Tuesday 28 September 2021

Champions League 2021/22 - Referee Appointments - Matchday 2 (I)

2021-22 UEFA Champions League group stage Matchday 2, referee appointments for Tuesday's games.

28 September 2021

18:45 CET - Amsterdam (Johan Cruijff ArenA)
AFC Ajax (NED) - Beşiktaş JK (TUR) | Group C
Referee: Benoît Bastien (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu (FRA)
Fourth Official: Jérémie Pignard (FRA) 
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine (NIR)
UEFA Delegate: Eduard Dervishaj Nelaj (ESP)

18:45 CET - Kyiv (NSC Olimpiyskyi)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) - FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) | Group D
Referee: István Kovács (ROU)
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Florin Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Mihai Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Andrei Florin Chivulete (ROU) 
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Fritz (GER)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan (ROU)
UEFA Referee Observer: Jørn West Larsen (DEN)
UEFA Delegate: Michal Mertinyák (SVK)

21:00 CET - Paris (Parc des Princes)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) - Manchester City FC (ENG) | Group A
Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP) 
Assistant Referee 1: Pau Cebrián Devis (ESP)
Assistant Referee 2: Roberto Alonso Fernández (ESP)
Fourth Official: Santiago Jaime Latre (ESP)
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert (GER) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Markus Nobs (SUI)
UEFA Delegate: Myrsini Psarropoulou (GRE)

21:00 CET - Leipzig (RB Arena)
RB Leipzig (GER) - Club Brugge (BEL) | Group A
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Nejc Kajtazović (SVN)
Video Assistant Referee: Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Stefan Messner (AUT)
UEFA Delegate: Scott Struthers (SCO)

21:00 CET - Porto (Estádio do Dragão)
FC Porto (POR) - Liverpool FC (ENG) | Group B
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Igor Demeshko (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Maksim Gavrilin (RUS)
Fourth Official: Vladimir Moskalev (RUS)
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert (GER) 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Vitaliy Meshkov (RUS)
UEFA Referee Observer: Haim Jakov (ISR)
UEFA Delegate: Rudolphe Mannaerts (BEL)

21:00 CET - Milan (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)
AC Milan (ITA) - Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) | Group B
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Bahattin Duran (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Tarik Ongun (TUR) 
Fourth Official: Arda Kardeşler (TUR)
Video Assistant Referee: Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Mete Klkavan (TUR) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Guy Goethals (BEL)
UEFA Delegate: Charles John Grundie (NIR)

21:00 CET - Dortmund (BVB Stadion)
Borussia Dortmund (GER) - Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) | Group C
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (SRB)
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković (SRB)
Assistant Referee 2: Milan Mihajlović (SRB)
Fourth Official: Novak Simović (SRB)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kevin Blom (NED) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Domenico Messina (ITA)
UEFA Delegate: Mark Blackbourne (ENG)

21:00 CET - Madrid (Estadio Santiago Bernabéu)
Real Madrid CF (ESP) - FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) | Group D
Referee: Lawrence Visser (BEL) 
Assistant Referee 1: Rien Vanyzere (BEL)
Assistant Referee 2: Thibaud Nijssen (BEL)
Fourth Official: Bram Van Driessche (BEL)
Video Assistant Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Amaury Delerue (FRA) 
UEFA Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel (GER)
UEFA Delegate: István Huszár (HUN)

185 comments:

  1. Turpin as VAR! I think it`s the first time for him in UEFA competitions. Personally, I didn't expect that.

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    1. Not the first time, in the UEFA SuperCup officiated by Stéphanie Frappart in 2019, he was VAR.

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    2. He was also VAR last year at the CL-debut of Francois Letexier

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    3. With Frappart let`s say it was a special situation. But indeed I forgot about last year debut of Letexier

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    4. Also Hategan is AVAR in Kyiv with Fritz main. Kovacs had usually German VARs so this was quite expected.

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    5. If I remember rightly he was very poor that day on Letexier debut

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  2. Champions League debut for Visser, the game is surely suitable, important observer. Good luck to the Belgian referee.
    About the rest, nice to see Çakır still living good times, another great assignment for him.
    Bastien back in CL after a certain time, this appointment is similar to Aytekin, Kulbakov and all the other Elite who hadn't officiated in this competition recently. We can now expect maybe even Kružliak for Wednesday.

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    1. First time in a very very long time that a Belgian referee is appointed for a CL game. Fandel is by the way his mentor, now his observer. Is that normal ?

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    2. Always great to see Cakir to get those big games. I have very high expectation on him in the World Cup next year

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  3. OT: 2nd YC for dissent yesterday in BMG-BVB.
    https://streamja.com/9oB2r

    Aytekin's decision is being heavily discussed in Germany with people both agreeing and disagreeing.
    Aytekin explained his decision later on TV:

    "You can certainly say that individually the YC is too harsh, however, my point was different, we had a scene a few minutes earlier where Guerrero waved off. I then explained in no uncertain terms that I didn't want that kind of behaviour on the pitch. We also deserve a minimum of respect for clear fouls. This waving off is now taken for granted and then came this action by Dahoud, where I decided on a 2YC. All in all, the disrespectful wave-off was too much for me. It is also not necessary to wave off in this situation. It was a clear foul and he could have simply accepted it."

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    1. Absolutely corrrect YC, player can't react in this way, clear dissent.
      But... I didn't expect Aytekin so angry, that's good, hopefully he will show such mangement in European games as well! My first criticism about him is that he looks always too much relaxed!

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    2. I do like referees to react in this way. Yellow card without hesitating.
      There is a shortage of referees who respond in such a correct manner.

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    3. I strongly disagree with this YC. Consequence is impossible here. The player did not act excessively rude; he simply waved off, that's stupid but not enough for a sending-off, especially with the explanation that he warned a different player (!) a few minutes before.
      Here, the people mostly critizise that this 2ndYC was used as a sign once but the referees won't continue punishing simple dissent in further matches in the following weeks. Aytekin overreacted IMO, being annoyed by the emotions the game contained of.

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    4. Agree with Flip. For me this is also overreacted from Aytekin

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    5. I completely agree with the YC. You just can't act like that when the referee calls the foul. Clear gesture for dissent, might be overreacted from Aytekin, but it does not matter. The decisions was correctly made

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    6. @Chefren: Interesting remark. Actually, Aytekin made a strict/angry/unfriendly impression for a long time and then actively worked on being more relaxed/friendly/communicative on the field. And this change is working quite well for him, because he became one of the favourite referees in Germany.
      So this situation (or the game in general) was a relapse in old habits somehow.
      But maybe you are right, that this behaviour would help him in international matches.
      Although I am not sure, whether UEFA would like this 2nd YC.

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  4. interesting to see irrati back in action after two wrong interventions in europa-league match frankfurt-fenerbace. now only as avar, but certainly as var...in var-position there seems to be no performance-based appointments...

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    1. It is only your speculation that he made two mistakes in that game, we can't know what committee assessed!

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    2. In a nutshell, Chefren's comment illustrates perfectly what is wrong with VAR: unclear instructions for many situations, differences between FIFA and UEFA, between countries etc. It is totally crazy if/when we have to say: "we can't know what committee assessed!"; clearly the instructions must be such that we DO know what they will assess.

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  5. IMO quite normal appointments today.
    The only small surprises are the matches for Vincic and Jovanovic, because I think Dortmund-Sporting is the slightly bigger and tighter game compared to Leipzig-Brugge.

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  6. OT: Referees for U17 Euro qualifiers.

    Group 1 (Malta, Denmark, Turkey & Montenegro):

    -Ion Orlic (MDA, AR Anatolie Basiul)
    -Robertas Valickonis (LTU, AR Edgaras Bučinskas)
    -Christian Ciochirca (AUT, AR Martin Hofler)
    -Host 4th official: Darryl Agius (MLT, AR James Muscat)


    Group 3 (Belgium, Norway, Azerbaijan & Luxembourg):

    -Haris Kaljanac (BIH, AR Amer Macic)
    -Nikolas Neokleous (CYP, AR Kyriakos Sokratous)
    -Vitor Ferreira (POR, AR Gonçalo Freire)
    -Host 4th official: Arthur Denil (BEL, AR Michele Seeldraeyers)


    Group 5 (Ireland, Poland, North Macedonia & Andorra):

    -Adam Ladebäck (SWE, AR Daniel Yng)
    -Joonas Jaanovits (EST, AR Aron Härsing)
    -Sigurd Kringstad (NOR, AR Runar Langseth)
    -Host 4th official: Kevin O'Sullivan (IRL, AR Shane O'Brien)


    Group 7 (Finland, Switzerland, Bosnia & Herzegovina & Gibraltar):

    -Elchin Masiyev (AZE, AR Elshad Abdullayev)
    -Sebastian Gishamer (AUT, AR Markus Reichholf)
    -Ishmael Barbara (MLT, AR Roberto Vella)
    -Host 4th official: Peiman Simani (FIN, AR Arttu Kuukasjärvi)


    Group 9 (Austria, Slovenia, Kosovo, Faroe Islands):

    -Viktor Kopievskiy (UKR, AR Dmytro Zaporozhenko)
    -Irakli Kvirikashvili (GEO, AR David Chigogidze)
    -Vassilis Fotias (GRE, AR Andreas Meintanas)
    -Host 4th official: Alexander Harkam (AR Sara Telek)

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    1. The same but for U19s:

      Group 3 (Hungary, Austria, Belarus & Estonia):

      -Helgi Mikael Jónasson (ISL, AR Thórður Arnar Árnason)
      -Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO, AR Davit Gabisonia)
      -Peter Bankes (ENG, AR James Mainwaring)
      -Host 4th official: Bence Csonka (HUN, AR Theodoros Georgiou)


      Group 5 (Poland, Ukraine, Finland & Malta)

      -Dragomir Draganov (BUL, AR Petar Mitrev)
      -Marian Barbu (ROU, AR Mihai Marica)
      -Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (LAT, AR Denis Ševcenko)
      -Host 4th official: Damian Kos (AR Marek Arys)

      Group 10 (Norway, Wales, Georgia & Kosovo):

      -Michal Ocenáš (SVK, AR Tomáš Vorel)
      -Amine Kourgheli (BLR, AR Yury Khomchenko)
      -Duje Strukan (CRO, AR Alen Jakšić)
      -Host 4th official: Mohammad Usman Aslam (NOR, AR Ole Andreas Haukåsen)

      Group 12 (Slovenia, Italy, Iceland & Lithuania)

      -Kári Jóannesarson á Høvdanum (FRO, AR Hentzer Petur Páll Winter)
      -Arda Kardesler (TUR, AR Kerem Ersoy)
      -Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE, AR Niklas Nyberg)
      -Host 4th official: David Smajc (SVN, AR Matej Vojska)


      Group 13 (Czech Republic, Denmark, Northern Ireland & Kazakhstan):

      -Balázs Berke (HUN, AR Balázs Szert)
      -Genc Nuza (KOS, AR Besnik Morina)
      -Horatiu Fesnic (ROU, AR Alexandru Cerei)
      -Host 4th official: Jan Petrík (CZE, AR Marek Podany)

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  7. Anybody seen the penalty awarded to AS Roma in the Roman derby (referee Marco Guida)?
    IMO an important mistake by the referee to award the penalty and an important mistake by VAR to not send him down to the monitor. The attacker is responsible for the contact, not the defender. Defender can do nothing to avoid the contact. Fortunately no influence on the final result of the match though.

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    Replies
    1. Indeed Irrati confirmed the penalty based on this frame:
      https://ibb.co/r02jXf9
      In my opinion Guida didn't see / didn' want to punish that, live he had a totally different perception of he incident (it looked like very clear penalty at first glance, I must say), so this management by Irrati shows us why VAR can't be perfect in such situations. If you start from the assumption that you just need to back referee you will find always a possible way, unless a clear proof of 100% no contact.
      You explained well what happened: attacker was ready to shot then he made a back movement with leg hitting the defender behind him, in my opinion the latter had not any responsibility, you can't talk about a careless action. Also, in the live sequence, attacker falls after a certain time and this makes the situation look like a simulation. After that, there is also a tackle by another player, but without any contact, I can't exclude that maybe Guida had whistled for that...

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  8. For Benoit Bastien his last three international games are with Turkish teams.
    19 August HJK Helsinki- Fenerbahçe EL game
    1 September Turkey - Montenegro WC Qualifying
    28 September Ajax - Beşiktaş CL game
    I think this is a bit weird. This can be easily avoided.

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  9. Again no Yuste in team Del Cerro. What passed to him?

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  10. I think it's the first time for Hațegan in the VAR room. Good luck for him in this new position!

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  11. Big game for Del Cerro Grande.

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  12. What happened to Yuste Jimenez?

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  13. Either the sound of the tv braodcast is of inferior quality, or the crowd is extremely loud, or Benoît Bastien doesn’t use the full capacity of his whistle, but I can’t hear any of his free kick whistles :)

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  14. Interesting penalty appeal in Kyiv (28').

    To be honest, I actually think penalty was the more correct call, the Inter defender did impede the attacker, who was actually off the FoP at the moment of the contact, but he was adjacent to the byline inside the penalty area.

    However, in the current vision of assessing penalty area incidents in UEFA, I would have decided the same as Kovács - go on.

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    1. In general, very focused and concentrated 1H from István Kovács. The kind of game which could easily get away from the referee with even two/three missed fouls, but the Romanian's recognition of infractions has been de facto faultless so far. Very good player interactions and just fantastic movement, my regards.

      (NB: I missed the first ten minutes :))

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    2. I agree, that a penalty there would be one of the soft ones, which UEFA doesn't like. Also the attacker was exaggerating the contact. But yes, purely technical, a penalty would not be wrong.

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  15. The U19 match between PSG and Man City this morning (my time) had an interesting red card against Man City around the 66th or 67th minute today.

    Play was in the Man City PA, DOGSO situation that looked (from the one replay I caught) that it was an attempt to play the ball from behind, but clearly the referee saw something different (a push?) and felt that there was no attempt to play the ball in the course of the foul and that the attempt to play was because of the offence.

    Not sure if anyone has video of it or not, but it wouldbe an interesting one to look at a bit more closely.

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  16. Big mistake by Bastien on 62nd minute disallowing Beşiktaş goal. There was no foul.

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    1. ‘Big mistake’ and ‘no foul’ is definitely exaggerated in my opinion, but it was soft for sure and VAR wouldn’t have intervened if he allowed it

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    2. At least he should have delayed the whistle to give the VAR a chance to check.
      I am not sure, whether it was clearly and obviously wrong, but also in my opinion it was no foul.

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    3. I tend to agree with you, attacker did not make any movement towards the defender. If anything, it was the defender moving in the path of the attacker. Ajax very lucky here! VAR didn’t have a chance anyway because Bastien didn’t delay his whistle.

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    4. If there is a description for shoulder to shoulder position this is by the book. Imo no foul and when there is no foul and you call it it is a big mistake.

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    5. Sorry, I accidentally copied Chefren’s link. Here’s another:

      https://streamable.com/e32gpw

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    6. Thanks Dutch Ref, I can delete my post!

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    7. In my opinion not a foul, Bastien should have indeed waited before whistle, but it is too easy to talk afterwards.

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    8. I think you can read this situation in two ways -

      1) defender actually trying to impede the attacker's progress (as Known says)
      2) a simple 'shoulder to shoulder', normal football contact

      In either case, defensive freekick is a clear (and important) mistake.

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  17. Unacceptable whistle at this level. Foul or not is not the case here IMO. He should have waited till the end of attack.

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  18. I don't see how Bastien could make a mistake in such an easy match. It is really interesting. Bastien is making up a foul.

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  19. Despite of having VAR since some seasons, I notice that it is very rare to see delayed whistles before scoring for a possible foul. All the controls on a goal are always made for a possible previous missed foul, but I don't remember any whistle by referee on the pitch after the ball in the net. This is also because most of the times referee can't know that a goal is about to score, they should apply the same technique of delayed flag by assistant referees, but I think they don't have their mind set to do that.

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    1. Bascuñán in his game at Copa América 2019 did it, the biggest practical masterclass of this which I've seen.

      Very good comment generally - there is a lot for refs to focus on during their games, so it is *understandable* that Bastien got overtaken by an automotivism (offence -> whistle) at a given moment.

      But it cost him a lot here, clear mistake :/

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    2. A big mistake by Bastien. I think he is a great referee, but I've seen him make too many mistakes lately in his international matches.

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    3. Kabakov did this delayed whistle thing on a foul late in his game. He only waited a few seconds though before blowing and the ball eventually found its way into the net after the whistle. But it was a clear foul so I think he struck a good balance there.

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  20. István Kovács kept up his concentrated performance in the 2H - to be honest, this game was never too far from actually exploding at any moment, but due to the very good foul detection of the Romanian referee, it never did. Impressive performance in all facets (soft skills, pos/movement) by Kovács, I would say he is ready for (even) higher profile appointments.

    Below is the 28' incident which I mentioned above. For me, a classic case of 'players cannot run through brick walls', but for the majority, playing on is surely the expected call.

    Clip: https://streamable.com/loh01y

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    1. Not the first time that he acts at that high level. IMO he is the Rumanian Nr. 1 now.

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  21. Bastien is a good referee but awkward things happen in his international games too often (?)

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  22. VAR intervention in Leipzig, mistake by AR2, regular goal wrongly disallowed, tight situation, but NO FLAG was expected decision there in my opinion.

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  23. Possible handball in Milan-Atlético, VAR confirmed NO-PK

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    1. https://ibb.co/YTg3dpD
      In my opinion this should have been whistled.
      In Italy always penalty with the arm in this position.
      I give up with handballs.

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    2. The position is dangerous, but not clearly unnatural, I think.
      And the ball is deflected before him + comes from the ground, therefore unexpected.
      Overall grey area - and I like the play on there, because it is mostly accidental.

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    3. In my opionion there are too many subjective criteria for handballs nowadays and that's a big problem. You can defend as well as revoke every single decision, based on several arguments. I would make things easier, because it is not fair that, based on who is VAR, you have a different approach. Also, the different perception of handballs country by country is something to consider. For some people this is more than a clear and obvious mistake. Rosetti should be aware of that.

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    4. But that clearly was the intention of the new wording in the LotG. It should be the referee's interpretation, whether the handball was intentional/avoidable or mostly accidental. So I think, IFAB deliberately extended the grey zone there.
      I also would prefer more objective criteria though.

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  24. MIL-ATM 9.30’ Possible Handball.
    It was an unexpected ball and the arm was very close to the body. Correct VAR confirmation and No intervention

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  25. Clearer no handball penalty decision now in POR-LIV (23').

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  26. Busy time for Valeri in Leipzig-Bruges. Another offside correction and goal is given.

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  27. Second VAR intervention in Leipzig, this time AR2 with wrong offside flag. Very difficult situation, the leg of a defender kept attacker onside. In this case one can understand more the raised flag than previous situation.

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  28. I’m no City fan but that’s two penalties for Man City in PSG-MC

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    Replies
    1. Should be pens on Dias and Laporte from a corner

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    2. (30')
      Laporte is no penalty IMO, because he is leaning too much into his opponent and looks for the penalty.
      Against Dias there is a problematic push in the end, therefore that's more a penalty than not for me.

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  30. Correct 2YC to Kessie, clear stamp on foot. IMO mandatory Yc

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  31. 2YC to Kessie for Milan. Supportable but not my favorite 2YC.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree with that. Certainly not wrong, but also not mandatory.
      Good YC to Rebic for dissent afterwards.

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  32. Clear second YC by Cakir, but another referee wouldn't have issued it.
    This is a 100% by book decision. Then, hot moments afterwards, Rebic touching and slightly pushing Cakir from behind. He was very surprised by this behavior and he booked the player. Good decision as well.

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    1. Somehow I agree on the handling with Rebic, but for amateur football allowing such treatment of the ref (pushing) without a red card is also a bad signal.

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    2. +1
      I agree all your comments.

      I would like to say that , great management from Cakir on first half.
      - No penalty for handball because of deflection from sort distance.( min 9)
      - Correct second yellow for reckless challange. ( min 30.)

      Wish all referees the best for second halfs.

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  33. Correct 2YC by Çakir (reckless stamp), ugly manhandling by Milano players in protest, YC for dissent for Rebic.

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  34. Very though game till now. Cakir is right for both no penalty for handball and 2nd yc decisions. Very clear step on foot

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  35. De Bruyne should be sent off here. YC given.

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    1. Absolutely!! But still no VAR calling Del Cerro…

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    2. Absolutely RC here… Really don’t understand why Martinez confirmed YC

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    3. I agree. Foot was high on opponent.

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    4. Unbelievable Yc by Del Cerro ! Was a crystal Black Card !

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    5. Unbelievable that VAR didn't intervene. 100% SFP.

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    6. Wow no VAR intervention. That was studs to shin by Kevin De Bruyne. Endangered the Safety of the opponent for sure.

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    7. Well, de Bruyne is in possession and even plays the ball before the foul. I generally don't like RCs for such situations.
      However indeed strong arguments for SFP here: Straight leg, high intensity and high point of contact.

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    8. This is why I dont like DCG. He is convinced in his wrong calls, misinterpreting situations on the pitch.

      Clear RC, nasty challenge regardless of intention.

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    9. Crazy they support YC here…

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    10. Sorry Philipp but this is completely obvious and automatic for such tackle…Arguments ? No, red card at 300 % !

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    11. But there must have been some argument for del Cerro Grande and Martinez - so we could try to find that.
      If my previous comment was not so clear: I also think, that RC is the correct decision here.

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    12. I am not as shocked as the majority here that there was no VAR intervention. I can hardly blame de Bruyne for what happened. This was really a high speed situation. You can clearly see that de Bruyne only wants to play the ball, as does Gueye who unfortunately slides below the ball with his straight leg. He sees the Bruyne coming and takes a lot of risk with his tackle, while De Bruyne is focused on the ball and has very little time to react. Also point of contact isn't that high, IMO one could claim that Gueye's shin is quite low.
      Nevertheless the YC might be difficult to argue with LotG.

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    13. Anyone who supports YC are absolutely crazy and nonsense. I agree with most of you, 1000% RC

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  36. Unbelievable yellow card to De Bruyne. Such an easy and clear red card.

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  37. I don't understand why Del Cerro Grande is always so sophisticated in his management, a referee I will never like. Clear RC for me as well.

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    1. I would like to know what uefa's opinion is on this play. For me very clear red

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    2. He just never convinced me, looking at the terrible (from my view, it is even worse than "unconvincing") CL performance last season, EURO, and this one, he did not recover from his mistake.

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  38. I dont know how VAR caa support YC ford KDB . Its joke

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  39. Very clear RC in PSG - City in my opinion. This is the kind of a challenge that UEFA works hard to get out of the game and VAR should have intervened here.

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  40. Clear RC for De Bruyne. Astonishing non-intervention by Martínez Munuera.

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    1. I guess it is because Del Cerro saw it perfectly and told to VAR that for him it is not a RC. Hard to argue with a referee if he describes the point of contact correct.

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    2. I have the feeling that del Cerro is slightly pushed further with big matches because of the WC preselection, which is somehow understanding but you Rosetti needs to take the risks. Rather disappointing euro and now a clearly major mistake in the most watched game of the day. Still, VAR should have intervened.
      Also, AR in Vincic team needs better concentration. This bad calls are frustrating for spectateurs and decrease the confidence in officials team.

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    4. Can anyone tell me if this can be upgraded to the red it should have been? If the can upgrade Wan Bissaka's suspension, can't they give the same punishment in this very case?

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  41. PSG-MCI

    Penalty area situation (29’)
    https://streamable.com/fboqpg

    YC De Bruyne (39’)
    https://streamable.com/lk8zi3

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    1. I read the comments before seeing the situation - I was expecting sth worse. I could imagine this situation being an RAP 8, to be honest.

      Delete
    2. -For first situation, I would prefer penalty kick whistled by referee.

      -SFP situation is so clear from my side. Clear red and clear OFR. This situation has no doubt in any place of the world.

      Delete
    3. Hmm, for me there are worse tacklings than that.
      Both players are totally focused on the ball and MCI player even succeeds and plays the ball away; then, he unluckily lands on the opponent's shin - that hurts definetly a lot, but I wouldn't say that he clearly endangers the opponent here. Of course big arguments pointing towards Red, especially point of contact, but I would support Del Cerro Grande here as a VAR.

      Delete
  42. The arguments by del Cerro and VAR can be that it was just an unlucky contact, the fouled player put his leg below the studs of opponent.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Excellent by Grande though tonight for not falling for Grealish’s falling over at every possible opportunity. Too many referees fall for his play acting.

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  44. In Madrid check by VAR for a possible penalty, slight contact from behind, then player falls. A penalty that should have been whistled by referee, I agree in this case no VAR stuff. Visser with a perfect view of the incident, a replay showed that. Maybe expected decision, once you detect contact, is penalty...

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  45. Well, I thought this would have been a very easy game for Visser, he is facing a big pressure! Now OFR for penalty, I want to rewatch it, there is for sure contact with ball away, but enough for VAR?
    It didn't look like a clear trip / step on foot.

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  46. I find inconsistent that Turpin supported Visser in 1st Vinícius penalty incidendt and suggested an OFR for the 2nd one.

    For me, both incidents are soft and I'd have supported play-on also in the 2nd one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This exactly! I really don't understand why the first situation was supported by VAR but the second one wasn't...

      Delete
    2. I came to this conclusion as well, second case is not very clear.
      Maybe I can add an argument, the view of Visser in the first incident, take a loook at the last replay: in full control.
      This can be the reason for Turpin to stay silent?

      Delete
    3. I also agree with your views.
      Maybe the penalty was given as the sum of both incidents - but of course VAR shouldn't work that way.

      Delete
    4. I disagree with the consensus here. In the second incident there is very clear contact from the defender’s thigh which absolutely blocks and delays Vinicius’s movement towards the ball. Even if you don’t think this is, strictly speaking, a careless trip, it absolutely fits the definition of impeding an opponent with contact. It’s a very clear foul in my view.

      Delete
  47. Another difficult offside situation for AR1 in Leipzing. Very tight offside, this time good decision, correct flag.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Correctly disallowed goal by AR1 in Madrid.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Wrong offside by AR2 in Porto. Extremely tight, though.

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  50. Incredibile score in Madrid, committee would have never appointed Visser in such a difficult game, but you can't know that before!
    BTW during the OFR management and after that, it was very clear that players and coach from home-team tried to influece him. This has been a very good test for him, even more than what UEFA really wanted by appointing him for such clash.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Straight back , perfect Visser.

      Delete
    2. I watched much of the second half in this game and he looked like a natural, very composed. You never would have guessed it was his first CL game.

      Delete
  51. Replies
    1. Good, expected level. Game wasn‘t difficult. Many Offsidepositions for both AR.

      Delete
    2. Very well. He had full control (players helped him). Some minor problems with positioning.
      Assistants were excellent! They had many offside decisions (3 dissalowed goals), especialy AR1 Stojkovic (minutes 14,18,24,28,34,35,64,74...)

      Delete
  52. Correct penalty by Cakir in 90'+3. He will not have big friends in Milan after this game, I must say. I think there will be many discussions about his decisions, but basically you can't blame him, and with "Italian glass" I would say, many people would have whistled the penalty to Atlético in first half.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Very good call from Cakir Min 94. Clear handball, clear penalty kick against Milan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Didn’t the attacker touch the ball with the arm exactly before it touched the defender’s arm? Wasn’t it that touch that moved the ball towards the defender’s arm? Difficult to see

      Delete
    2. In some angles it indeed seemed like the Atletico player committed the first handball.
      But very difficult to be sure.

      Delete
    3. I have watched this clip exactly three times.

      The ball first touches the offender chest than defender deliberately plays the ball with his arm 2 times. Clear penalty. Here the link below

      https://streamable.com/lm51n5

      Delete
    4. The Twitter-video below IMO (clearly) shows that after the ball touched the chest, the attacker’s hand strikes the ball onto the defender’s arm. The ball changes direction/speed twice, VAR should have intervened in my view.

      Delete
  54. What a call in Milan! Great by Cakir

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  55. Unacceptable behaviour towards the Turkish officals...

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  56. Cakir is the man! One of the two most favorite referees for me, the other is Kuipers :)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Cakir is Real Hero. What a braveheart! Congratulations.

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  58. When I say that it is always difficult to handle Italian teams in Champions League that's the reason. Now, despite of having taken all correct decisions, and even a possible penalty for Atlético in first half not whistled, there is a storm against the Turkish, he will not be able to handle Italian teams soon again. I'm really disappointed and I want to apologize, talking from the most neutral and fair point of view, maybe we are missing in the basic values and sport culture.
    That's maybe also the reason for which we haven't seen an italian team winning Champions League in recent times... it is a very difficult situation, all is against referees decisions when you lose a game here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If Rosetti thinks this is a reason to not appoint Cakir to any Italian teams, he should go out there and explain why the decisions were all correct. It is not fair to both referees and other countries that Italy receives such a treatment, so it is up to Rosetti to fix this by either ignoring this or doing something about it

      Delete
    2. Chefren, can you explain to me, why would he be barred from Italian teams? Is it because the media in Italy is particularly harsh? Why should Rossetti even care about that, his referees deal with harsh media all the time. Is it because Rossetti is himself pressured from Italy? If this is the case, he is not neutral and this seriously undermines the integrity of the referees. Referees need to be able to take decisions involving Italian teams without being worried about professional retaliation! If what you are suggesting is correct, it is completely unethical in my opinion.

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  59. Sure, defender was unlucky here - maybe it was not intentional, but Cakir had no choice, Penalty correct.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Handball penalty in AC Milan-Atletico Madrid

    https://streamable.com/2zpprr

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VAR has no clear evidence to prove the hand contact from these angles. Also it is not clear that whether it is a deliberate or accidental handball. Because of these penalty decision and VAR support are correct for me

      Delete
  61. Penalty situations in Real Madrid-Sheriff Tiraspol

    60’ No penalty, no intervention
    https://streamable.com/siufhc

    62’ Penalty after OFR
    https://streamable.com/p6feaw

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 60' PK
      62' no PK.

      Interesting ref decisions.

      Delete
    2. I agree with Unknown. First situation is a clear deliberate trip, penalty. In the second situation contact is too soft to make an intervention (cf. penalty in ENGDEN), no penalty.

      Delete
    3. I actually disagree with the majority here..
      1) Not enough for a penalty IMO, attacker goes down easily, contact not intense.
      2) Here, the defender actively impedes the attacker with a clear movement towards the attacker. I disagree with Turpin, not enough for a VAR intervention, but still: penalty is the "better" call for me.

      Delete
    4. 1) I would call a PK, but it’s a very soft contact that does not necessarily bruh the attacker down or rise to the bar of “careless.” I think the non-intervention of Turpin is correct here.

      2) 100% clear foul in my view. Defender reaches out the leg and blocks the attacker thigh-on-thigh. At a minimum it’s a clear impeding with contact because he has moved into the opponent’s path and blocked his movement (I would also call it a careless trip). Correct intervention by Turpin.

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  62. https://twitter.com/alezzzzio/status/1442961251873837056?s=21

    Your opinion?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That’s the proof I was looking for! I mentioned the handball by attacker before, but this is a clear proof. Impossible for Cakir to recognize, but VAR should have stepped in here IMHO.

      Delete
    2. IMO there is no clear evidence for VAR. The contact is not seen clearly and the angle is not good to detect the clear handball by the attacker. For me, this clip is not enough to intervene for a big moment like this. So, VAR did the correct thing and did not intervene in the situation.

      Delete
    3. I think no evidence for VAR, I watched it many times, it can be a touch by chest and not arm y attacker before defender's handball.
      However, this makes it a difficult de4cision to be taken.

      Delete
    4. Not enough for VAR intervention IMO. It's rather impossible to say whether the attacker actually commits an offence before the attacker.
      IMO, no other possibility but to support Cakir.

      Delete
  63. It's not a good and enough image for intervention. I didnt see any clear contact with the attacker hand. For me, if you change a big decision at last minute, you should have clear evidence.

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  64. PSG-MCI
    29' penalty should be given by the referee. From VAR side, also the attacker player is holding a very short time. It iş not easy to intervene.

    39' ıt must be a red card. No doubt

    ReplyDelete
  65. This is one of those moments wherre having VAR will result in a extremely controversial outcome. The ball probably hit the hand of the attacker before it hit the defender. However one could argue in the current laws of the game that eliminated the situation where an attacking chance occurred from handling that this was not an obvious handball from the attacker compared to the defender in which it was. I think no matter what the outcome was the referee crew and the VAR would have been put in a tough situation..

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  66. One of the crucial moments of the last night’s games. Very clear contact with studs above the ankle level. Without a doubt he should have been sent off.

    https://streamable.com/k9pa0g

    ReplyDelete
  67. Any reports on Karasev performance yesterday?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quite easy game, he was in full control. The VAR check for Firmino's last goal took very long. (offside)
      In the first half there was a bit of a confusion after a foul throw, be he correctly ordered a retake from the same team, because the ball never went in play.

      Delete
    2. I must say that Karasev had a very good game yesterday, no yellow card which tell you the difficult level of the match but I would add that he added to the spectacle of the match. He has really really improved and read the game brilliantly!!!! What a remarkable turn around in his career…

      Delete
    3. He was very good in my view. But the match wasn't too testing, Liverpool dominated from start to finish. I also think Karasev improved a lot in the last couple of years but I d like to see how he would handle really hot matches.

      Delete
  68. It will be extremely interesting to see the next appointments for both Milan and Inter on MD3.
    The referee who will get Porto - Milan, in particular, will be surely among the most trusted by committee. In addition, Sheriff has definitely complicated the group with Inter, I think that now they can even dream qualification.
    On another note, I want to underline that after the famous gama against Real with Stieler, Atalanta got Makkelie in second leg, then now Turpin on MD1 and Brych on MD2. These are other signals that committee didn't like the red card shown by the German and they are always appointing the best referees to the Italian team.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't like this. I hope there will be less Italian influences at the top of the committee soon

      Delete
    2. I've been browsing through some Italian websites and social media in general and WOW the hate, disrespect etc Cakir gets is unbelievable... Something needs to change...

      Delete
    3. It is something UEFA does more often; after a lot of media attention they appoint their best referees. Some examples: after Chelsea - Ajax (Rocchi) they appointed Brych, after PSG - Basaksehir (Hategan) they appointed Makkelie.

      I think that is a good thing, you want to avoid a lot of commotion two games in a row. But which I don't like is the fact that referees in a certain country can't whistle because of previous decisions, for example Oliver and I have doubts Cakir or Stieler will referee Italian clubs soon.

      And it is no coincidence that it often concerns Italy, their influence in the referee committee is simply too big.

      Delete
  69. Some clips from RB Leipzig - Club Brugge

    https://fromsmash.com/cBuYhfg1_l-bt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you ESR!
      3' For me, VAR must intervene. It looks like the striker (Nkunku) trips the defender, but it's his teammate. After that, the player on the ground commits a PK offense IMO.
      30' YC for me, but not mandatory. A warning would be good.
      36' Warning given. For me YC is mandatory, the way he goes in from behind.

      What is your oppinion on the clips I mentioned ESR?

      Delete
    2. 03' - Really difficult to assess the situation from the angles we got from broadcaster. Even if there is some contact with RBL player, the reaction of the attacker is very late and unnatural, therefore penalty + RC for DOGSO-no attempt seems to be a technically better decision. But still not sure re. VAR intervention (conclusive replays?). I would stay silent having only those views available, too.

      30' - YC or a very strict warning were possible. Nothing followed as the referee had already warned two players after delaying the restart before and most likely didn't want to overuse this tool.

      And it's difficult to issue a YC to RBL player in 36' if you forgive the foul of BRU player in 30'. Of course, it should be a mandatory YC here - although not serious contact was made, a scissor tackle from behind had been performed.

      What are your views about the penalty incidents in 67' and 77'? I would prefer penalties in both cases to be honest...

      In addition, the added time management was very poor. Five minutes added, that was OK, but then at least one minute was wasted by BRU players in 90+4' and 90+6' (GK booked). He whistled after the goal-kick execution following excessive time wasting. Not good.

      Delete
    3. 67' and 77' are not PK's for me.
      67' There is slight contact but directly after the defender can clear the ball, as he intended to do.
      77' The goalkeeper gets a touch on the ball. I ask myself, what football expects, and I think if the follow through or any action after is not punishable, a touch is enough for noPK. An example for a foul would be Pope vs. Bamford in Dezember 2020 (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEblS1lEvU&t=11s)

      Delete
    4. What are your considerations for the PKs you would give in 67' and 77'?
      Not playing enough extra time seems to be a problem, that many referees are guilty of. I also think it's important to add enough even if extra time is over, as time wasting should not be encouraged.

      Delete
  70. Regarding the Cakir call, I was going to post the clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQzOz0P1rjs, but it shows the same as the Twitter clip posted above. I think it clearly shows arm/hand to ball (and then the ball being propelled by the arm) and not vice versa for the Atletico player before handling by Milan player. As we've seen in the different tournaments in the past months, VAR is handled very differently by different confederations and committees. Perhaps it is time for FIFA to try to standardize its operations and give more clear and explicit rules and interpretations for its implementation so that its outcomes could be more predictable, if possible. Also, will Cakir's call and VAR's implementation in this instance affect Cakir's future appointments? Difficult to say, because we don't know how UEFA will review the situation and if they did see handling by the defender first, if they would blame Cakir or VAR for the outcome. Interesting to speculate, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And that is why I tended to agree with the YC on De Bruyne in the Man City - PSG match, even though RC would have been entirely justifiable. A big decision by a referee that can affect the outcome of a match like a PK or a RC should be as clear as possible, with little or no gray area for the other side (teams and fans, etc.) to feel aggrieved or unfairly penalized. So even though one could argue that De Bruyne's tackle was dangerous, one could also argue that the defender slid under his leg, as I think Chefren or someone suggested during the match.

      Delete
    2. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xQzOz0P1rjs
      I have seen it now, big big mistake, no wonder Cakir is not popular in Italy. VAR? What were they doing? 2nd YC on Kessie very very harsh IMO.
      OJSref you say the Italian committee has too large influence in the appointment of refs; Cakir has already been heavily criticized in the past for his decisions
      against Italian teams, so if it were true what you say how is it possible he has been chosen for such an important game? After this performance, I expect an official complaint against UEFA from Italian FA I’m afraid.

      Delete
  71. I commented before about this game but I wanted to make myself clear about it because I really don't get the ideas behind these comments.

    The match was very hard for the referee team, there were a number of critical situations and handball expectations. However, Cakir managed it in his own style by showing his strong personality. He made 2 big decisions at very important moments, one of them is 2nd YC at an early minute (29’) the other one ise a penalty decision at the very last minute of the additional time and his decisions were correct without a doubt.

    When we come to the VAR decision at last minute I just wonder how can you say that VAR should intervene in a suspicious situation like this ? Considering the latest law changes, the player is not directly scoring a goal after a handball or not scoring a ball with hand. Can you say that this is %100 a deliberate handball or %100 accidental ? If you don’t say so, it means that VAR did the correct thing last night.

    There is no clear evidence of handball from any angles. Yes, the attacker may have handled the ball before the defender but VAR has no evidence of it and also it is impossible to detect whether it is a deliberate or accidental handball. At a very crucial moment with a very big decicion, what would you show the referee as VAR ? Would you show the suspicious handball images ? or would you give a penalty for the same situation if it was the defender ?

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    Replies
    1. If you want to discuss whether or not the handball by attacker was punishable or not the correct wording and interpretation of the LOTG should be used. Accidental or deliberate do not cover that accurately. And when the handball by attacker exists (which I’m convinced of) IMO it’s clearly punishable, because arm goes to ball and apart from that it’s that first handball making the ball hit the defender’s arm directly.
      Then for me, watching the Twitter-message very carefully, over and over and using slow speed, I find the evidence that the attacker’s arm strikes the ball towards the defender’s arm. You don’t have to agree of course, but that’s how I see it.

      Delete
    2. I think part of the problem is the with the technology, same as with offside VAR reviews: it all comes down to camera views and angles. Perhaps one thing that could help is for more transparency on the part of VAR. If we saw what VAR teams were seeing, live or afterwards, then that would help us know why they make the decisions they do. A live audio feed of VAR conferencing, would, of course, be unpalatable for many, but I think FIFA really needs to look at what other sports are doing with video reviews of plays to ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of VAR. For example, we don't even know that the VAR team saw the same clips that we saw posted on Twitter and YouTube during the game, aside from the fact that they had to make their decision quickly. So knowing that info. would help us know the basis for the VAR team's decision.

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