Anyone know if there's a blind panel that rates ref performances to keep them honest?
There's certainly a blind panel, but i wouldn't count on it being honest. Look at the reporting and narrative from the match. Is the general public aware that we were robbed of at least 2 clear red cards yesterday? No. The concrete rules are subjective apparently.
Q11: Can a DOGSO offence outside the penalty area be punished with a caution (YC)?
NO – unlike a penalty kick, a free kick is not an obvious chance to score a goal so it does not ‘restore’ the obvious goal-scoring opportunity that was denied by the offence - the disciplinary sanction for all DOGSO offences outside the penalty area remains a sending-off (RC).
But the ref gave Cahill a yellow and us a free-kick for the exact offence described above? Martial was clean through on goal with Cahill the last man who cynically took him out.
Is every DOGSO offence in the penalty now only a caution (YC)?
NO – the Law has only changed for those DOGSO offences in the penalty area where the offender makes an attempt to play the ball or challenge an opponent for the ball. The sending-off (RC) remains for: handball holding, pulling and pushing (as these offences are not an attempt to play the ball) making no attempt to play the ball e.g. a deliberate trip an offence when there was no chance/possibility of the ball being played
Based on this explanation, Kelly should have got a red for manhandling Martial to the ground inside the box. It wasn't even called as a foul.
Don't forget all the roughhousing and time-wasting allowed to go unpunished by the ref.
Why didn't Var step in to correct the referee?
So the referee and Var team clearly do not understand the rules and made a mockery of the match. You would think this would be a massive deal, but it's been swept under the carpet by the media.
The refs aren't even called out on their mistakes by the media, so what chance have we got? It's all one big farce by everyone involved.