Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler with his EURO debut: Belgium - Slovakia.
Game 9, Group E
BELGIUM - SLOVAKIA
Referee: Halil Umut Meler TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Mustafa Emre Eyisoy TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Kerem Ersoy TUR
Fourth Official: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Reserve Assitant Referee: Johan Balder NED
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Alper Ulusoy TR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Marco Fritz GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Nicola Rizzoli ITA
UEFA Delegate: Konul Mehtiyeva AZE
I had missed that Gözübüyük will work as fourth official here, with the Turkish, not a coincidence? :)
ReplyDeleteI guess it's just a coincidence :)
DeleteIt’s possible he understands the language
DeleteHe is of Turkish descent. His parents are Turkish and his surname means 'big eyes' in Turkish.
DeleteA very good surname for a referee, I must say. They need that!
DeleteGood luck to Halil Umut Meler, prior to his first match in his first major tournament.
ReplyDeleteGreat non flag! I thought it was offside
ReplyDelete(Black socks? Hardly a clash with GK to have worn blue?)
Yes, would be strange if the blue kit is different enough to the GK's, but not the socks.
DeleteAnyway, the golden kit (with golden socks) would have been the solution.
Very good onside detection by AR1 prior to Slovakia goal 1-0
ReplyDelete10 minutes Slovak player intervened with her hand, but Slovakia took a free kick
ReplyDeleteHe indicated he saw push/foul on player first. And handball was after that. Quick VAR check because of that.
DeleteActually he indicated a handball. And what do you mean with the quick VAR check? There was no relevant situation to check right? Or are we talking about another situation?
DeleteHandball given to SVK instead of BEL just infront of 4O. Difficult to see I guess.
ReplyDeleteA promising 20 mins, I like his style. A bit like Cakir in that being slightly more diminutive he is buzzing around the field, right on top of things
ReplyDeleteGood first warning, serioud talk after foul on BEL9. Possible YC, but I think first serious foul. So starting with warning seems fine. YC would be good to.
ReplyDeleteCorrect YC for BEL18, reckless stamp.
ReplyDeleteNow YC BEL18, foot on foot contact. Unfortunate that he just gave that warning. Because this foul was accidental, while previous one was on purpose. Maybe this one as well warning (even playing feeld, next serioud foul YC?)
ReplyDeleteCorrect YC to Bel #18 on 29 min.
ReplyDeleteSecond part od the 1st half:
ReplyDeleteProblems with positioning , Meler is too often in front of the ball and on the direction of the play
Clear YC for SVK26 41´
ReplyDeleteAgain good onside by AR2 at 42'
ReplyDeleteWrong offside by AR2.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a very subtle offside, but it's very subtle
DeleteNot a clear one but it looked onside to me as well. However no impact as it was going to be Slovakia ball anyway.
Deletehalf the job done today; the ref teams from SWE and TÜR have done really well so far. Let's hope this continues
ReplyDeleteYou can stop with this Türkiye or TÜR stuff. No one here cares about that fake internationally adopted name other than Erdogan and his cronies. You can call Turkey and TUR, nema problema.
DeleteI exercise the right of choosing my on words. Freedom of speech.
DeleteMy words have nothing to do with that, though.
DeleteIf you feel it is incorrect to use "Türkiye" - bring it up with UEFA/FIFA. I am simply using the same terminology. as them. Don't make yourself a spokesperson for everyone in here. This is a football community, take your political business elsewhere and stop telling people what language to use.
DeleteStop going with passive aggressive, mate. Chillax a bit. Many people are still using TUR. That's why yours cought my eye. Congrats with your ref's performance earlier, like that Swede.
Deleteagree on your view of Glenn Nyberg, thanks man
DeleteMeler had a very good first half. All his decisions were spot on. I found him a little bit excited, but it is normal after all the things he experienced this year.
ReplyDeleteSound performance by Meler so far. Things could get challenging in the 2H with Belgium still trailing.
ReplyDeleteGood performance by Meler in the 1H for me. Foul detection is good for the game, disciplinary line correct as well, with two mandatory (at least for me) YCs correctly given in 29' (step on foot) and 41' (SPA). I actually liked the verbal warning for SVK2 in 27': that tackle was on the verge of a YC, but I think Meler took this opportunity to send a clear message and he did it well. Some excellent onside/offside decisions from the assistants, especially before 1-0 (very tight onside, very good work by AR1). On the other hand, I think the last offside by AR2 in 45+1' was a wrong decision, but a very tight one and without consequences, with the ball going into possession of Slovakia anyway. Meler had some issues in positioning, getting caught in the direction of the ball a few times, as DrMr correctly perceived, but no major issues occurred. All in all, a positive performance, which I hope will continue in the 2H.
ReplyDeleteARs letting Meler down tonight, a shame.
ReplyDeleteWhy? The offside is so thight. I'm still waiting for SOOF view. Have they 'drawn' the line on the foot or the ball
DeleteWas not that tight for me. Detectable.
DeleteThat VAR situation is so hard to be spotted live.
DeleteI can see that you are not AR :)
It becomes VAR situation only if you allow it to be. For me was a rather clear call, doc.
DeleteNot just tight, but also complex, the relevant line is on the ball here. A difficult situation, I don't blame AR1 at all, this is exactly the situation VAR is here for.
DeleteWas a very, very tight call. With naked eye you allow goal to stand. It's why you have VAR
ReplyDeleteVery very tight situation, I would be happier if we had SAOT visualization in broadcast, but I wouldn´t blame AR for this
ReplyDeleteAR1 missed clear offside in the Belgium goal
ReplyDeleteAgree with most comments. I'm yet to see the SAOT image but it looked very tight.
ReplyDeleteNo blame for AR about the disallowed gol, now it was showed that less than half body was offside... live it was impossible to say, correct to stay down in doubt.
ReplyDeleteFor me it would ve been better to raise the flag AFTER the goal so that anti climatic celebration does not happen. But that is just me and how I interpret spirit of the game.
DeleteIn such tight situations, if you raise a flag, and it's not offside-mark is 7.9
DeleteIf you put the flag down, and it's offside-mark is 8.3.
In doubt, put the flag down.
But hey, you are the smartest one here, all other visitors of the blog are dumbass, doc.
You have 20 comments on this post-you act like passionate teenager or frustrated veteran referee,I don't have other explanation for your activity on the blog, doc.
SAOt has been shown. Good work by VAR to choose the ball and not leg.
ReplyDeleteWill be a very challenging last 25 min for Meler that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteFor me ref should hold SVK16 of pitch little bit longer, due potential concussion
ReplyDeleteReferees are not doctors, if the medical staff says he is alright a referee has very little power in professional level to deny the entry of the player. Can you imagine the scenes?
DeleteYeah, but the player asked to enter, when the ball wasn't even in play. At least 5-10 seconds IMO
DeleteYou could do that if you think the player is faking an injury, holding them outside the field for a little longer to showcase that simulating won’t help your team. In this case the ball was about to go off the field and once again, the medical staff cleared him. You can never expect a referee to purposely deny his entry due to concussion scares with medical professionals there to take care of it…
DeleteThe Turkish referee is managing quite well a challenging game with an unexpected score so far. You can say he had his work to do.
ReplyDeleteNot a real problem for committee the VAR intervention about offside.
Correct decision in the end. Impossible to detect this time for me too.
ReplyDeleteSucks for Lukaku. :)
German commentators praise Meler‘s performance and the refereeing performances overall.
ReplyDeleteNow, handball given after OFR.
Whoa... Tough hand ball call there. Arm is streched our far but there is also no intent from the player to play the ball. I understand the decision.. Good from BaDa as VAR to have Meler looking at this.
ReplyDeleteIt started well for the referee, but it ended badly, 2 VAR decisions, she officiated a good match, cards and fouls, but I'm sorry for the VAR decisions, we can say it was a bad start for Meler.
ReplyDeleteSorry but that's nonsense. Those two VAR decisions were terribly hard to spot on the field. This is exactly what the VAR is for. Only asessing a ref based on the VAR interventions does not work.
DeleteYes, you are right, she managed a really good match, let's see how it will look from the eyes of the committee, will it be a reward with a good match or an early homecoming?
DeleteIt was not easy to be 100% sure that arm had touched ball, only last closer replay with rallenty confirmed that. Again, this was something impossible to spot for referee, if you ask me, even watching it, you can't have a real evidence on the pitch. The handball is clearly punishable due to arm's position, so I would say very good VAR work, differently from other incidents, being the handball factual, all the technologies that can help in spotting it better, are allowed in the analysis from the VAR room. Still, I wouldn't penalize referee, nobody had noticed that live.
ReplyDeleteThey showed a graph with motion sense from the ball to prove that the hand did touch the ball. Very interesting, I've never seen that before.
Delete+1
DeleteGood use of VAR, no-one sees that in the ground. Once established there was contact hand to ball, it had to be disallowed
ReplyDeleteI was in the ground and didn’t have a clue! I would rather no intervention here
DeleteMy opinion is that this isn't punishable handball. It's in a strugle. Arm is used in challenge with defender. All is a natural footballing action and ball comes on arm. I think it is harsh. If it leads directly to goal of course it needs to be ruled out. Are there people with same or different opinion. I think it is a interesting discussion
ReplyDeleteI feel you. It's very unlucky for the player. But we've got to draw a line somewhere..
DeleteI agree at least, that it is a borderline situation regarding both criteria.
DeleteBody surface is clearly increased, but rather naturally for this situation.
And the hand slightly moves towards the ball, but probably not really deliberate, but more part of the running movement.
Good VAR intervention for me as well and a correct decision eventually. arm is stretched out from the body, there is a certain movement towards the ball and I have a very strong feeling that, without this touch by hand, the ball would have landed on the chest of the Slovakian player; therefore, a certain benefit was gained by Belgium. Once again, I cannot blame Meler, it was very difficult to spot this handball from his position. VAR is doing its job well today.
ReplyDeleteA very good explanation
DeleteAgree, no Slovak player actually noticed/claimed the handball with the exception of the right-back who was defending Openda.
DeleteGroup E has certainly become more exciting today, so probably some top referees are needed in the next games.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Taylor for SVK-UKR is a realistic option now.
Yes, and I expect Zwayer for the Belgium vs Romanian.
DeleteMeler poor, he made it difficult for himself. Don’t think he will get anymore games
ReplyDeletePlease explain yourself. I think it was a decent match, with two VAR interventions that can't be blamed on Meler.
DeleteHis foul detection wasn’t as good as it could be and he frustrated players by ridiculously stopping play multiple times. All cautions were correct. But 2 VAR interventions - will be difficult to save him
DeleteI'm sorry but this analysis is really far from reality. There are certain points you can report. Like some weird fouls given (I think some really soft fouls given, which weren't needed and created a little bit frustration. But not wrong wrong), some fouls given to wrong team (handball at dugout side), 2 YC to Belgium substitutes at their first touch. Which I think is at least noticable, but are supportable cards. And then 2 VAR interventions, offside is undetectable for AR (no blame) and handball is I think correct, but really unfair but these are the rules and I think this is what is expected. Eventhough my lersonal opinion is that you should leave this. So saying he won't get any games or that it was a poor performance is just wrong. You can have remarks (like I have) but it's not a bad or poor performance.
DeleteIt wasn’t bad, but imo below expected level. Let’s see what happens
DeleteI honestly do not see a foul that warrants a VAR revision. The position of the hand is, for me, "a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player's body movement for that specific situation", ergo legitimate. I don't see where we would expect a player's arm to be as he is turning and getting into a sprint. To me, that is certainly not clearly and obviously an error that warrants recommending a revision.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree. In England, I think that would never, ever be given. In Europe/Uefa, I simply don't know anymore, I can see why many support the decision. But 100% natural running position for me, no handball
DeleteI agree with this, but I think it is the expected descision. Belgian (flemish) analist, Wesley Sonck who normally is completely crazy on his opinions about referee desicions (I mean I somethimes have to turn the TV of just because the theory of why it should or should not be offside or penalty is so ridicioulous). He said it's a handball, and he would expect it to be handball if a opposing team score like this.
DeleteCrazy idea that without VAR Belgium could be in the lead.
ReplyDeleteI don’t blame the referee crew, both hard to detect, although they probably won’t be too satisfied with 2 OFR on paper.
Its a rough and challenging game.
Refcom must have realized that and I must say, they made good choices for todays games so far. Nyberg had a game that fitted his (more lenient) style. Meler - a more strict referee - fitted perfectly in this rough game.
We can draw the conclusion that it was impossible for Meler also because it happened without the favor of the angle, close to sideline (player's body was obstructing referee's view, no AR on that side), so 100% only about VAR.
ReplyDeleteFor the Italian standards that's an obvious handball, and it seems as UEFA has defintely agreed with such "handling" of the rule. Different opinions based on the fact that the arm was there due to a natural movement can make things complicated, the important thing is that player increased body's volume, otherwise he wouldn't have controlled that ball.
I have the same opinion: although I perfectly understand anyone who emphasises the natural movement factor, it's still a correct decision for me in the end. I already stated the reasons in a comment above.
DeleteGenerally speaking, in spite of the 2 VAR interventions, it was a good performance by Meler for me. I liked his foul detection and especially his disciplinary line, I cannot remember any mandatory cards missed and the 4 given were absolutely correct and expected. As for the 2 VAR interventions, I cannot put any blame on the referee crew in both situations: the offside in 56' was tight and complex, while the aforementioned handball was almost impossible to detect on field, the Slovakian defender was probably the only person who noticed it. These situations are the exact reasons VAR was introduced, so I think we shouldn't view the interventions as actual mistakes, but good teamwork (at least in these specific situations). To sum up: I think Meler can be more than satisfied with how he managed this game, a challenging one in some hotter moments.
Rough game!! Jeez what were you watching! I cannot believe some of the comments on here. The referee did very well, got most things correct, the 2 VAR decisions were in line with expectations (if not for the football purists). They should be very comfortable with their early evening efforts
ReplyDeleteLineker calls handball decision as b***s*** on twitter. Hopefully the committee won't be reading footy twitter before deciding on Meler's next game. (or lack thereof)
ReplyDeleteBelgian (felmish) analist Wesley Sonck who normally had ridicioulous theory's on desicions, thought it was a handball. Even though it feels wrong, from football fan standpoint. It's the correct desicion in the end.
Deletehttps://x.com/Nesta1907/status/1802756380400484379?t=R8NbDMIMo33hgshNRlj29w&s=19
ReplyDeleteUEFA post which they deleted again
I had watched the tweet, to be honest I don't understand why they do that for some referees, but not for others. Maybe it's related to what happened to the Turkish a few monts ago
DeleteI think they deleted the post due to the crucial decisions taken, maybe people started with unacceptable comments. To me, better to avoid posts about referees, they never did that.
Ask yourself a simple question: would that goal have been fair? Without the touch of the hand, the goal attack would not have happened.
ReplyDeleteDifficult game for the referee, many challenges to assess. No blame on AR1 and Ref after two VAR interventions - both incidents almost impossible to detect live. I agree with the handball being deemed as punishable - expected ball, time to react, hand off the body. Maybe foul detection wasn't the best - some questionable play-on calls but also some soft free kicks - but the overall performance was good.
ReplyDeleteI watched the whole match, and my feeling was not that it was a difficult game. I would have classed it as normal tbh. But I agree on the rest completly. Overall good performance, OFR unavoidable and indeed fould detection somethimes weird.
DeleteUnfortunate with the ball touching the hand, not a call you like as a football fan but seeing it replayed you just feel like it’s punishable. Yes - law interpretation allows you to argue that the arm is in a natural position due to the player running but with the advantage that the hand gives the player and the stretch out from the body, the correct call for me is handball.
ReplyDeleteVideo clips:
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/uj39me37df
great work ESR, much appreciated!
DeleteHe had to disallow that goal - a tough bitter pill to swallow for the Belgians but the player sort of pads the ball down and controls it - needed to be disallowed.
ReplyDeleteHe did ok - I dont think he did anything wrong.
ReplyDeletePositive impressions for performance of Halil Meler!
ReplyDeleteGut gemacht, Meler!
ReplyDeleteI actually thought his first half was weak at this level.
ReplyDelete1) the first YC may have been correct, but 2 minutes earlier a reckless intervention only got a warning. So YC management ... not good
2) the handball after diving in the 16 from SVK, gave free kick to SVK for pushing. I don't know what decision that was.
3) not helped by his assistants during the whole game.
The last offside just at the end of the first, clearly wrong.
No, based on the first half, to weak for this tournament.
Second half ... I thought he was better, but still strange fault and YC management.
The 1-1, ok offside, difficult to see.
The second 1-1, according to laws of the game, no handball. Even if it's an offensive player. The goal did not came directly after the hand touched the ball. Even this type of handball does not match with the criteria mentioned in laws of the game rule 12.
So ... wrong decision.
No I'm not sure this championship is one for Meler.
While all the commentators were happy with Meler, you misinterpreted every decision, I think you watched a different match and the referee managed an almost perfect match except for 2 VAR decisions.
Deleteit's not the first time I see him, and I really think he's not bad but his team can be better. Most of the decisions taken close to the assistants are often incorrect or could be solved differently.
DeleteIt's the YC management that often causes frustrations
Highlights:
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/82nvsw3pef
I think all the var deciscions were sound and correct but its an absolutely horendous match of Meler and its not beceause any single action or call was bad from him but the lack of consistancy and obvious biasses that went into play here, like the first YC for belgium is first ball then foot but thats ok if he gave a yellow for that but the slovakian player made a horrendous effort no where near the ball not 2 minutes prior and he got off with a warning, he should get helped more by his AR because with al due respect to slovakia they dived a lot and each time he made a bad call. Also in an attack from belgium where the winger dribbled into the 16 meters was just cut short because of a slovakian player fouling the winger and then diving whilst pushing the ball away frong the winger clear handball before the whistle this should have been analyzed by the var. A few minutes later a seperate hanball was called (finally)but then he gets wrong who actually made the handball and wrongly awards the free kick to slovakia. its all litle things and i am far beyond done but these type of bias and bad calls ad up in a game giving slovakia unproportianal ball possesion because he kept felling for diving theatrics and twice in the box of slovakia. Its verry disturbing to see fellow refferees on here who are so blindsided and praise mediocracy and oh so clear biasses not in the big dissallowed decisions but in every decision beside that, disgracefull. if you have any questions i'd like the right to defend this statement and provide timestamps if needed for those on here who clearly did'nt watch. shame on the ref's and shame on your unconditionall praise.
ReplyDelete