had challenges can look different from different angles and also views can be obstructed by the players involved in the challenge or by other players ,if it was that serious Atwell could have sent Taylor to the screen
DeleteWrong again (that's 2). Repeating misinformation doesn’t make it true but does make you less likely to be believed.
Delete"if it was that serious Atwell could have sent Taylor to the screen"
Show's how little you understand about VAR protocol. As no one is asking for Kroos to be sent off for that. Only for him to be properly and correctly cautioned. So, VAR wouldn't intervene anyways. But I guess according to your @$$umption of me, I'm the one with no knowledge. ; )
i not saying about knowledge ,but those that have refereed sport know its the hardest job in the world ,and there are lots of factors unseen and unheard by spectators, which can affect the decision making process .There are too many on this forum that theoretical referees and not practical referees ,who don't understand the pressure
Delete"hardest job in the world"
DeleteFirst Responders would likely differ with you.
As referee's we don't "give" cards. Players "earn" them with their very own actions. And we simply enforce the Laws of the Game by showing them. The Laws are called Laws for a reason. They're not called "suggestions".
You talk about practical. The most practical way to referee is simply by being by the book. You can't go wrong if your decisions are backed by Laws of the Game.
all refereeing is open to interpretations of the laws and directive how the laws are enforced both by National Football Associations and international bodies .Also a decent referee has feel for the game and sets the tone on the pitch .
DeleteExactly! And today Taylor failed to set the right tone early in the match when a golden opportunity presented itself. After that it was an uphill climb that he struggled to overcome.
DeleteChoosing to be overly lenient. Deciding to let actions go unpunished. Or purposely under-punishing more severe actions are not about Law interpretation. It's a complete disregard for the Laws of the Game.
Big SPA and YC miss , 55´
ReplyDeleteNoo. No foul in there. He barley touched him. small bit on the arm. Griezmann goes down after passing the ball badley trying to get the foul and YC
DeleteGosh, the foul is manifest. Unacceptable mistake from Oliver.
DeleteAs a newbie, what's SPA?!
DeleteStopping of a promising attack. If he would have given a foul. He would have given a YC for SPA. But he didn't judge it as a foul (just as I don't). I agree you can give it. But no foul seems perfectly supportsble (once given 100% YC)
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ReplyDeleteHow this wasn't even a foul on Griezmann, clear SPA
ReplyDeleteI don't agree, see above for my opinion on this situation
DeleteOpinion I mean*
DeleteBIG mistake from Oliver!
DeleteI mean defender is clearly holding his jersey on the arm I don’t know what is more an SPA than that
DeleteBut not a lot. I don't think that is enough for a foul. He just gives a bad pass and then drops himself. It's typical something in football that referees identifies. I donzt think any player was asking for a YC there (only Griezmann trying to get it, but he knew it was a long shot)
DeleteBar set low by his compatriot. Only way is up for Oliver. So far so good.
ReplyDeleteHindsight is indeed 20/20. But one is left to wonder how things would have played out for Taylor if only he had shown that early (fully deserved) yellow card to Kroos.
Well it's taken 64 minutes for the usual suspects to find a mildly ambiguous decision to start wailing about
ReplyDeleteHahaha indeed. I don't think any player was really mad about it. Griezmann dropped himself after giving bad pass. You can give it (small arm pull) but that would be really soft
DeleteWell, we can't all be apologists, can we?
DeleteAnd as somebody who posted this earlier said,
"Critics are our friends, they show us our faults".
a lot of times critics are sat in the armchair and have never refereed ,coached or played sport and have very little idea what damage unjustified criticism can cause to a person ,after all a referee is another human being and deserves respect for having the guts to stand in the middle
DeleteMaybe missed pelanty in 62 french gk dont play the ball he atack ronaldo leg
ReplyDeleteBall was out of field of play. So could never be foul. But I didn't think it was PK even if bal was in play
DeleteBefore the ball go out
DeleteOliver just cost POR 6 a potential place in semi final
ReplyDeleteDefinite y.c .
DeleteCompletely wrong YC for POR6.
ReplyDeletePlayer jumped in. Albeit feet hit ground before player, out of control
DeleteOnly s discussion as its player's 2YC of competition
Of course no comments on the correct yellow card...
ReplyDeleteI think both were correct, or at least supportable the first caution. Paulinha reached the player before the ground having (characteristically) lunged in.
DeleteSubstitution during additional time, no additional time, please what should young referees trust!!
ReplyDeleteAdditional time, teams are waiting for extra time, I think that these 30 seconds can't make a difference in referee rating ;)
DeleteTBH, not much of what they see from most of these referees that they see on TV nowadays.
DeleteFortunately, there are still some of us teaching/mentoring about the right way at the Grassroots level.
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ReplyDeleteI was not one of those who Didn’t thought that Oliver was the right choise for this match but after 90 min i must admit i was wrong. In my opinion full controll of the game, ok Communication with the player, and two correct yc when they were needed at most. Extra time a big challenge now!
ReplyDeleteBad english from me there! I meant ”…i was one of those who Didn’t thought that Oliver was the right choise for this match”
DeleteI agree. Oliver made mistakes that could have been avoided, but in any case, the game has been controlled so far, unlike his compatriot.
ReplyDeleteCrazy how we’ve got multiple referees on this blog that can referee with 100% perfection but they are watching the game at home. Little appreciation for a good performance
DeleteEvery game is different so it is impossible to compare .Germany vs Spain would be a difficult match for any referee ,due to the cynical nature of both teams and the pressure exerted by a home crowd.
DeleteOnly one team (Germany) came out looking to stop their opponents at any cost. Taylor allowed this go unpunished and unsurprisingly Spain hit Germany back.
DeleteTill the moment corret officiating without any problems
ReplyDeleteIf I say that it should have been 30 seconds nore is the referee bad because of that? Have I said that? No!
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ReplyDeleteAny chance the same duo ref the final? Szymon as ref and Oliver as 4th? Or have we given us guessing since Orsato is the one
ReplyDeleteI don’t see why people feel the need to compare Oliver’s performance with Taylor’s.
ReplyDeleteSure, Taylor could have done things differently. And better. But you can’t compare their games. POR-FRA is a boring chess game with lower intensity and less fouls. Two teams waiting for the right moment.
Different tactics in SPA-GER, with Germany playing 1 vs 1, more aggressive, leaving more space. That is way more challenging for a referee.
Complete luck of the draw sometimes.
DeleteBecause part of the "fire" i GER-SPA was Taylor fault too ...
DeleteTaylor was complicit and responsible for how his match evolved. A prime example of how a missed early caution can set a match down the wrong path.
DeleteIf Taylor issued that early YC to Kroos, his game would still be more difficult. A referee can only referee what is in front of him and the tactics can influence the match difficulty.
DeleteGegenpressung, aggressive 1 vs 1 tactics by Germans, as a result leaving more spaces and they had to pull the emergency break more than a few times. More fouls that required a mandatory YC. Furthermore, a KMI (handball) decision against the home team. I think Marciniak, Orsato, Makkelie would have done a better job than Taylor, however none of them would be unscratched.
"A referee can only referee what is in front of him"
DeleteKroos' tackle on Pedri was squarely "in front of him" and yet he failed to properly/correctly caution Kroos.
An early YC to Kroos doesn’t change the 1 vs 1 “team tactics” of Germany my friend.
DeleteI don’t say Taylor was good. I just say that Oliver had a much easier task at hand, between two calm teams, focused on defending/closing the spaces and waiting for that one decisive moment.
It very well may have changed Germany's tactics. But the thing is, you can't for certain say if it would have or wouldn't have. Because, he didn't do it.
DeleteHowever, this does tell me that Taylor failed to properly do his "homework" prior to the match.
And once the match had started, he chose the wrong approach. He then compounded this by demonstrating that he lacks the ability to adapt and adjust his approach on the fly.
One great match to enjoy ... thanks to Oliver and the ARs too. He deserve another match!
ReplyDeleteGood officiating in very boring game.
ReplyDeleteExcellent positioning by Oliver in 120 with two fsst counter attacks. He shows a good level of fitness.
ReplyDeleteExcellent game from Oliver but fairly easy. I feel sorry for Taylor always gets an impossible KMI. If that’s it they can both be proud of their efforts this tournament
ReplyDeleteThis kind of "easy" or "difficult" match, as it was fate, looks like excuses!
DeleteYou hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what they are.
DeleteAs is "any referee would have struggled in this match".
Oliver, if Taylor always gets impossible KMI, maybe it is because of him. There’s no such a thing as coincidence, as it happens most of the times. Referees make game easier or harder based on the first minutes and on the consistency. Taylor rarely gets both right and ends up messing up top clashes
DeleteAnd yet I trust Taylor more with KMI's than Oliver. Especially with PAI
DeleteMuch easier game to officiate for Oliver than the one for Taylor. For my money, I take Taylor.
ReplyDeleteGood/expected performance by Oliver in an intense but football focused game.
ReplyDeleteThis game felt very similar to Elfath's R16 match Japan vs Croatia in the '22 WC. Easy match to officiate, solid performance. Like Elfath, I'm not sure that we'll see Oliver again in any role other than as a 4th. I could certainly see him as the 4th for the final. Overall a very good performance though and a tournament for Oliver to be happy with imo.
ReplyDeleteIFAB making those PKs where the player completely stops illegal is my #1 LOTG request.
ReplyDeleteCompletely and totally agree!!!
DeleteThe run up and kick needs to be one continuous fluid motion. Enough with this herky-jerky, "stop n go" nonsense.
Marciniak possible for Spain vs France?
ReplyDeleteEverything is possible, including Orsato treatment like Brych in 2021 - R16, QF and SF.
DeleteThat win should end the tournament for French referees right ?
ReplyDeleteSFs - yes, but Turpin for final in case elimination of France?
DeleteYeah that’s probably the only possibility but don’t know if that’s the guideline of the UEFA
DeleteThe game was dull and unmemorable. Likewise see the referee - dull.
ReplyDeleteWtf?! That's very personal remark and completely inaccurate
DeleteI get that Spain v Germany was a tougher Gig but Michael Oliver is a far more likable referee.
ReplyDeleteI get that neither are not in the business of refereeing to make friends but Taylor simply is not likable.
Totally different game for Oliver, wth both teams focused on football.
ReplyDeleteYou can see clearly how for a referee is easier, but Taylor should have done better, in my opinion, even forgetting about the handball, the performance of the older English referee hasn't been good in terms of disciplinary control. Allowed too much to players. For Oliver, was not a problem to adapt himself to the game, but one should have watched him in Taylor's game to understand more about his approach.
Having said that, I think commitee will be not happy for sure after yesterday, if their target that after a game nobody should talk about referee, well, we have the contrary, and this is involving also the home nation, eliminated from the tournament. I don't know how much this can oblige the committe in making different choices even if Germany is out. Knowing Rosetti, after yesterday, appointing for the final a referee who was criticized by the host, would be still particular. For this reason, I'm not still sure about Orsato in final, but before that, one must wait for his performance in England - Switzerland.
Then, coming into predictions, it becomes very difficult.
Letexier out, even if he is already there, committee can't appoint him.
On the other hand, one between Zwayer and Siebert could be back as main referee. Though, I think impossible with Spain, after what happened yesterday. In case, a German referee would officiate the other semifinal ENG/SUI - NED/TUR).
If not German referees, then we have only Vincic and Marciniak, honestly. Marciniak can get both games (he would have been out from Germany games), same for Vincic. Nevertheless, about the Slovenian, one should wonder why he or at least his VAR were never appointed in KO stage in any role. Coming then out of the blue now would be surprising, even more for the final (but I think quite sure in case for them only a semifinal).
It's difficult to make predictions about the final, if we think that all names are almost over indeed again focus on Orsato, but he must pass today game. I think that in a very extreme case, with Orsato out for some reasons after today, they would go maybe for Marciniak and Vincic in semifinal and a German (also, "consolation prize" after all the facts involving German national team) in final, but absolutely unexpected, given how appointments are going.
Maybe I went too far away, let's wait for today's game as for now.
Early Prediction
ReplyDeleteSPA-FRA : Marciniak, FO: Meler
Other match : Vincic, FO: Siebert
Final contender : Orsato, Zwayer, Letexier
Good morning,gentelmans. Absolutely satisfying/very good performance by Michael Oliver. Good control of the game,players accept him. Pretty good. Profiled himself as an English no.1!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea if this is sarcastic. But I agree with the non sarcastic interpretation hahaha.
DeleteRosetti regarding handball before the tournament:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.sportschau.de/video/rosetti-erklaert-umgang-mit-handspiel-bei-der-em,rosetti-handspiel-100.html
The first situation probably is the one to be compared to yesterday.
To me, totally different situations.
DeleteIn the video shown by Rosetti, player has already the arm quite close to body, you never see the totally open movement like it happened yesterday before the shot. Impossible to compare.
This one happened in Spain - Germany is borderline and definitely more penalty, I don't say that VAR was 100% wrong, but indeed all people and fans disagree. German coach just said that player saved ball like keeper on shot on goal and this was enough for him. As long as we want easy rules for football and handballs, this incident must be assessed as rather punishable, I think.
Yes, indeed different.
DeleteHowever, Sportschau used this example as justification, why no penalty was correct yesterday...
And of course it's possible that Taylor and Attwell also had this instruction in mind.
The handball discussion remains interesting and it once again been confirmed that the rule ‘does the arm make the body unnaturally bigger?’ does not correspond to “what football wants and expects”.
ReplyDeleteI found the comparison between the ESP-GER and GER-DEN interesting. According to the rules, the outcomes have been “technically” correct, however what wants football?
GER-DEN: Yes, the arm is away from the body, but not unnatural if you consider the running motion of the player's body. It's a cross. And the ball is shot against the arm from very close range. The moment of “impact” is quite innocent as well. Nobody in the stadium expected a penalty there. The TV commentators and analysts call it a “soft and cheap” penalty. Yet, there are referee experts defending the decision, because of the rules.
The handball in ESP-GER: Technically, according to the rules we consider the no-PK correct, because the arm is relatively close to the body at the moment of the impact. However: the arm does make a movement towards the ball and thus blocks a shot on goal. What does football expect? Many fans expect a penalty here, because: the arm moves to the ball and blocked a shot on goal (and possibly a goal) is defused. TV commentators and analysts say: why was that VAR check so fast? Why doesn't Taylor go and re-watch, because it’s such an important moment?
I understand very well that people/fans don't understand the rule anymore. Handballs are approached as some sort of physica. In my view, the situation in GER-DEN is not “more punishable” than the situation in ESP-GER.
Lack of common sense. IFAB / FIFA / UEFA are losing the plot. Something in the rules is very wrong when an innocent cross-pass is punished with a free shot at goal from 11m, while blocking a shot at goal with a hand isn’t punished. That’s a fact and IFAB needs to re-consider the handball rule application.
GER - DEN is 100% penalty, arms can't be in that position and making body's bigger, I think there shouldn't be discussions and I was surprised Denmark made all this story. But yes, all countries have totally different views about handballs, and nothing is universal.
DeleteESP - GER: as explained above, to me there is the chance to consider it as very borderline incident, but rather penalty according to what people expect. We can also point out that a handball with the net behind is seen as more punishable in all cases by fans but also footbal insiders. Maybe this will lead to a change of the rule in future. The arm can be close to body for some people, but it is coming from a very open position and still in the middle way of the movement, so for this reason defender should take the responsibility of what he is doing there. Arm was never already close to body.
GER - DEN is clearly more punishable than ESP - GER, because the arm is at same level of shoulders and the body's volume is increased (blocking the cross).
It's difficult, very difficult to agree!
Difficult to agree, and also very difficult to explain to a German kid :)
DeleteThe GER-DEN was also not seen as clear in Germany and many people are now saying that it was less of a penalty than ESP-GER.
DeleteAs you have written, this is obviously wrong regarding the rule and its current interpretation.
But indeed for the non-expert, yesterday "feels" clearer, because the intensity of the contact is higher and because it blocks a shot on goal.
So maybe those factors should be implemented in the handball rule in some way.
BTW, it also shows, that it was a bad idea to have the same VAR in two consecutive KO games of the same team.
If Attwell had intervened yesterday, he had "given" Germany two important and controversial handball penalties in two rounds - which surely would have been noticed. I hope, this thought was not in his mind...
Thanks Philipp, exactly my point.
DeleteTwo situations, two different outcomes. Both supportable according to “the rule”, but it doesn’t feel natural or understandable for non-experts, football fanatics, kids.
And yes, when we take the context into account (blocking a shot or cross-ball, arm movements etc), very difficult to explain why we punish one and not the other.
It doesn’t help that Italy has complete other ideas about punishing handballs than England/Germany. :) Most Italians probably would have supported a PK call in ESP-GER though..
I have a question: May we expect semis appoints tomorrow for both games, or just for tuesday game?
ReplyDeleteThe expected release by UEFA is tomorrow for fhe first semifinal, planned on Tuesday, and Monday for the appointment of Wednesday. It was particular occasion when Rosetti revealed all referees for Round of 16 (but this was not made again for Quartterfinals). Also, possible that, as it happened for Round of 16 and then Quarterfinals, the assignment tomorro will come later than 10:00 am. Can't say more than that.
DeleteThank you,Chefren!:)
DeleteAccording to BILD, Wagner, vice coach of the German team, entered Taylor’s dressing room after the match shouting at him. I’m sure UEFA will be at least as harsh as with Mourinho.
ReplyDeleteThe question might be “why always Taylor” but I’m sure nobody will ask this
Always easy to blame the match officials when things go wrong! The fact is Germany only scored 1 goal, the penalty is hugely debatable and at very minimum supportable as everyone has a different opinion.
DeleteI'm not excusing Taylor, for me, Kroos was very very lucky not to receive a yc early on and as such should also have been sent off.
Regardless of what you think about Taylor's performance. Just like with Kovacs, impossible for him to receive any more games with the sheer number of cards issued!
Why always Taylor - is hugely unfair IMO.
Taylor was widely praised for his performance in the EL Final.
He is given tough appointments because the com have faith in him (regardless of what others think).
so many referees would have struggled with the game, whilst others would have taken a different approach. For Anthony it didn't work (and unlike what 1 person has stated), it's crazy to think that referees don't prepare for matches properly in this day and age!
Some referees are often unlucky to deal with KMI situations where the call is a 50/50 coin flip and decisive for the scoreline. No matter what decision the referee would take, both sides would be annoyed.
DeleteWhy always Taylor? It’s due to the high profile- and challenging nature of his games. Netherlands vs France are big teams. Spain vs Germany are big teams. And so are Roma/Mourinho in a UEL final.
We wouldn’t witness the same negative headlines and media attention if the same handball had happened in a lower profile MD1 game, let’s say Hungary vs Scotland game.
The nature of the game, KMI’s in the box and a tight scoreline are a recipe for headlines and angry coaches.
However, when the referee takes a 50/50 decision against the winning side, it is always different. Take Turpin as example, in his UCL final. Goal RMA was not valid, but RMA still won the game. How different would that have been if Liverpool won the game with a 1 goal difference?
Vincic is a good example of a referee who avoided headlines in 23/24. We talked about the shielded path before. Moreover, he didn’t have any KMI’s in the box for the entire season. Not everything is manageable (e.g. handballs). A referee can’t stop the player from attempting a shot at goal… I guess a referee needs a lot of luck, a shielded path, or one-sided scorelines to escape from the headliners.
Widely praised for the UEL final - you must be kidding. He was supported because of what happened after the match. Also there he got three missed RC (2 for Sevilla and 1 for Roma), a debatable penalty.
DeleteThen we have Taylor in ITA-SUI WC qualifiers, with a phantom penalty.
Then it’s Taylor demoted in England too.
Then it’s Taylor with Pochettino.
I could go on and on but you can’t always blame luck or fate. He’s always causing issues, he’s never adapting his style to the match and fails to handle heated games. You can’t be an elite without the ability to adapt.
He absolutely was praised -even on here!!
DeleteWhen was Taylor demoted? That language is wrong, he wasn't used on the Premier League for 2 weeks (that's very different).
You talk about Taylor - put all his good performances first before just trying to bash referees!!
The media quoted he was demoted to the championship. But he was just given 1 game there after a wront PK i think. But the next match in PL was a huge top ficture. So calling it a demotion would be factually incorrect as he was not kicked of the select group 1 by PGMOL. Referees in PL get given championschip games all the time (mostly after controversial, but not per se wrong desicions)
DeleteA headline in Italy (today the press is full of articles about him):
ReplyDelete"The strange case of Anthony Taylor, the referee who makes always mistakes, but always called for big tournaments".
In the article they describe him as a very poor referee and they cannot understand how Rosetti can consider him as a top deserving the EURO call and the best game of the tournament so far. More generally, also when he didn't get big games after Sevilla - Roma, the discussions about him always continued here.
In another article we read that some referees like the English make the mistakes of interpreting the LotG as they want and not according as it should be.
I can't read an article with a different point of view, so far.
But yes, one must admit that the handballs are the most challenging situations and the English has been always unlucky, having to assess the mostr controversial incidents. More generally, truing to save himself (to be included also the VAR in this speech), they should have called some situations, at the end they didn't do what people and fans expect, and that's the problem in modern football.
It's so interesting different countries have different views. In England - they praise Taylor for not whistling that penalty!
DeleteHow he got panned by the Italian media after EL final is shameful. He had a very good game IMO.
Thankfully UEFA don't see it the same as the media, lot's of people talking about him for CL final this year.
Come on -this circus is crazy!!
This why Mourinho should have been banned for at least a year because of his behaviour Taylor is a marked man
DeleteIFAB, as I already wrote some days ago, should make it simple: blocking a shot / pass with an (even slightly) outstretched arm - FK / Penalty
ReplyDeleteThat's a solution, you must call all the handballs, common people will never understand the rules in details for sure!
DeleteRosetti ruined everything! He should rather resign and he lied about everything! The referee destroyed everything!
ReplyDeleteI no longer trust UEFA's rules. Rosetti has to go!
How can you send Rosetti an Englishman after Oliver's Germany game again?
Rosetti does a good job ,another armchair critic ,who has never participated in sport ,yet knows everything
DeleteAfter I've finally managed to watch this game, I can say it was a good performance by Michael Oliver IMO, in a match that never presented the amount and intensity of challenges that I anticipated it would, but was still controlled in an optimal manner by the referee team.
ReplyDeleteOliver's foul detection and selection were sound IMO, with no major mistakes and optimal line chosen for this match, ensuring that the dynamics and flow of the game depended on the teams. As usual, he remained in the background as much as he could, stepping out when needed and trying to control the proceedings using empathic communication and establishing connection with the players. It is fair to say he mostly succeeded, but I do wonder what would have happened if the game had developed into a more challenging, feisty contest that I expected initially. The reason for me referring to this is the observed tendency by Oliver to "fall back" too much in certain situations of challenge to his authority, especially with Pepe during the 1H (very strong protests in 24' and 31' on two good decisions, the latter of which definitely warranted a YC technically). However, it should also be said that Oliver never experienced more of these issues during the remainder of the match, which makes me wonder was the initial ignoring of such behaviour, and then correcting it using small chats and warnings as the game continued, a deliberate and rather wise choice in dealing with the usually very problematic individual, by a referee who is clearly not an Orsato- or Marciniak-type of authority, but rather a good and empathic communicator, able to simultaneously distance his "inner-self" from the pressure outside and keep his cool and calm demeanor while taking correct decisions. Whatever it was, it did work in this match eventually.
Oliver gave some very good no foul decisions, at least for my taste: 31', 49', 54', 83', 84'. The one in 54' is especially interesting, and I'm sure many commenters will disagree on this, but I strongly think that POR6 didn't commit a foul there, as no significant pulling (although clearly visible on TV) actually prevented Griezmann from playing the ball, who (after giving a bad pass) rather fell on his own when any real pulling had already been stopped. Of course, if it had been whistled, this foul would have warranted a clear YC for SPA to POR6; however, as I said, I prefer Oliver's decision in this instance.
Disciplinary line was well chosen and maintained IMO, with no mandatory YCs missed and two correctly issued: 79' (POR6, reckless tackle, with the player "lunging in") and 84' (FRA17, reckless use of arm/SPA). There was also a possible YC for simulation to POR19 in 50', as there was no contact between him and his opponent in that PAI scene, however Oliver can be supported because the player didn't show any sign of protest/demand and got up immediately.
Regarding PAIs, I think Oliver correctly rejected five potential penalty situations: 16' (no handball penalty for POR, contact with the shoulder), 50' (excellent judgement of no contact on POR19), 54' (no handball penalty for POR, the ball hit Mbappe's head), 63' (any significant contact on Ronaldo's right heel occurred after the ball was already out) and 120+1' (no penalty for FRA on a normal, non-punishable block).
Both ARs delivered a good performance IMO, with an excellent tight onside in favour of POR in 110' being worthy to note. It should be highlighted that the whole team showed excellent fitness even in the ET, which enabled them to follow play even on fast counterattacks (e.g. 120+1' situation mentioned above), as well as an excellent level of concentration maintained to the very end of this match.
Taking everything into consideration, I think it's fair to say Oliver delivered a good, even a very good performance overall, and I think he can be very content with the level of his refereeing at this tournament.