Michael Oliver debut at EURO 2024: on paper, a potentially challenging game between Spain and Croatia.
Berlin, 15 June 2024 18:00 CET
SPAIN - CROATIA
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cook ENG
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor ENG
Reserve Assistant Referee: Gary Beswick ENG
Video Assistant Referee:Stuart Attwell ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: David Coote ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich GER
UEFA Delegate: Filip Popovski MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cook ENG
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor ENG
Reserve Assistant Referee: Gary Beswick ENG
Video Assistant Referee:Stuart Attwell ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: David Coote ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich GER
UEFA Delegate: Filip Popovski MKD
The blue jersey of the refs are the favourite for now.
ReplyDeleteA big match for Oliver
There was also this clear colour dominance at last Euro:
DeleteBlue 32
Yellow 9
Pink 8
Black 2
Nice on-site call before the first goal!
ReplyDeleteAnd another one for 3rd goal
DeleteTBH, neither are "knives edge" onside/offside decisions. They're both calls that elite level AR's should get right the majority of the time. That's why the offside call by Vincic AR2 on first Swiss goal is so bad.
DeleteA very easy first half for Oliver, ONSIDE before 1-0 only interesting situation to report.
ReplyDeleteOne should have expected more by Croatia.
Agreed, no real challenge in this 1H. One wrong FK for CRO in 12', probably a missed advantage in 20', but nothing serious. Two nice onside decisions by AR1 resulting in two goals for ESP, a good job by him.
DeleteSad 45 min for us here in Croatia, your last sentence says it all.
I think rather soft penalty by Oliver. The player who gained ball possession after the missed penalty entered the area before the shot.
ReplyDeleteTricky penalty. There is a slight contact and that can indeed cause a player to fall. I'm fine with the call and also with yc as I would consider this to be a challenge for the ball. Goal disallowed by VAR is also a correct decision as Perisic stepped into the box too early. With so many players storming towards the box in that situation, I wouldn't blame Oliver here.
DeleteI agree with that.
DeleteWhat a blunder from Oliver. This is mandatory red card.
ReplyDeleteI think possible RC, not mandatory within new (spirit of) the law. No double punichment except if there is a lack of respect type of foul (holding, pushing, clear kick out,...)
DeleteFor me rather wrong penalty given by Oliver. If given, YC is the expected decision. No VAR intervention is correct.
ReplyDeleteNow, goal should not be valid, player entered the penalty area to early.
ReplyDeleteIs this a penalty? Is this Mr Oliver making a comedy out of football?
It is a foul. Soft contact I can agree, but nothing wrong with this call and in line with his earlier descions.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI criticised not penalising Simon for being off his line in my original comment, but he does have 1 foot behind the line so I removed the comment.
DeleteBut it still has to be a red card once the penalty is given, Rodri has no chance of playing the ball from where he makes the tackle, and is so far away from getting the ball you can't make an argument for it being a genuine attempt.
Absolutely. Oliver is so overrated. Bad foul detection, awful disciplinary line. This is called a blunder.
Delete"When the ball is kicked, the defending goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind, the goal line". This did not happen, so PK must be retaken.
Oliver and VAR team showing themselves in a very bad light.
Not to mention missed red card.
I can't agree with this. GK has a foot on/behind the line. (Best seen on top view camera angle). RC is possible, but YC seems to me to be more logical sollution and within spirit of new law
DeletePor essas e outras que os clubes da Premier League querem a retirada do VAR. Tanto quem está no campo como quem está na cabine não se entendem em lances tão simples.
ReplyDeleteOliver e Taylor são exemplos de total falta de confiança em momentos decisivos de grandes jogos
ReplyDeleteIMO, no foul and no PK.
ReplyDeleteBut, if there was a foul, than it must have been a RC as the tackle was not an attempt to play the ball.
1) As per the laws, the (clearly correct) penalty must be a red card! Not an attempt to play the ball by Rodri. Only the unofficial "unless it is really visibly cynical, YC" is an argument in favour of Oliver's call.
ReplyDelete2) Screenshots about how to restart from the penalty execution:
https://imgur.com/a/eKTJEcv
If you're going to refer to the laws you should mention it also says a challenge for the ball...so I'd say it was a correct yellow.
DeleteIt wasn't a challenge for the ball, Rodri deliberately put his leg where Petkovic wanted to move in order to foul him. The reason for Oliver's call is exactly as outlined by Chefren, lower body foul.
DeleteAbout the possible RC for a not genuine DOGSO, here Oliver and VAR followed the argument that (personally I dislike) all low contacts can be considered as attempts to play ball in penalty area, even if the ball is far and the defender hits clearly and maybe even deliberately only attacker. Looks like a modern part of the recent change about the abolishment of triple punishment, but when it comes to reality, indeed there are some fouls like this one that are clearly not targeted to ball. Basically, one must expect always red card only in situations like holding, pushing, handball and so on.
ReplyDeleteIt's textbook red card. No attempt to play the ball whatsoever.
DeletePlus, PK must be retaaken because Spanish keeper does not "have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind, the goal line.".
Double mistake. I stii don't get how Oliver still gets called up fr big tournaments. He's simply a poor official.
If you’re going to criticise at least analyse the situation correctly. The GK has his back foot in line with the goal line at the point the penalty is taken, so no offence.
DeleteYeah, I checked it again and it seems in line. But no red card is a blunder.
DeleteIt being RC or YC is I think food for discussion but not a blunder as you say. I think there are arguments for both. And I think he solved this correctly.
Delete+1 to Mr. W's comment (with regards UEFA's interpretation in the last sentence).
DeleteOliver is an absolute embarrassment, I'm sure UEFA will still give him a nice belly rub despite this performance.
ReplyDeleteHe must be sent packing immediately after such an outrageous disregard for the laws the game. Oliver just can't do whatever he wants to and still get away with it. Enough is enough.
DeleteFootball is ruled by laws. A referee must know them (Oliver clearly doesn't, which is unbelievable for a FIFA official) and abide by them.
I'm sorry but I just don't agree with your analysis here. There are certain nuances possible, and there is room for interpretation and different opinions in this desicion.
DeleteRed card is absolutely mandatory. No challenge for the ball.
DeletePGMOL vai chorar aos pés de Rossetti pra não mandá-lo de volta pra casa. Isto porque é um árbitro de elite. Imagine Mike Dean ou Simon Hooper a arbitrar um jogo desta importância.
ReplyDelete¿Por qué no escribes en inglés?
DeleteTricky situation regarding the potential RC. Definite penalty but DOGSO law has been relaxed so much now that I think you can justify that with no RC. As for the GK being off his line, he clearly has his trailing foot behind the line. Correct to disallow for encroachment
ReplyDeleteI agree, but I think we are in a minority here. But most non-ref people don't see anything wrong. I think this was a logic sollution by Oliver and VAR. I don't understand people saying Oliver doesn't know law 14. He is not the one making that desicion. (1st it is his AR and then VAR)
DeleteAm I the only one who doesn't see anything wrong.
ReplyDelete1) PK clear
2) no RC, because new rules state it should only be RC when there is no challenge for the ball so only when push or pull (or clear kicking with total disregard for the ball)
3) then VAR desicion to give indirect FK for encroachment by assisting player. Looks correct from top view. 2 players from CRO in box, none from spain or only leaning in very slightly. GK still on line when ball is kicked.
English refs earn their fair share of criticism but in this case it's completely undeserved and the blog has people looking for reasons.
DeleteI agree with 1) and 3). Mikael questioning the restart after disallowing the goal is incorrect I believe. The goalkeeper kept his left leg in line with the goal line, so no encroachment by him. IFK the correct decision.
DeleteEverything you say is correct. Under the last iteration of the DOGSO law I think it would be a red card but I don't think this meets the threshold for current DOGSO red card. I suppose we'll find out what Rosetti makes of the call in due course
Deletei don't see anything wrong either. RC could have been given, but i can perfectly live with YC.
DeleteWell then I am happy not everyone is calling him a discrace (wrongly so). I can understand the discussion about RC. But that's not completly wrong. I think there are arguments for both. And I think YC is within the interpretation of the law.
DeleteThere is NO challenge for the ball. Rodri is only insterested in preventing the Croatian player from scoring. It's textbook red card and a huge mistake.
DeleteI agree with 2) and 3), but think, that the attacker's fall seems quite unnatural for a small contact and therefore it's at least not a clear PK.
DeleteAh, Mikael removed his ‘incorrect restart l’ comment which I initially referred to I see. Conclusion should be that nothing went wrong there.
DeleteAbout the red card I tend to agree though, there doesn’t seem to be a real trying to play the ball scenario.
But in the end, speaking about a disgraceful performance by some readers is really far from what I have seen tbh.
To underline, the very first angle makes it absolutely clear: no offence by Simon.
DeleteFor me, penalty rather wrong, and I wouldn't have called it. But deffo not VAR stuff and in case of penalty, DOGSO YC correct for me under current laws, for me it's hard to argue that their was anything deliberate in Rodri's action to take down Petkovic, it was a last ditch attempt to play or at least challenge for the ball in my opinion. Could maybe have been a red under former rules, but not with the change that happened last summer. Encroachment nothing to discuss, keeper was on his line and attacker wasn't behind his. Correct decision, no goal.
ReplyDeleteIt screams for a red card, at least for my taste, but it's indeed 100% YC for UEFA/IFAB nowadays. I don't like this change, tbh.
DeleteI can agree to that, but a referee has to follow the rules and guidelines. So I don't agree with people calling it a disgrace.
DeleteThere is no challenge for the ball, Rodri is only interested in preventing the Croatian player from scoring. How can anyone argue Rodri attempted to play the ball when he sees the goal is wide open and there's no chance he can prevent the Croatian player from tapping the ball into the open goal?
ReplyDelete90% visitors of this blog don't know the latest guidelines from UEFA and still they are posting comments with the confidence like they were on the last briefing with referees.
ReplyDeleteMore interesting: Did Oliver decide at some point himself that the goal would not stand? UEFA notes that the VAR "confirmed" the no goal and you can see that before the VAR gesture happens, ESP goalkeeper already has the ball. That would indicate he had decided on IDF already and VAR indeed just confirmed.
ReplyDeleteNow you're going to suggest Oliver and crew got it correct live? How dare you!!! lol
DeleteMy guess is that VAR told him that the penalty was at least going to be retaken when they saw Perisic's position, but then they also had to check whether or not Simon was off his line or not. I think a good way to speed up the process if this is indeed what happened
DeleteDid not watch CH - HUN match, but bearing in mind all the preparations the UEFA organized for its top referees, refereeing in GER-SCO and SPA-CRO is far from satisfactory.
ReplyDeleteDecent performance by Oliver. Correct criteria in foul judgment,all cards correctly given, yellow card that is given when Oliver call penalty, is directly connected with small contact. So, at the end of day, decent pefromance, nobody will speak about refs excluding us here.
ReplyDeleteI'l try to give my personal opinion on this performance:
ReplyDeleteStarting with the penalty and execution:
1) Penalty is a rather clear one for me. I can perfectly understand the adjectives "soft" and "not clear"; however, my feeling is that contact with Petković's left leg can (or even should) be seen as a cause for Petković to fall. Was he able to stay on his feet? Probably yes. However, for me, such a contact is enough.
2) Coming to the colour of the card, according to my understanding of the latest interpretation of the law, it's a YC, both for UEFA and IFAB. That's how I understand the recent guidelines. Although my personal preference is RC, in the strongest meaning of the word preference, because I can't see any real challenge for the ball by Rodri, I think Chefren explained it very well in his post above. We need an official explanation on this, there is no point in criticising Oliver or any other referee for something that is probably a guideline by the authorities. Do I like this change? Definitely not. However, I am not the one giving out official guidelines.
3) After rewatching it many times, I cannot detect any fault by the referee crew in assessing the penalty execution. It's clear Simon's left leg is above the goal line; it's also clear that Perišić encroached, as well as another Croatian player, while Spanish players remained at least on the PA line. Therefore, a clearly correct decision has been taken. I'm pretty baffled by the amount of negative comments about this particular issue.
Generally speaking, at least for me, a good performance by Oliver in a pretty easy game to handle. I don't remember any particular issue to note besides some minor mistakes I already referred to after the 1H. Foul detection was ok, disciplinary line as well. There was no issue in controlling this game whatsoever. Therefore, I cannot understand why anyone would call this performance "a disgrace" or anything similar. However, everyone's entitled to their own opinion and we should respect that. IMO, this performance was good. Nothing more, nothing less.
Fully agreed.
DeleteWhy have referee's stripped attacking teams the possibility and the opportunity to execute a "quick kick" after they've been fouled?
ReplyDeleteWhy are referee's so quick with the disappearing spray?
You're double punishing the already affected team by not granting them the opportunity to play quickly.
According to Calvarese, former serie A referee, the penalty is rather wrong. Not VAR stuff, but very, very soft. Attacker felt he had been slightly touched and he used situation with a rather unnatural fall. I hadn't doubts that this was the Italian point of view about this situation. In serie A such a call would be assessed by fans even as dive.
ReplyDeleteSorry but a YC is the only option if Oliver thinks a foul has been committed for the PK. Others can disagree, but the interpretation since WC 2018 is that virtually all lower-body challenges are considered to be 'an attempt to play the ball'.
ReplyDeleteFor example, consider the Denmark-Croatia game at the 2018 WC, with the PK given in minute 115. Jørgensen was considered to have committed a YC-DOGSO, despite him clearly not being able to play the ball in the situation. Unless the tackle was very, very clearly cynical (the Rodri one was less cynical than the Jørgensen example above), a YC is the only option.
One other comment others haven't remarked on - Oliver had two very good advantages during the match. Can't remember the exact minutes, but they both led to promising attacks iirc.
DeleteThe advantages you refer to are probably the ones in minutes 41 and 52, both for Croatia IIRC. And I agree, it was another positive aspect of Oliver's performance today.
DeleteVideo clips:
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/kp9wft42zq
Great work!!!
DeleteHighlights
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/5vtb4jk3a4