Game 36, Group D
Hamburg, 26 June 2024 21:00 CET
CZECH REPUBLIC - TÜRKIYE
Referee: István Kovács ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene ROU
Fourth Official: Espen Eskås NOR
Reserve Assistant Referee: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Bartosz Frankowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin SVN
UEFA Delegate: Mark Evans WAL
Maybe for Euro 2024 there is a rule that esclude the black kit (for referees) 🤣
ReplyDelete11'righ lt decision by Kovacs, YC, from the start showing zhem who is in charge and that he wont tolerate this fouls.
ReplyDeleteVery clear second YC...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, no doubt on that. Pre-tournament guidelines were more than clear, excellent decision by Kovacs.
DeleteMasterclass decision by Kovács. First brave decision in the tournament.
ReplyDeleteAnd now 2nd YC,clear stamp,not many referees would have given that.
ReplyDeleteRight decision.
You can easily say that both yellow cards are fully correct, but I ask you how many referees would have found themselves in a situation with a sending off in a crucial game of the EURO in the 20' minute of first half... it's all about applying LotG or not. Kovacs very rare referee in modern football.
ReplyDeleteI said it before and I'll say that again-he is such a Felix Brych type of referee.
DeleteEverything by the book,if something is YC is YC no matter the minute or magnitude.
We saw that plenty times with Brych,best example was when he sent off Torres in Barcelona vs Atletico match.And match was also big magnitude.
Just like Kovacs tonight.
Good Job Kovács..
ReplyDeleteI don‘t know if he was aware that it is a second YC immediately, it took some moments until the red card came out. However, absolutely mandatory YC.
ReplyDeleteBoth cards to Barák
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/9d2c63
I think the second YC was a harsh decision. It was a previus call for advantage and another foul after that (advantage). I think the second foul, is the right call to make.
ReplyDelete31' now YC to #15 TUR..Holding the criterium.
ReplyDeleteFantastic masterclass excellent decision from Kovacs, so incredibly brave, radiates confidence.. magic! Truly sensational refereeing.. take notes!! Stellar. Up there with #Makkelie as the best referees ever.
ReplyDeleteLet's see how he manages injury time,no one can do that better than Makkelie 😉
DeleteI think it wasn't very smart to appoint a Hungarian, ok with a Romanian passport but still, for a match that is so important for Hungary. If Czech rep wins Hungary is out. There will be a lot of speculation about this no matter what we think about those 2 yc
ReplyDeleteGood call-no foul for CZE (34 min)
ReplyDeleteIMHO it was a clear foul and a mandatory YC for TUR#16. This was a tackle with much intensity from close distance, with a very significant impact on opponent CZE#14. Playing the ball in such a manner, with disregard for the safety of the opponent, is very dangerous. In the last replay notice the leg of the Czech, bending like a straw
Delete37' good decision to show just YC, bot VAR stuff since it's too low.
ReplyDeleteKovacs losing control of this game…
ReplyDeleteKovac will be tested today. Already a hot match
ReplyDeleteThis could go off the rails considerably in the 2nd half
ReplyDeleteMissed 2ndYC for #TUR19. No chance for VAR to intervene.
ReplyDeleteAnd now missed elbow to show 2nd YC to #19 TUR.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he missed that,if he spotted that for sure he would sent him off.
That is a 2nd YC for TUR #19 for me
ReplyDeleteI think it‘s clear that with this miss, it will be the last match for Kovacs.
ReplyDeleteKovacs is making the players more and more angry with each new minute.
ReplyDelete2ème YC pour le 19 Turkiye
ReplyDeleteThe Performance by Kovacs in the First half are absolutely insufficient.
ReplyDeleteEskås had a clear view and should have informed Kovacs.
ReplyDelete34' missed (at least) YC 16TUR for reckless trailing leg tackle
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/2e8355
36' YC 19TUR for reckless step on heel
https://streambug.org/cv/125683
38' Possible 2YC 19TUR for reckless use of arm
https://streambug.org/cv/24fb99
I am afraid its a first big scandal of this Euro. And there will be a LOT of speculation about a Hungarian helping Hungary...
ReplyDeleteIt can’t helph Hungary, because the other game is not in Hungary favour. So, Hungary is out at this moment.
DeleteThe referee raises fear and terror among the players. I hope this will be his last match in the tournament
ReplyDeleteSeems like I am entering the lion's den here, but here goes...
ReplyDeleteThat elbowing situation with #19 is not a yellow card. He jumps straight up and uses his arms in a completely normal manner. The Czech player runs and jumps from distance, never even trying to challenge for the ball. Sorry to put it in these terms, but he puts his head into the elbow rather than the other way around.
Refereeing is not a box-checking exercise. That would have been an easy 2CT to give if Kovacs wanted to take the easy way out. But it would not have been just. He took the braver decision and I think he deserves credit for it.
That said, it's going to make his job in the second half all the harder. I agree there.
Hah, what a synchro, both typing time and view on the incident! :) 100% agreed!!!
DeleteI agree with both of you on this one, actually (although I would have probably been the first one with such an easy way out). Euro Soccer Ref raised an interesting question in his comment below, though: was the CZE player aware of the overall situation and trying to "win" a SYC for his opponent? TUR19 definitely needs to cool down, he is easy target for provocation by the other side (I know he is a young player, but still).
DeleteI can somehow follow your argument here. But I struggle with mainly three things:
Delete1. the high elbows (above shoulder) of TUR #19
2. Your assessment of not challenging for the ball, as the player is only looking at the ball and going towards it. For me, there's no way he knows there's an elbow behind him
3. Continuing with a throw-in, because to me it is a foul but debatable YC.
Happy for you to disagree with my assesment of the situation though.
I am not so sure about the possible 2YC for reckless use of arm. Turkish player does nothing wrong to be honest, he jumps perpendicularly and is approached by Czech player who was surely aware that his opponent has just been cautioned. Most likely he totally missed the incident on perception level (positioning) but otherwise I would say he read through it really well.
ReplyDeleteI cannot judge the level of Kovacs tonight but he has obviously my full support.
ReplyDeleteBut I can see how harsh - even here - the climate has become for the referees. People always blaming, always putting pressure, some bad behaviours (just see Cristiano in the other game), that's a pity
Pity is the childish way Kovacs officiated and ruined that game.
DeleteMissing YC for TUR4 (Reckless Elbow) in 61’?
ReplyDeleteYep
DeleteNow goal given ,possible foul on GK, but VAR supported refs decision.
ReplyDeleteFor me that’s a foul keeper btw 2 players can’t do anything, that should have been at least an ofr
ReplyDeleteIMO it can be judged as a foul, but it's not a clear and obvious mistake. I can very well live with Kovacs' explanation.
DeleteKovács should be sent home after this match.
ReplyDeleteLet's say Kovacs did not see this position, I think Kwitakowski is sleeping in VAR.
ReplyDeleteThis is the worst match of the group stage ... we must gave credit to Kovasc
ReplyDelete82' I think this was too early a whistle. For me no foul and he should have at least waited for the attack to have its end, before whistling.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, if anything it was a handball offence by Türkiye and unluckily Czechia also scored.
Deletei agree. wrongly disallowed goal
DeleteThe rush to whistle ... so wrong
Deleteexactly this, 100% agree
DeleteUEFA instruction is clear: no delay for defensive FKs.
Delete@Euro Soccer Ref I get that but I do wonder when the foul was made, looked like a phantom foul and if anything a handball offence from the Türkiye player before the potential foul from Czechia.
DeleteI guess no one will comment on Kovacs
ReplyDeleteMark Clattenburg on commentary says there wasn't a foul and should've let the play flow and possibly award a penalty for handball (but I think the Turkish defender handled it after the whistle blew?).
ReplyDeleteFoul against GK?
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/c0bb66
i think that it was foul - the GK is already holding the ball in his hands and then the incident happens. Kovacs was in motion, but the angle looks good. was it VAR-able? it looks like clear and obvious error, it wouldn't be a controversial decision if the foul was whistled, but it's my opinion
DeleteKovacs is loosing control a small bit
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately small objective errors causing frustrations and making a heated game even more heated.
DeleteIs this one of those sacrificial games ?
ReplyDeleteJust like Mateu had in WC?
Cause IMO either side will find a way to complain about his performance.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteExtremely challenging game for the Romanian, and his style (that's a fact, not meant in negative way) contributed to make it even more difficult. Interesting moment after the 1-1, when he started to book people from the bench. He could have continued as long as another person was about to complain against him. It's clear that, diffeerntly from almost all other referees, he tolerates nothing.
ReplyDeleteI missed for a while the possible second YC for elbow in first half, can't say on that, but the discussion seems very interesting.
I posted clips above :P
DeleteHe is total confused.
ReplyDeleteHe makes it even worser for him. A lot to manage and a lot of cards.
ReplyDeleteA good referee but this is too much with al that cards ... look Lahoz and Ivanov (2006)
kovacs lost control. almost all decision is wrong he took last 20 minutes.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Very bad last 20 minutes.
DeleteActually, he showed the cards not to lose control and he managed to do it. Very good performance from Kovacs.
DeleteKovacs dishing out yellows like hell.
ReplyDeleteVery hot game and too much dissent.
Lot of mistakes from Kovacs, lot of doubtful decisions as well. I'd be very surprised if he gets another match to whistle.
ReplyDeleteWhich mistakes? It was a very good performance from Kovacs!
DeleteAre you watching the same game?!!! One of the worst ever, only HOL vs POR 2006 WC had more yellow/red. This is his last game. I wonder if you have any clue that he lost the game in the first half.
DeleteThe czech Team are sytematically disadvantaged. A scandal.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell 😂 Mass confrontation …
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely unbelievable what happened now.
ReplyDeleteGreat style by Kovacs...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this strict line is not what UEFA and Fifa want to see cause scenes like this are possible.
So probably this was his last match this Euro.
UEFA obviously asks for a much stricter line than FIFA.
DeleteKovacs seems more a policeman than a referee. It works very well sometimes, with good football teams just thinking about playing football (like in EL final). It comes to be harder in some other nervous game like this one. He could try to change his style and adapt it to the type of match he is refeering. Don't you think?
ReplyDeletethis style of refereeing is very risky. if you miss one crucial decision, it's over - the dissent makes the shit hit the fan and there's no other way than giving more and more YCs, which we saw today. And I am not a fan of managing using cards only, it's asking for trouble.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAgreed @TB__. In some games it’s very optimal while in games like today it would only work as long as you take 100% correct decisions, don’t even have to miss a crucial decision for things to easily boil over like it did today with the incorrect throw in. Risky for this game indeed and didn’t favour him today.
DeleteYeah, I agree. His style works in matches where he makes very few mistakes and the teams are focused on playing footbal. But when he makes a mistake he loses somewhat control, cause he didn't invest in building a relation with the players.
DeleteFor example Orsato en Makkelie also make mistakes, but those mistakes are accepted better by the players because of there style.
I think the number of cards was no more than 22 after all.
ReplyDelete18 YC's and 2 RC's..
ReplyDeleteThat's gotta be some record.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKovacs can book his ticket home!
ReplyDelete19(!) cards, a lot of dissent and unfortunately his strict style did not help this match. Uefa prefers another style and wants to prevent scenes like this.
It's time to get rid of these substitutions boards......it's causing unesscary delay, no other sports forces a rep, to provide a board, and an official to wave it up. The crowd hears it on the speakers....you don't see this in NFL.nba.nhl. I know it's different because subs are a finality in soccer.but still
ReplyDeleteKovacs as usual incredibly strict and consistent with his refereeing. In this game it didn’t feel optimal and didn’t help the game or his management. What can be confirmed though is that this game was by far the toughest so far in this Euro, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteNuremberg Battle 2006
ReplyDeleteNetherlands - Argentina 2022
Czechia - Türkiye 2024
This game can take the lead, the exact number of yellow cards (16?) and red cards (2?) seems to be still unknown.
Honestly, apart from that, after such a game, even if you can think the referee did all well, impossible to get another game in a short time for a KO stage. Very sorry to say, but the tournament for him could be over.
I agree - I can't see Kovacs on another game now regardless of opinions (which are mixed). I think the tournament is over for thr Romanian!
DeleteYep agreed. I think a lot of referees would struggle in this game but regardless of his performance he’s most likely not getting another appointment.
DeleteTotally disagree!
DeleteIf the players can't behave, it's not referee's fault. If he hadn't cautioned them as he did, then he'd be to blame, but that's clearly not the case.
Red card absolutely correct, same with the YCs, got all the big decisions right. With so many poor performances from other refs, I'd even dare to say Istvan is a contender for the final.
After the battle of Nuremberg, we now have the battle of Hamburg!
ReplyDeleteGeorgia winning might save Kovacs career.
ReplyDelete2 red cards and 18 yellow cards reported by uefa.com.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a new record.
No way that Kovacs could get a KO match.
OMG come off it!
DeleteIf the game requires as many cards, what is the referee supposed to do?
It was a very good performance from the Romanian in a very difficult and intense game! He'll definitely advance to KO stage and could go way farther.
You give new meaning to the word "bias". Glad you are not a ref!
DeleteKovacs definitely doesn't deserve the final after this match. If they had won the final, would the goal scored by the Czech Republic count in the final match? I think Kwitakowski was actually sleeping on VAR and had to show a very yellow card for losing control after the Czech goal.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion about possible second YC in 38' (thanks Euro Soccer Ref), is that indeed the player jumps upright, in his space. It is rather opponent finding a contact with him. I would say that no card is correct decision. That's nevertheless a very technical read of the situation, for most of people this will look like a classic card to be given...
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the game, but when I read your comments I have only one mind:
ReplyDeleteIt's typical game to loosing a referee, nobody (referee) survived. At this case, I have a view that commitee wanted to sacrifise Kovacs, who was one of the best ref in first match.
Possible QFs:
Spain-Germany
Portugal-France/Belgium
Netherlands-Austria
England-Italy
Wow. To be honest, if we take a possible temperature of these matches, only Makkelie is safe choise (if we exclude Orsato and Marciniak).
The end of the Game was a work by the refree in 90 min. before.
ReplyDeleteNot a good performance by Kovacs. In my opinion, UEFA has to send him home
ReplyDeleteYou can't be serious. If he has to be sent home, then there won't be any referee available, as Istvan has been the best one thus far.
DeleteYou are joking!!!
DeleteIn the second half the Romanian referee lost control of the match. He missed fouls, the foul on the goalkeeper was his biggest mistake. also why didn't he cancel the goal? It's really interesting. Objectively, Kovacs had the worst match management of the tournament. It's time for him to go home.
ReplyDeleteObjectively, there's no way you are sticking to reality.
DeleteIncredibly difficult game and he showed as many cards as he had to (red card absolutely correct).
Big decisons were all ok. Istvan has been the best referee at this EURO yet.
Correction: the game was not difficult, ref made it difficult. Orsato, Marciniak, and Makkelie were available and instead this idiot has been chosen the ref. What a waste of a game that could be so beautiful :(
DeleteLooking at all the comments here my impression is that all the referees should be send home and the experts from this forum will be in Germany for the KO games.
ReplyDeleteComme on guys - the referees are humans and they are not perfect.
Looking at this game I cannot imagine how the perfect referee would have approached. This was the most challenging game from this competition and the line between fair play and dangerous tackles was very thin.
I agree that it was not a very good performance by Kovacs but still he is on the best referees in Europe right now. So I think he deserves another chance in the competition.
I am speechless how you make excuse for a pathetic performance of a ref.
DeleteSo, to sum up a group phase:
ReplyDeleteReferees, who can be in home:
Orsato, Marciniak (according to rumours)
Tello, Guida, Kovacs (according to refereeing)
Siebert, Kruzliak, Scharer (according to reputation)
So, we have:
Oliver, Taylor, Letexier, Turpin, Zwayer, Makkelie, Soares Dias, Vincić, Gil Manzano, Nyberg, Meler.
R16: Oliver, Letexier, Zwayer, Soares Dias, Gil Manzano, Nyberg, Meler and one ref.
QF: Makkelie, Taylor, Turpin, Vincić
Turpin and Letexier being allowed to continue would be the biggest scandal of recent times.
DeleteTurping get a second chance, and in case of France's elimination he will be a contender for final.
DeleteFor me, Meler should go home, I think that he missed a penalty in his second game, even if that handball was in the grey area for some people. Also Nyberg I think will leave, because he was used too often as 4th official, which is a pity, I think he definitely deserve KO stage. Gil Manzano I think will also go home, there is no reason to give him only 1 GS game and sent him directly in KO stage.
DeleteIn my opinion Kovács did very well in an extremely challenging contest.
ReplyDeleteThe red card in the 20th minute was mandatory and from there is somehow seemed impossible to get through this game. I also agree with the comments about the elbowing situation, basically the tactics in the frist half for the Czech team was to try to pressure Kovács and equalise the numbers. Basically Coufal jumped into the elbow of the player without any intention to play the ball...
And somewhere I saw comment that this was a game impossible to get a good total picture. In case he would have not give the second YC most of the people would also comment that it's a terrible decision to not spot it. If you give it, then most of the people say that the bar is too low and if you are consistent and the teams react as they did today, you are in a nearly impossible situation.
I think we should praise Kovács for being mentally on top, he was very focused and tried to keep the line, Of course some mistakes happened, but not worse mistakes than in other games, here we just had two teams fighting for survival and they overreacted everything.
I think the only avodiable scene was the end of the game. You could see that Kovács was watching the time basically whole 1-1,5 minutes and around 97th he could just end the game when the Czech players stopped moving. Nobody would have cared. He let the game flow for a bit more and then it's inflated. He could have the feeling the stop it right there.
However this game is typically a match which has to be carefully analyzed and then make conclusions. My first feeling that he had a mountain to climb and it was a strong attempt to make it.
Fully agree
DeleteThe mountain was created by him! A total failure. He seriously has psychological issues.
DeleteNo matter who handled match,everyone would have trouble.
ReplyDeleteTurpin,Orsato,Marciniak, you name it.
The only way maybe and I say maybe,not to have trouble in this match is to not show RC to Barak.
But then we would be talking about crucial mistake.
But you have sports commentators that are saying that he was too easy on cards and that RC was too strict.
I ask them what kind of ref they want?
Lenient like most Elites are?
Or strict and to punish everyone accordingly.
I cant say that I saw any wrong YC in this match,but who cares,he was too easy going for his pockets and he is to blame.
This was sacrificional match for Kovacs,after best season by any referee.
I don't agree. The way to stay out of trouble - also after the 2YC - is by selling your decision, keep in connection with the players, show some empathy at times and communication.
DeleteYou can be very strict and still manage these kind of matches. Unfortunatly Kovacs did not succeed today.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHe did not succed,but was it all his fault?
DeletePlayers should behave also.
Rosseti was clear:only captains,no other players can protest.
This match emphasized that and nothing technicaly wrong wqs done.
Now ,will Rosseti and comitee like this,I dont think so.
Super challenging game and Kovacs rose to the occasion.
ReplyDeleteHe's been the best one so far at this EURO.
I really find your comments very different, no one can call Kovacs good in this match, even Vassaras and Rosetti, the yellow card should not be given so easily.
DeleteKovacs did what he had to in a super heated game. Very good display from the Romanian!
DeleteI don't know why my OBJECTIVE and respectful comments are deleted!!!
Ref made the game heated from the first whistle. It is hard to believe that you call his officiating close to flawless. It is truly mind boggling.
DeleteThun, I like Kovacs but he surely needs to rest and recovery now.
DeleteIn EURO tournaments, a player who receives two yellow cards is banned for the third match. Kovács, however, easily showed everyone a card. Today he thought he was God. I think he should be sent home and get a good psychological treatment. 2 Red Cards 17 Yellow Cards Not normal. And most of these cards were unnecessary. He made the match unnecessarily nervous. Apart from the cards, I think the extra time was too little. He gave fouls in every position and stopped the match from accelerating. There was a clear foul on the goalkeeper before Czechia's goal. It was really strange.
ReplyDelete18 YCs, including a SYC + 1 YC for a Turkish Team Official + 1 RC.
ReplyDeleteI stick to the statistics.
Everybody is saying cards were too easy,so let's analyze only the ones that were shown on the pitch to see your theory;
ReplyDelete11-Barak,shirt pulling
20-Barak-2nd Yc,dangerous foul or spa,however you want it
31-Ozcan ,spa
37-Yildiz stepping on opponets foot
49-Yuksek spa
64-Gunok,timewasting
66-Calhanoglu,protests
80-Muldur,protests
85-Akaydin ,spa
90+1-Krejci,maybe this one too easy,but foul through the back,so understable
90+5 Ayhan and Kokcu,maybe goal celebrations,we didnt see it...
So I dont know what cards were undeserved.
I didn't see 90+5 ,maybe someone else did and can report..
He set strict line from the beggining and players shoud have been aware of that.
But with what was at stake,it was hard to remain calm and not emotional.
This match proved once again that refereeing is way more then only applying the rules. I am convinced that with another approach in management/ soft skills it would have been possible to control this match without the huge number of cards.
DeleteFrom my view it’s not about too many cards issued when considering them one by one, but merely the observation that his disciplinary management was not really resulting in the outcome we always hope it’ll have.
DeleteFrom my point of view good technical decision making, including disciplinary decision making, should go hand in hand with sensible management of the game and the players. And IMHO that part of refereeing was below par tonight. While showing good technical decisions (and every now and then, in 50/50 situations, make the smarter decision instead of the most correct) also being able to manage the players with verbal communication, mimics, a wink, a word, a smile, an angry face etc, that’s what distinguishes a good referee from a real top referee I would say.
Other than Marciniak and Orsato,I dont see who has that type of management and relations with players.
DeleteAnd they also struggled in this tournament.
Totally lost his way and misjudged the tone of the game.
ReplyDeleteToo eager to show yellow cards (16 of them).
Lost control at the end of the game 90 mins - 20 player melee where he expressed numerous cards and it was unclear who these were shown too amidst the scene.
Showed the yellow card to members of the bench - who? It seemed he never made it clear even the recipients didn;t know.
Kovacs is a classic example of a referee who needs psychological counselling from his bosses.
ReplyDeleteJust out of control - the players never respected him.
Totally agree!
DeleteBe aware UEFA does not like scenes like that which occurred at the end and he (Kovacs) set the tone for the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteSome people were writing that he was the biggest favorite for the Switzerland vs Italy match. I think it's no longer possible.
ReplyDeleteThe committee created a problem even before the match, giving the Czechs a reason to suspect the referee of bias. And unfortunately, there was a red card in the 20 min. After that it was impossible to control the match. Plus the referee tried to shift the responsibility for his mistakes to the players, giving cards for protests, but not always using cards for real offenses.
ReplyDeletetotally agree!
DeleteAnd another thing I'm sure,after tonight's match Kovacs will change his style .
ReplyDeleteWe will no longer imo see him be this strict which is a shame cause every ref is unique and should have style that is best suited dor him.
But,because nobody wants to see players being punished properly and this many cards,I think we will see much lenient Kovacs in future.
I be surprised if he even be kept for play offs. A DISASTER!
DeleteNo one mentioned the fact that Kovacs is partial Hungarian and Hungary had still the possibility to go through.
ReplyDeleteAre you for real? Read the commnets from the begining, and on other posts, many noticed it.
DeleteIts a classical behavioral thing in referee administration and governance. Where there is doubt of the referee from external sources they will double down on the criticism and promote further.
ReplyDeleteHe will get a QF - you wait.
How can a referee who cannot even manage an ordinary group match manage a quarter-final match?
Deletehttps://ibb.co/2tzKjD7
It was devilish of the organizers to appoint a Hungarian, even if he lives in Rumusk, for this match when the Hungarians wanted the Turks to win.
ReplyDeleteI missed the match, does someone have streambug link for me with all the cards / summary?
ReplyDeleteCan we get all the video clips of the games please?
ReplyDeleteI took some liberty to ponder over this game during the rest period and review some incidents again, and I hope this comment won't be so long as I would like. I think it's fair to say that Kovacs didn't present a good performance in this game overall, but certainly not from a purely technical point of view. If we analyse the decisions individually, out of context of the match as a whole, every single one of the 18 YCs and 2 RCs issued (including the benches) was more than correct. However, even from a purely technical standpoint, I still think he missed 2 rather clear YCs, one of which was the key moment where he lost credibility among the players. I would argue that the root cause of his loss of control over the game wasn't his usual style, but 2-3 individual mistakes in key moments, which didn't inflame, but blew up the whole match. His law enforcer style, which I have no objections against at all, needs clean and consistent decision making to work; otherwise, it serves as a fuel for players' misbehaviour, which is not so difficult to understand if we look into these mistakes in the general context of the match and the moments when they occurred.
ReplyDeleteDisciplinary management is, IMO, the most important area to analyse in this performance. Kovacs started excellently, with 2 clear YCs to CZE7 (11', LoR; 20', step on foot). I can only praise those 2 decisions. As I said before, I don't think there's any problem with the style he chose to use in this match, but in inconsistent decision making which led one side to believe they were being damaged by referee decisions. After a good YC to TUR15 in 31' (SPA), there came the key moment where I think Kovacs started to lose credibility and the respect of players: 34' hard, reckless trailing leg tackle by TUR16, unfortunately right in front of Kovacs (maybe this played a part in his miss as well). This one had to earn at least a YC, and I would argue that it ticked many boxes of SFP as well, which would be my personal preference for such a dangerous "challenge as an attack" (just look at the intensity of his lunge from afar, with complete disregard for the safety of his opponent). Unfortunately, Kovacs missed the foul completely, not just its severity, and then decided to caution CZE10, who strongly protested from the bench. While it was certainly a correct decision technically, can we really say it was the wise one? Or even a fair one? After all, it happened right in the middle of the FoP, with benches having a clear view over it, and we all know how dangerous it can be for match control to miss clear infringements in this area and risk losing control over the benches, which then inevitably spills out on the players on the field. I think this was the exact moment where Kovacs "lost" the CZE team, and it's no wonder that it soon spread to TUR as well, knowing their style of play and behaviour (which they exhibited from the very start of the match). IMO, Kovacs was aware of this as well: from min. 34 onwards, I started to observe insecurity or even fear on his face and in his gestures. I believe he lost self-confidence, which can be observed by his dealing with the 36' foul by TUR19, and this feeling of insecurity probably prevented him from managing problems more efficiently, instead choosing to hide behind a wall of cards in an attempt to contain the players, who unfortunately chose to behave like children and stopped caring for the cards or even for the referee.
As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the 36' YC to TUR19 ((stamp on ankle) wasn't managed in an optimal way. I'm not even sure Kovacs perceived it properly initially, as his view was somewhat blocked by CZE3, but his card decision came, IMO, too late, with a certain delay that left room for a potential altercation to develop. After all, this one was on the verge of SFP as well, although the lack of full studs contact and somewhat bent leg probably keep it on the YC-side for UEFA (my personal preference would be a RC, honestly). It was clear that Kovacs started to lose grip here, which continued even more evidently in 38', with a potential SYC to TUR19. I already explained why the no card decision is correct for me, and I refuse to criticise Kovacs for taking a brave and correct decision, but we can ask ourselves again: was it a wise choice? And was Kovacs even able to properly feel the frustration of CZE team boiling over?
DeleteIt is not my intention to analyse the rest of the cards individually, but three more decisions have to be mentioned. IMO, Kovacs missed a rather clear YC to TUR4 in 62' (reckless use of arm). Put that into context of the match and you get another error that inflames one side further. In 82', he whistled a very dubious attacking foul against CZE, in a very promising situation, while completely missing a handball by the TUR player just before. It's certainly not the referee's fault that CZE players scored after a clear whistle, but it's again a wrong decision "against" CZE, with even the stands inflamed now. Lastly, the missed throw-in for CZE in 84', right in front of the benches, was just the last straw in a series of individual mistakes that all happened in a context that undermined Kovacs in this match (CZE bench literally exploded, two YCs were issued).
I tried to present the line of events that, IMO, led to a suboptimal performance, right from the very starting point of this escalation. Unfortunately, the ending was equally fiery, with a mass confrontation and what I perceived as some physical pushing of AR2 Artene by CZE5, which is the worst case scenario, but it's probably better to avoid the discussion about this brief moment (Artene was trying to prevent an altercation and got in the way). I read among the comments that Kovacs was leading this game like a police officer. Speaking as an actual police officer, I can assure you this isn't the proper way of handling a situation in our job. Kovacs lacked consistency in key individual moments (which would undermine the authority of any police officer) and failed to connect with the players and calm them down after these misses (which is something you want to avoid in policing as much as you can, because it leads to huge amounts of paperwork and many potential problems if you end up using physical force on a party that has been wronged, no matter how they behave). IMHO, Kovacs actually lost self-confidence and never managed to recover from the period of 34' to 38'. I see this as the main reason for his failures in player management, as the only tool he was left with were his cards, and players didn't care about those at all. Of course, it needs to be underlined that such player behaviour is disgraceful and has to be condemned, as no referee error gives you the right to behave like a common thug.
Lastly, the controversial CZE goal in 66', with a potential foul on the GK, is a supportable decision for me: I would prefer a foul to be given on the GK, but would still argue that this was not a clear and obvious error and the referee needs to be given the benefit of the doubt on this one. Of course, it all ended with another YC for dissent (TUR10), one among many such cautions, but I also observed some inconsistency in this area as well, with clear dissenting actions of CZE19 (59', 64') and TUR9 (77') not punished, while others were. On the other hand, it was probably for the best, given the tension in those moments already.
DeleteUnfortunately, taking everything into consideration, I have to consider this performance as a rather bad one overall, although in a very challenging context IMO.
Thanks for a -- typically :) -- excellently written and reasoned piece on this very challenging (also to assess!) game.
DeleteMy view is the same: it was, unfortunately, a (very) bad performance by Kovacs.
Istvan Kovacs never seemed settled in the match from the very start. I detected a potential missed step on foot incident in 6', and there was the opening card of the game at 11'. This was an example of a clear, prolonged 'lack of respect' holding offence which challenged the referee's authority over the game by how blatant it was. The requisite yellow card was rightly dished out, but I'm quite certain that Kovacs changed his mind, and intially was only going to give a verbal warning. Indeed, you can actually specfically pick out the moment that he changed his body language, moving from an 'empathic' to 'severe' stance when dealing with the Czech player, Barak. The atmosphere for the habitual CzechRep-Turkey MD3 clash was hot in Hamburg, and it was evident that both teams were 'afflicted' by that in how they played. There is an old adage which I like: 'the more difficult a game is, the calmer a referee must be'. I'm not really sure Kovacs ever managed to disabuse the (a bit) chaotic impression from the game's opening booking. Barak's SYC was right but, though he was looking in from the 'wrong' angle and probably solved it mostly by intuition, Kovacs seemed to be unaware that he would be expelling the Czech no.7 at first, though he did make a good job of masking it.
I found the YCs to Turkey players for tactical fouling at 31', 49' and 84' exaggerated (the last one was actually wrong, no offence had been committed by the booked player at least). Especially in the first of those three episodes, it felt like a 'balancing' call which Kovacs made in order to avoid protests by Czech players. He missed a clear foul (and YC) at 34' for reckless tackle, and ignored a yellow card for reckless play by Coufal at 44', the player struck in the non-SYC incident of 38’. I think he also missed about ≈5 fouls in the second half (and the throwin at 84’), most notably two in a row by Soucek (57’) which irritated the Turkey players.
Usaref and Euro Soccer Ref are right about the potential second YC to Yildiz not given, it is pretty sure in my mind that Coufal jumped into Yildiz on purpose. So, no SYC missed. But these two minutes were simply a disaster for Kovacs. As in 11’, the Romanian ref changed his mind, when taking Yildiz’s name: you can see he pointed for a goalkick at first. The confrontation notes the moment that the players believed they should take action into their own hands, themselves the match referee wasn’t up to the job. Even if Kovacs was justifed in not expelling Yildiz, it was clear that he was ‘overcome’ in the incident, unsure how to decide, and his authority over the match declined as a result.
If the disciplinary control on the pitch was mostly adequate, then I thought the many cards to the benches were a bit silly and exaggerated. If you take the 84’ card(s), you can see that the admonished Czech continues his dissenting behaviour, but was not expelled from the sidelines by the Romanian referee. The cards to bench occupants were not infrequent and helped cement the record-breaking number of cards which were shown in this game.
The Czech goal shouldn't have stood in my mind but for a variety of reasons, probably better to allow it. I don't have a big problem with 82'. Overall: my mark would be 7,7.
Finally, I’d like to make two last remarks about this game:
Delete1) The harder the match, the more likely the referee is to be ‘beaten’ or overcome by it. This was by the far the hardest match of the group stage — I can’t imagine that the three leading European referees would have enjoyed reffing it either — but the poor performance in it *was* somewhat ‘coming’ for Istvan Kovacs in the specific way he has handled his games in recent times.
His style, as a an honest and dutiful-looking musclar and imposing Eastern European guy, is to say ‘I can book you, giving yellow cards isn’t really important to me, I have the balls to do it, not a big deal for me to show you a yellow card, it is just hoisting a bit of plastic into the air'. In the 1990s and early 2000s, there was a referee called Bujsaim from the UAE, he was kind of the Faghani of his time. At WC2002, before all the South Korea stuff, he had a decent shot of doing the final. However, he lost it all with a very bad performance in the key game Sweden-Argentina at the end of the group stage (eliminated Bielsa’s side). Bujsaim’s style was, maybe similar to Mazic, to present a very chaotic EXTERIOR impression, you were never quite sure what he was going to do next, all the while of being calm on the inside and making considered calls.
What this very difficult Sweden-Argentina game revealed about Bujsaim, even though he refereed it VERY well for 78min, was that he was chaotic also on the INSIDE, not just the exterior. In the stress of this match, he completely messed up the last ten minutes making many bad and chaotic/unpredictable decisions, it was chaos. He lost the plot, and the final chances with it.
What I’m trying to say in relation to Kovacs is: while his style should SEEM like giving cards isn’t actually a big deal to him, on the inside, disciplinary control obviously SHOULD be very carefully considered. Like this:
Outside — ‘I can book you, giving yellow cards isn’t really important to me, I have the balls to do it, not a big deal for me to show you a yellow card, it is just hoisting a bit of plastic into the air'
Inside — very carefully considering how to use cards to best cement your authority over the game, especially the OPENING card of the game (see here for a masterclass of an opening YC: https://vk.com/video-57009916_456239400?t=23m4s)
The reality is that at 11’ and 36’ showed it, Kovacs didn't treat the yellow cards carefully enough, and exactly hoisted the yellow piece of plastic into the air too ‘easily’, instead of using using cautions to HIS advantage, to ‘secure’ the game. Sorry for the caps but: JOVIC’S BOOKING IN HIS PREVIOUS GAME MADE EXACTLY THIS MISTAKE. But, only in difficult games can such small details cost you.
He also booked three Turkey players too ‘easily’, as I mentioned above, but this is more a ‘classic’ disciplinary point and not such a ‘philosophical’ one.
A lot of explanation but hopefully somebody was able to follow at least :D.
2) I’m genuinely quite ‘sad’ about how this game turned out, in the same way as it seems ‘M’ was. Kovacs, together with Siebert, in a competition of blatantly very loose internal oversight, refereed the games ‘correctly’ and in ‘our way’. Siebert seems >90% likely to be done in the tournament, but for Kovacs we must be honest and say this was really a ‘humiliation’ for him, for strict refereeing, and one can easily guess how the last fifteen games of the tournament will now go. Who knows whether they anticipated using Kovacs in a QF with a good performance here, but in general, this reads like a ‘sacrifice appointment par excellence’.
I am, quite sincerely, sorry for Istvan Kovacs that it had to happen this way. He was, and is, a very good referee.
FIN