Refs & VAR 2020/2021 Discussion

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Blatantly making himself bigger to stop the player getting past him and arguably moves his hand to the ball. It’s everything they say in the laws makes a handball. Horrible decision.
Don't they take distance the ball has travelled into account though when the arm is below the shoulder?
 

The Firestarter

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Blatantly making himself bigger to stop the player getting past him and arguably moves his hand to the ball. It’s everything they say in the laws makes a handball. Horrible decision.
This and the Chelsea vs Pool handball I really can't even begin to explain.
 

acnumber9

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That's the only reason I can think it wouldn't be given. Though even then, if your hand is in that position....
It’s also going at a relatively slow pace. There’s no argument that he’s making himself as big as he possibly could there. It’s a textbook handball.
 

RashyForPM

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It’s obviously funny because it happened to Arsenal, but that’s really a tragic call :lol: As bad as the Maja one. One of the most stonewall pens I’ve seen recently.
 

Annihilate Now!

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That's the only reason I can think it wouldn't be given. Though even then, if your hand is in that position....
It’s also going at a relatively slow pace. There’s no argument that he’s making himself as big as he possibly could there. It’s a textbook handball.
Yeah I think it's a definite handball... Just trying to get into the VAR/refs head for why the possibly wouldn't
 

KW2006

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It is worse than the penalty didnt given to us against Chelsea...
 

Ayoba

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I'm still fuming that the handball against lindeloff v palace was given!! And then today, you see this stonewall pen denied. Christ on a fecking bike the standard of refereeing in this country!
 

awop

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Arm up and away from his body, VAR says no pen.
Not sure there's any point in watching PL football anymore, just check the results (and a little gif of the usual Xhaka feckup) and save yourself the anger and stress of seeing these sort of decisions every weekend.
 

Foxbatt

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I'm still fuming that the handball against lindeloff v palace was given!! And then today, you see this stonewall pen denied. Christ on a fecking bike the standard of refereeing in this country!
The new handball rule that's just come out about a couple of days ago states about the distance too. In the old interpretation it's a handball. Not with the new one. If he has raised his hand higher than his shoulders then it's a penalty. But having his hands there during movement is no longer a penalty. It's in a natural position for balance. It's hit too close to him for it to be a penalty.
 

cyberman

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The new handball rule that's just come out about a couple of days ago states about the distance too. In the old interpretation it's a handball. Not with the new one. If he has raised his hand higher than his shoulders then it's a penalty. But having his hands there during movement is no longer a penalty. It's in a natural position for balance. It's hit too close to him for it to be a penalty.
Yoi dont need to stand like a goalkeeper for balance.
 

awop

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The new handball rule that's just come out about a couple of days ago states about the distance too. In the old interpretation it's a handball. Not with the new one. If he has raised his hand higher than his shoulders then it's a penalty. But having his hands there during movement is no longer a penalty. It's in a natural position for balance. It's hit too close to him for it to be a penalty.
Are you free tomorrow and can you get to Stockley Park ?
 

Sylar

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Changing rules within a season is daft and unfair. I can't believe that's been allowed and actually happened

I'm also trying to determine whether the refs are just incompetent (I mean the ref sent off a guy for the ball hitting his shoulder which means he guessed or lied to make that decision) or whether they are doing this on purpose for some insane reason to sabotage
 

sullydnl

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The new handball rule that's just come out about a couple of days ago states about the distance too. In the old interpretation it's a handball. Not with the new one. If he has raised his hand higher than his shoulders then it's a penalty. But having his hands there during movement is no longer a penalty. It's in a natural position for balance. It's hit too close to him for it to be a penalty.
The new handball rule that came out a couple of days ago doesn't come into effect until July, so it's not relevant here if at all.

As far as I'm aware (and this part I'm unsure on) the distance the ball travels is supposed to be part of what they consider even now, though the main thing is where the arm is. To my mind in this instance it should have been a penalty regardless of the short distance because of the arm position was so wrong.

But fecked if I know really, the handball law is a mess that hurts my brain.
 
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Mb194dc

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This and the Chelsea vs Pool handball I really can't even begin to explain.
Is too close range and hands are in a natural position to keep his balance, is accidental even if gains an advantage from it there. Only deliberate handball is an offence, or that is how the law is meant to work.
 

The Firestarter

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Is too close range and hands are in a natural position to keep his balance, is accidental even if gains an advantage from it there. Only deliberate handball is an offence, or that is how the law is meant to work.
OK cool, so now defenders can keep their arms extended af all times in the box because of...balance?
 

Mb194dc

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OK cool, so now defenders can keep their arms extended af all times in the box because of...balance?
If its a natural position yes, not meant to keep their hands behind their backs.

This isn't anything new, for 100 years laws said deliberate handball and the refs got given guidance to help with what could be deliberate.

They've made a mess of it recently by being too specific. Now its unclear to everyone. The simple answer is keep the deliberate principle and refs have to decide, as it always was before.
 

The Firestarter

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If its a natural position yes, not meant to keep their hands behind their backs.

This isn't anything new, for 100 years laws said deliberate handball and the refs got given guidance to help with what could be deliberate.

They've made a mess of it recently by being too specific. Now its unclear to everyone. The simple answer is keep the deliberate principle and refs have to decide, as it always was before.
But I can deliberately put my hands sideways before the attacker hits the ball, it will seem natural and will increase the chance of stopping g the ball from close range.
 

Denis' cuff

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Arm up and away from his body, VAR says no pen.
yeah, usually given. But sometimes this criteria “arms away from the body” isn’t easy to legislate. You get incidents where eg Lindelof is blindfolded and then pulled back while the striker scores and ddg has an arm across his face vs Everton, completely ignored, but then you can’t play football with arms down by your side like Michael fecking Flatley.

Yeah, it is a mess but decisions will always be divisive. I just think we’re getting a bit obsessed with every decision.
 

Norman Brownbutter

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yeah, usually given. But sometimes this criteria “arms away from the body” isn’t easy to legislate. You get incidents where eg Lindelof is blindfolded and then pulled back while the striker scores and ddg has an arm across his face vs Everton, completely ignored, but then you can’t play football with arms down by your side like Michael fecking Flatley.

Yeah, it is a mess but decisions will always be divisive. I just think we’re getting a bit obsessed with every decision.
That is moving the arm towards the ball. There has never been a rule that says thats ok.
 

Jeppers7

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I can’t believe anyone looks at that penalty for Arsenal yesterday and agrees with the decision, I think some people are becoming obsessed with the way the rules are written. That was as simple as it gets, any match played in any era......what Peiters did is 100% a penalty.

Why wasn’t it given? In my opinion refs are so obsessed with themselves and control, the reasons why they become refs in the first place, that faced with criticism like they have been since last Sunday, they group together and double down to prove a point...that actually last sundays decision was in fact correct and we will keep refusing these types of penalties. They’re generally pathetic, power hungry, middle aged ego maniacs.

It doesn’t need a specific interpretation of the laws applied to it, although you could do that either way.....you simply just need to look at that once to know it’s a definite penalty.
 

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It's 100% a pen that's why I am surprised people blame VAR but the reason VAR look shit is because the refs are absolute crap. How can someone see that and not give it.
 

Denis' cuff

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That is moving the arm towards the ball. There has never been a rule that says thats ok.
Not entirely convinced. ln comparison with some that have been given, you’d think “a pen”. When commonsense was applied; benefit of the doubt.

not what I said.
 

Vidyoyo

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I know very little but is there a chance the rule was implemented to stop players kicking the ball against a defender's arm deliberately to get an advantage?

It's not what happened with Pepe as he was trying to control the ball but that's the only reason I can see it not being given.
 

Cloud7

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Changing rules within a season is daft and unfair. I can't believe that's been allowed and actually happened

I'm also trying to determine whether the refs are just incompetent (I mean the ref sent off a guy for the ball hitting his shoulder which means he guessed or lied to make that decision) or whether they are doing this on purpose for some insane reason to sabotage
The refs in English football have been handling VAR so horribly that I'm convinced it's intentional and they're trying to make it look worse. You don't see crap like this in the other leagues.
 

mancan92

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The refs in English football have been handling VAR so horribly that I'm convinced it's intentional and they're trying to make it look worse. You don't see crap like this in the other leagues.
I believe the exact same. The calls that they make are mental. I don't know how anyone can blame VAR.
 

Bubz27

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To clarify, is the only way you can get a penalty for a handball is that the handball is unequivocally deliberate?
 

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A great line on MOTD from Steve Wilson when VAR was checking Spurs' last goal for a possible hairline off-side.

"VAR... are looking to see if a beautifully crafted moment of footballing joy should be snuffed out by a miserable piece of geometry"

:lol:
 

roonster09

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A great line on MOTD from Steve Wilson when VAR was checking Spurs' last goal for a possible hairline off-side.

"VAR... are looking to see if a beautifully crafted moment of footballing joy should be snuffed out by a miserable piece of geometry"

:lol:
It's the right thing to do. What if top 4 is decided on goal difference? Every goal should be checked.
 

11101

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Changing rules within a season is daft and unfair. I can't believe that's been allowed and actually happened

I'm also trying to determine whether the refs are just incompetent (I mean the ref sent off a guy for the ball hitting his shoulder which means he guessed or lied to make that decision) or whether they are doing this on purpose for some insane reason to sabotage
Agree fully with both things.

I posted when it was introduced i could see English refs sabotaging it to take the heat off them. I can't believe they are really this bad compared to their European peers.
 

OnlyTwoDaSilvas

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A great line on MOTD from Steve Wilson when VAR was checking Spurs' last goal for a possible hairline off-side.

"VAR... are looking to see if a beautifully crafted moment of footballing joy should be snuffed out by a miserable piece of geometry"

:lol:
:lol:

He definitely had that line written pre-game, ready to pull out of his sleeve.
 

sullydnl

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Thread on the proposed new semi-automated offside system, for anybody interested.

The VAR would have an offside call within around three seconds, which would mean often being able to call the offside before the goal is even scored. Should have a huge impact on the fan experience if it works as offside checks account for a lot of the current delays.
 

lysglimt

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A norwegian footballing-journalist today had an interesting piece where he asked VAR to look at goalkeepers holding on to the ball for far too long. The rule today is 6 seconds - and he wrote that he had looked at several games recently to see how long goalkeepers hold onto the ball. The worst case was Sam Johnstone against United, when at the end of the game, he held the ball for about 22 seconds.

Actually quite interesting - and I agree with him. Why don't VAR look at the extreme cases like this ?
 

Pogue Mahone

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A norwegian footballing-journalist today had an interesting piece where he asked VAR to look at goalkeepers holding on to the ball for far too long. The rule today is 6 seconds - and he wrote that he had looked at several games recently to see how long goalkeepers hold onto the ball. The worst case was Sam Johnstone against United, when at the end of the game, he held the ball for about 22 seconds.

Actually quite interesting - and I agree with him. Why don't VAR look at the extreme cases like this ?
Never mind VAR. Is it too much to ask to have an on-field referee capable of counting to 7?!?