2018-2019 UEFA Season Referee Discussion [Rs]

For what its worth, Serbia has decided that they will implement VAR starting next season I think....

Pretty much all the minor and lesser leagues across Europe like Switzerland, Denmark, Serbia, Croatia, etc. will have VAR within the next year or two.

There were matches in the Bosnian first division that AARs. Not every single one, but the major ones did. This is in a country that is practically broke for all intents and purposes. Yet they felt it was necessary to have AARs on their big matches.

Europeans love their soccer and UEFA as a confederation is flowing with cash so I'm sure there will be some subsidy from UEFA to help out the smaller countries.

Cases like San Marino, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Kosovo, etc might not, but you won't see referees from those countries or teams from those countries in the CL anyways.

The reality is that leagues now pretty much have to have VAR or they risk losing credibility among fans, players, coaches and administrators. You see it in the EPL and in the CL right now. Any major decision that people think is wrong or incorrect, the coaches are bringing up VAR. See the Ronaldo red card. Alegri said that VAR would have "corrected it."

Klopp blabbed on about VAR in a recent Liverpool match.

Any remotely controversial or incorrect decision in the EPL is prefixed with the "well if there was only some system that can correct those type of errors..."

It's practically peer pressure to have it, even if there are legitimate arguments for not getting it.

It's not that leagues necessarily want to get it, they feel like they HAVE to get it or risk getting left behind.

 

Referees from countries that we haven't seen in a while (and maybe ever) in the group stage of the CL.

Bulgarian, Isreali and Latvian referees on some relatively important games that actually could have an impact on who will qualify out of the group.

I wonder if there is anything to read into Skomina's countryman and not Skomina himself getting the more important Manchester match.

 

MassachusettsRef said "BLR," and to FIFA that means Belarus, not Bulgaria.

 

Not loving Skomina's performance. Calling it very tight, and seems a little uneven in foul selection between MC and Hof.

 

Oops! Regardless, my point is probably even more valid since it is Belarus! You have to think the odds of a Bulgarian referee appearing in the CL proper, prior to this year at least, is greater than a Belorussian referee.

The fact that we can't say for sure is a testament to just how difficult it is to reach the CL group stage as a referee from the lesser countries.

Whatever people may think of Alan Kelly as a referee, the fact that he actually got to do CL group stage matches is quite remarkable (no matter how irrelevant they were).

 

So why did Kelly come to the US and give up the chance to grow in the UCL?

 

Actually, I have no idea. I do know that he originally came here for a desk job. Than the strike happened and he was put into field service. Was the desk job just a cover to get him here is anyone's guess.

 

http://global.espn.com/football/nap...rised-by-uefa-choice-for-referee-vs-liverpool

Should be a fun night in Naples tomorrow. Can't remember the last time Kassai had a "big" match, by the way.

 

It's interesting looking at what happens here. It looks to me that as the ball is going to the right side he is anticipating play setting up, and then when the ball is intercepted/deflected, he slows down, not realizing that the ball is actually going somewhere dangerous. And as he realizes he needs to sprint, he is caught behind two blue players--both slowing him down, and potentially interfering with a good view as he tried to navigate them (which we don't really see). But on the replay at about 28, when the contact takes place, it looks like he has navigated that to have an unobstructed view, but not at the distance he'd like, and not at a good angle to judge the GK.

I always want to learn from these, but I'm not sure what I can learn from this. It seems to me it was a mistake in anticipation (or perhaps 2) that led to him having to try to catch up. I'm guessing that once he was behind, he was trying first to get an unobstructed view as a priority over closing the distance.

 

I wondered about the AAR's view of the play. I don't know what kind of angle the AAR had - but I assume he would have had a good look.

 

I think it's a penalty, but lately there seems to be a general trend among referees at the highest level to lean towards simulation on plays like there where the attacker is just trying to get a touch ahead of the goal keeper.

Marrufo gave a simulation card on a play in an MLS game several weeks ago for something very similar.

Regardless of what the correct decision is, Skomina HAS to make a decision here. You can't chicken out and give goal kick. It's either simulation or a penalty.

I really can't stand when referees do this on plays like this. You are paid the big bucks to make a decision here.

 

I pretty much agree--you can't give the PK or simulation card if you can't tell.

But --if the GK had the touch, then it would have been a CK, not a GK, as there is no subsequent contact back to the attacker.

Perhaps his decision (from not great position) was that the kicker had overplayed the ball and could not have gotten to it, so any contact by the keeper was trifling, but there was enough contact not to call simulation?

Would VAR award this as a PK? In MLS? In WC?

 

I couldn't tell from the clip--what happened to set the GK off?

I'm really curious what the GK said to get the second--I'm wondering if it was really OFFINABUS but the R went with dissent as it was still a send off. I wonder that because I'm surprised to see a second dissent card that quickly, especially with a teammate herding him away already--I would think he'd have to have said something pretty awful to pick up a second one that quickly at the professional level.