VAR and Refereeing 2025/26 | General Discussion

Ayoba said:
100%. Shearer on MOTD was talking about this decision and blaming it on VAR - "because of VAR we are having to talk endlessly about this" but Kelly Cates quickly put him in his place that even if VAR didnt exist, they would still be talking about it because thats just what pundits like to do, find something stupid in the game and turn it into a controversial incident.
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Its far from the worst decision in our games this season either, both in favour or against us. The analysis on commentary at the time was it would be wrong to rule it out, then because it wasn't ruled out, by half time the narrative had changed. I find stuff like that petty and embarrassing but I assume it gets them more viewers.

I also find the whole blaming referees for a result in a game where one team was just clearly better than the other, or it was one marginal decision in a game where another 50 keys moments happened after, pointless.

If the handball is given it's probably a penalty anyway. If we're getting into that much petty detail then Martinez should have been playing for United which would have made a difference, and United should have had 3 points at Bournemouth which would have altered the entire game on Sunday anyway as they'd have had CL wrapped up already and it'd have been Liverpool only needing one more win/draw. It's a pointless exercise, and it deflects from the actual awful officiating that does need calling out. Like that penalty in the Bournemouth game...that is not explained without sheer incompetence being involved yet it's not even a footnote.
 
SilentWitness said:
That's a bollocks rule.
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I agree, it's absolutely idiotic. We got away with it last night but had it go against us a few times during the season. It's also why a fair few Arsenal corners I was giving out about were allowed to stand. As if pushing and pulling before the ball comes in doesn't affect players after it does. I don't think it's even a rule as much as only in England is it allowed happen.

Edit: Apparently it is a rule and a really stupid one.
https://www.thefa.com/football-rule...t and indirect free kicks,the ball is in play.
 
padr81 said:
I agree, it's absolutely idiotic. We got away with it last night but had it go against us a few times during the season. It's also why a fair few Arsenal corners I was giving out about were allowed to stand. As if pushing and pulling before the ball comes in doesn't affect players after it does. I don't think it's even a rule as much as only in England is it allowed happen.
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Even taking that into account, players can still be cautioned and sent off for things that happen when the ball is out of play. All that needs to be done is to start to book players who do this and it will stop.
 
Frosty said:
Even taking that into account, players can still be cautioned and sent off for things that happen when the ball is out of play. All that needs to be done is to start to book players who do this and it will stop.
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If I was the ref I'd have given a penalty, I think it's an overly pedantic English interpretation of the rules and quite stupid. But I would say that because if it was given City would be about 7 better off this season.
 
padr81 said:
The ball wasn't in play. They've been reffing corners like that all season. As long as the player lets go quickly after ball comes in no pen. City had the exact same thing go against them recently too. Think it was Newcaste on Haaland. It's a stupid rule but it's how they're doing it and at least consistent.
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I've said this numerous times, the rule needs to be changed to allow referees to gives penalties or freekicks even when the ball is dead.

You can do whatever you want there, you might get a card, but it doesn't matter, it will still only be a corner.
 
Ayoba said:
100%. Shearer on MOTD was talking about this decision and blaming it on VAR - "because of VAR we are having to talk endlessly about this" but Kelly Cates quickly put him in his place that even if VAR didnt exist, they would still be talking about it because thats just what pundits like to do, find something stupid in the game and turn it into a controversial incident.
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Shearer also complained about the handball rule as well. He doesn't want to see goals ruled out for that type of thing.

The handball rule is a ridiculous now with there being a different rule for the goal scorer than every other player on the pitch.
 
Ayoba said:
100%. Shearer on MOTD was talking about this decision and blaming it on VAR - "because of VAR we are having to talk endlessly about this" but Kelly Cates quickly put him in his place that even if VAR didnt exist, they would still be talking about it because thats just what pundits like to do, find something stupid in the game and turn it into a controversial incident.
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You say that as though this isn’t exactly what us football fans do, week in, week out. It has always happened and always will happen.

What’s changed with VAR is that we’re living in an era where all this controversy was supposed to have been fixed. And the price we paid was making football much more stop/start and frustrating to watch than it was before VAR. And yet here we all are, having the same old arguments every week.
 
Pre VAR the audience was somewhat more willing to accept a degree of inconsistent decision making or perceptions of fouls. Historically the idea that a penalty needed to be a higher level of foul than a bog standard free kick in the middle of the pitch was something the majority of fans understood. Now you have people screaming blatant pen 3 times a match for utterly innocuous contact that of course VAR makes looks far more dramatic than it actually was, handballs for having arms and every other possible reason.

VAR as a tool to stop the trophy/career changing decisions was an attractive idea but of course it was never going to be just that once the tech was there.
 
I'll add this here - but that should never ever be given as a handball - it's from his own player trying to clear the ball from a few yards away.

The ball being kicked against his arm actually prevents the ball being cleared out of PSG's own box, and thus actually helps Bayern more than if Neves was able to fully get out of the way and allow the ball to sail way out of the penalty box.

Imagine giving a penalty for an accidental action which was actually to the benefit of your opponent...

Referees also have to consider if the player is making themselves bigger - in that scenario it is obvious that Joao Neves was trying to get out of the way because of the direction the ball was travelling; clearly he was not trying to make himself bigger, he was trying to dodge the ball. His arms were not in an unnatural position trying to block the ball.
 
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goldenboy said:
I'll add this here - but that should never ever be given as a handball - it's from his own player trying to clear the ball from a few yards away.

The ball being kicked against his arm actually prevents the ball being cleared out of PSG's own box, and thus actually helps Bayern more than if Neves was able to fully get out of the way and allow the ball to sail way out of the penalty box.

Imagine giving a penalty for an accidental action which was actually to the benefit of your opponent...

Referees also have to consider if the player is making themselves bigger - in that scenario it is obvious that Joao Neves was trying to get out of the way because of the direction the ball was travelling; clearly he was not trying to make himself bigger. His arms were not in an unnatural position trying to block the ball.
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100%. Referee used common sense. Good on him. The whole “unnatural position” crap is about trying to find a way to read a player’s mind because handball should be intentional to be penalised. Hence trying to block a shot/cross with arms outstretched raises the possibility they’re deliberately putting their arms in a position where they might block the ball. And there’s zero chance that Neves intended to handle the ball. So it shouldn’t be a penalty.
 
I guess the claim with the Mendes second yellow was that Laimer committed a handball offense previously but this doesn't like a handball by Laimer to me. And other angles show that the referee made no move to blow or stop play after Laimer controlled the ball and only blew after Mendes handled it. And then when he did blow he initially made a handball motion and pointed in the direction of a Bayern free kick.

 
The more big games I see these days the more I feel like refs come into games with pre conceived notions and then just make majority of the decisions based on that. Felt like Bayern got absolutely nothing tonight from the ref
 
I thought the ref had a really good game, to be honest. Particularly after early on when things threatened to spill over having given a couple of things – correctly – against the home team/crowd. Let there be lots of outrage about handball because it’s an easy stick to beat UEFA with but he got the Neves one right first time. Also not sure why people are saying Nuno Mendes’ handball was such an obvious yellow (or what the infringement was against Laimer that seemed to be given first, c/o the assistant)?
 
Powderfinger said:
I guess the claim with the Mendes second yellow was that Laimer committed a handball offense previously but this doesn't like a handball by Laimer to me. And other angles show that the referee made no move to blow or stop play after Laimer controlled the ball and only blew after Mendes handled it. And then when he did blow he initially made a handball motion and pointed in the direction of a Bayern free kick.

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Indeed that was as clear a second yellow/red card as you'd see
 
Powderfinger said:
I guess the claim with the Mendes second yellow was that Laimer committed a handball offense previously but this doesn't like a handball by Laimer to me. And other angles show that the referee made no move to blow or stop play after Laimer controlled the ball and only blew after Mendes handled it. And then when he did blow he initially made a handball motion and pointed in the direction of a Bayern free kick.

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Seen a replay where he thanks his assistant, so I assume he followed his call.
 
Bad refereeing tonight. Commentators were saying he did really well last week when he reffed the Villa-forest European game.
 
nemanja15 said:
I thought the ref had a really good game, to be honest. Particularly after early on when things threatened to spill over having given a couple of things – correctly – against the home team/crowd. Let there be lots of outrage about handball because it’s an easy stick to beat UEFA with but he got the Neves one right first time. Also not sure why people are saying Nuno Mendes’ handball was such an obvious yellow (or what the infringement was against Laimer that seemed to be given first, c/o the assistant)?
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Yeah, agreed. I was impressed by the ref. Didn’t take any shite and got all the big calls correct. The only slightly dubious one was the marginal handball by Bayern player before Mendes handled it but that was the assistant’s call.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Yeah, agreed. I was impressed by the ref. Didn’t take any shite and got all the big calls correct. The only slightly dubious one was the marginal handball by Bayern player before Mendes handled it but that was the assistant’s call.
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Incompetent / corrupt performance if you have eyes to see

 
Suedesi said:
Incompetent / corrupt performance if you have eyes to see

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A collision that could quite easily be read either way is evidence of incompetence/corruption? Okay. I’m not sure many refs give that in a game like this.

Also, am pretty sure Diaz’s yellow was for dissent. There’s no reason to show one there for handball.
 
PSG very lucky today. Sure, you can say that it shouldn't be a penalty given the way it was, but if it was last week (twice, also) it absolutely has to be this week. Especially since this is raised arm and far out from the body. Shocking decision that in the end was the difference between the sides.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
:lol: Bless the yanks and their terrible football takes. He was booked for handball. After flinging himself to the ground and grabbing the ball. Defenders have a right to stand their ground. They can’t vanish when an opposing player runs straight into them.
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It’s not “standing his ground.” He steps across Díaz’s path and blocks the run. That’s obstruction.

Watch the clip again, preferably without wrapping yourself in the Union Jack first. No need for the dumb jingoism, your take is bad enough on its own.
 
Suedesi said:
It’s not “standing his ground.” He steps across Díaz’s path and blocks the run. That’s obstruction.

Watch the clip again, preferably without wrapping yourself in the Union Jack first. No need for the dumb jingoism, your take is bad enough on its own.
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Believe me, I will never wrap myself in a Union Jack. Diaz runs straight into him. Nowhere the defender could go. And barely any contact anyway. It’s a nothing incident. Good call by the ref.
 
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