Matchday 5 Cologne - Eintracht Frankfurt Martin Petersen, Michael Emmer, Tobias Reichel, Christian Bandurski, Wolfgang Stark Hertha Berlin - Schalke Deniz Aytekin, Eduard Beitinger, Jan Neitzel-Petersen, Alexander Sather, Benjamin Brand Freiburg - Hannover Tobias Stieler, Sven Waschitzki, Christian Gittelmann, Thomas Stein, Robert Hartmann Mönchengladbach - Stuttgart Sören Storks, Thorben Siewer, Christian Fischer, Frederick Assmuth, Wolfgang Stark Schalke - Bayern Munich Marco Fritz, Dominik Schaal, Marcel Pelgrim, Dr. Robert Kampka, Bastian Dankert Augsburg - RB Leipzig Daniel Siebert, René Rohde, Jan Seidel, Arno Blos, Christian Dingert Hamburg - Dortmund Felix Zwayer, Thorsten Schiffner, Marco Achmüller, Sven Jablonski, Benjamin Cortus Mainz - Hoffenheim Manuel Gräfe, Guido Kleve, Markus Sinn, Christof Günsch, Guido Winkmann Wolfsburg - Werder Bremen Dr. Felix Brych, Mark Borsch, Stefan Lupp, Lasse Koslowski, Guido Winkmann Stark is busy with 4 video assistant appointments in 6 days. Debut for Thomsen. Gräfe and Brych are back.
Am I mistaken in my understanding that this wasn't given as a penalty via VR? This was last week and Aytekin was VAR. https://streamable.com/mhz7e
You're not mistaken. Casteels was also already on a yellow - not sure how he got away with nothing here even with VR.
Strange scene in Dortmund - Cologne (min 1:57 of the video). The referee, Patrick Ittrich, blowed for an offensive foul on the Cologne goalkeeper as the ball fell to a Dortmund player who put it into the net. After consulting with video assistant Brych, however, a goal was given. Cologne filed a protest for the game to be replayed. It ended 5-0 to Dortmund, so I doubt the protest will be upheld, but it's also quite clear that the law was misapplied here (much like Irmatov at Confederations Cup 2013), with the video assistant playing a key role. http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussbal...-fc-koeln-der-legt-protest-ein-a-1168370.html
From what I read, the sound transmitted to the video assistant only includes the referee's voice, while all whistles are filtered out. Therefore Brych most likely didn't hear Ittrich's whistle before the goal. Another problem with technology...
My explanation is that the attacker and the goalkeeper were both moving to the ball and the keeper got to it first - therefore the attacker shouldn't be there. I can't think of any other explanation, because he definitely endangered the attacker.
I hope I'm not the only one that thinks that's a send off. I also thought Nauer should have been sent in the Higuain collision. Leading with the knee when jumping (not straight up) knowing you are going to collide with an opponent - I never see this in the games I do but please tell me if I'm way off base here.
I dislike the need to always reference back to the Neuer incident because I believe that one was extraordinarily complicated--both because of the nature and location of the contest for the ball as well as the match circumstances, where expecting a call in that match on something that typically doesn't get called was unfair to Rizzoli. That said, yes, this should be a send off and a penalty because there's no need to raise the knee like that and there should be no way to argue that's not a foul. And particularly with a VAR, if a culture is going to be changed around this sort of unnecessary contact with the head, we now have the tools to do it and no excuses. Yet, nothing. Everything about this play is a disaster and every single official on the field bears responsibility. The negligence shown in not stopping play immediately is appalling.
The other explanation is that we are in year 153 of the "let goalkeepers get away with murder" interpretation of the Laws of the Game, with no sign of improvement.
If one runs and jumps one tends to rise the knee, and GKs tends to do that a lot to pick balls from air. Not unlike what also happens with elbows while jumping. That said this was an atrocious situation that should have been immediately stopped. Maybe all players should wear soft caps on knees and elbows to reduce unwanted impacts.
While not a BL match, an interesting play in German 3rd division: The German press is calling it the Carl Zeiss Skandaltor. Nico Granatowski of third division Meppen noticed an injured Jena player, so he stopped with the ball at his feet and pointed to the fallen Julian Günther-Schmid. While Granatowski expected an injury stoppage, Jena’s Sören Eismann swooped for the ball and scored the first of his two goals to earn Jena a 2-2 tie. Futile Meppen protests ensued. The play in question takes place around the 1:05 mark (sorry, I don't know how to edit): While I understand that he technically can do this, I'm curious as to how the refs here feel about this situation and what, if anything, you would do in a similar circumstance. Thanks.
Well intentioned stupidity from the white player. Followed by a cheap and unsporting move from the blue player. Capped off by shocking ignorance from the referee. It's a formula for disaster. The white player should have never taken this risk in the middle of the field. The blue player should have never dribbled on goal (that is if you want to be generous and presume he didn't realize why the blue player was stopping; if you don't want to be that generous, he should have never dispossessed the blue player in the first place). And the referee should have never allowed play to continue once the dispossession took place, because he knew why the white player stopped. Per the Laws, is everything fine here? Yeah, sure. Football expects better, though, as David Elleray would say. And all three critical actors failed here, each one more than the next.
While I completely agree with this statement, I know something of the other side. My son is a collegiate GK (and BTW a darn good referee who was sent to regional ODP by STSR). He been to pretty high level training camps for GKs, including Tony DiCicco's invitation only GK camp in Florida. He would say he is taught to do that as protection against oncoming players. And that's how you jump one legged. The other automatically goes up. Its kinematics.. The issue comes in when someone goes up and purposefully drives the knee through another player. And my son will readily admit hes done that before. He knows as a referee that hes gotten away with it as a player. He gets away with tons of dangerous/borderline malicious knees and slides. As a GK. As a referee he sees it and seems to know when its over the edge and cards GKs. As a player he takes every advantage he can and he knows what he can get away with. Because of the "let GKs get away with murder" interpretation. I hassle him on his "Want the cake and eat it too" philisophy. And to be clear I am not advocating for GKs to get away with that. I punish that. But I see his side.
VAR finds a handball in the 23rd minute of Bayern Munich-Schalke game. Honestly, I don't see how could be deemed deliberate. Seems to be a recurring problem with VAR.
Until there is actual instruction at that highest level on what is okay and what is not from goalkeepers, incidents like this will continue to happen. Only when a player has to go to the hospital does the media and coaches scream outrage.
Apparently Aytekin, like referee Guido Winkmann, evaluated the scene as an "unfortunate collision". Referee chief Hellmut Krug said that the decision was "borderline but justifiable". On the other hand, Dr. Markus Merk (who is a dentist and should know this kind of pain well), said that Casteels used his knee "as a weapon" and that it was at least a second yellow and a penalty.
I get where you are coming from. I too was a GK and was taught this technique. However the proper technique is to put our knee across the body not straight up like in this particular play. This way if there is a midair collision your leg protects the body but it does not injure the opposing player. As a player I used this techniques both way. I recall in a HS game many many years ago, I got hurt on a play bu a dirty player when I was taken out from underneath I landed awkwardly and had the wind knocked out of me. On the next areal challenge I put my knee into his back, the icing on the cake was that he was taken off the field and was called for a foul. I never started with dirty play, but once I saw it or experienced it I sure followed through. To me this was a send off.
In years past, at the FIFA level Bob Evans and Ed Bellion both have Ph.D. degrees but seldom used the title in soccer circles. At a lower pro level, Herb Silva is a dentist (DDS), but again does not use the title in soccer circles. Joe Machnik has an Ed.D., and uses the title in soccer work, hence "Dr. Joe." Other older high level members of the referee community with doctorates include Don Wilbur, and Dave McKee but they also generally did not use the title. In the younger generation there are several referees both male and female at the National level with doctorates and I believe one of the current female FIFA list also has a doctorate as well as Christina Unkel who is a lawyer. One of the previous Canadian FIFA referees, Bourdeau, also had a Ph.D. A previous member of the US FIFA list claimed to have a Ph.D. in Psychology but it turned out to be a fake. PH
Matchday 6 Bayern Munich - Wolfsburg: Christian Dingert, Tobias Christ, Timo Gerach, Arno Blos, Marco Fritz Dortmund - Mönchengladbach: Manuel Gräfe, Guido Kleve, Markus Sinn, Frank Willenborg, Wolfgang Stark RB Leipzig - Eintracht Frankfurt: Benjamin Brand, Robert Schröder, Frederick Assmuth, Norbert Grudzinski, Markus Schmidt Hoffenheim - Schalke: Sascha Stegemann, Mike Pickel, Michael Emmer, Martin Petersen, Bastian Dankert Werder Bremen - Freiburg: Robert Hartmann, Christian Leicher, Markus Schüller, Benedikt Kempkes, Günter Perl Bayer Leverkusen - Hamburg: Dr. Robert Kampka, Benedikt Kempkes, Markus Häcker, Christof Günsch, Wolfgang Stark Mainz - Hertha Berlin: Tobias Stieler, Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck, Alexander Sather, Mark Borsch, Benjamin Cortus Hannover - Cologne: Daniel Siebert, Lasse Koslowski, Jan Seidel, Christian Fischer, Tobias Stieler Stuttgart - Augsburg: Harms Osmers, Florian Heft, Thomas Gorniak, Thorsten Schiffner, Patrick Ittrich Gräfe back big time with the Borussia derby, Stark continues to have two VA appointments per matchday, Brych and Zwayer both with Second League matches.
Matchday 7 Cologne - RB Leipzig: Felix Zwayer, Thorsten Schiffner, Marco Achmüller, Thorben Siewer, Benjamin Brand Hertha Berlin - Bayern Munich: Harm Osmers, Florian Heft, Thomas Gorniak, Dr. Martin Thomsen, Sascha Stegemann Freiburg - Hoffenheim: Daniel Siebert, Lasse Koslowski, Jan Seidel, Rafael Foltyn, Wolfgang Stark Mönchengladbach - Hannover: Christian Dingert, Tobias Christ, Mike Pickel, Patrick Ittrich, Wolfgang Stark Schalke - Leverkusen: Guido Winkmann, Christian Bandurski, Arno Blos, Robert Schröder, Dr. Jochen Drees Eintracht Frankfurt - Stuttgart: Dr. Felix Brych, Mark Borsch, Stefan Lupp, Daniel Schlager, Bastian Dankert Augsburg - Borussia Dortmund: Marco Fritz, Dominik Schaal, Marcel Pelgrim, Tobias Reichel, Dr. Jochen Drees Hamburg - Werder Bremen: Deniz Aytekin, Christian Dietz, Eduard Beitinger, Markus Häcker, Günter Perl Wolfsburg - Mainz: Robert Hartmann, Michael Emmer, Markus Schüller, René Rohde, Tobias Stieler Osmers with Bayern's first match after Ancelotti sacking, Stark and Drees with two VA appearances.
Matchday 8, Friday Stuttgart - Cologne: Benjamin Cortus, Daniel Schlager, Florian Badstübner, Christian Leicher, Harm Osmers
Bayern Munich - Freiburg: Frank WIllenborg, Arne Aarnink, Holger Henschel, Dominik Schaal, Dr. Jochen Drees Hoffenheim - Augsburg: Manuel Gräfe, Guido Kleve, Markus Sinn, Sören Storks, Christian Dingert Hertha Berlin - Schalke: Benjamin Brand, Robert Schröder, Frederick Assmuth, Christian Leicher, Robert Hartmann Mainz - Hamburg: Dr. Felix Brych, Mark Borsch, Stefan Lupp, Robert Kempter, Marco Fritz Hannover - Eintracht Frankfurt: Bastian Dankert, Markus Häcker, Sven Waschitzki, Alexander Sather, Daniel Siebert Dortmund - RB Leipzig: Deniz Aytekin, Rafael Foltyn, Eduard Beitinger, Guido Winkmann, Günter Perl Leverkusen - Wolfsburg: Patrick Ittrich, Norbert Grudzinski, Sascha Thielert, Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck, Wolfgang Stark Bremen - Mönchengladbach: Markus Schmidt, Thorben Siewer, Christof Günsch, Christian Fischer, Dr. Robert Kampka. Aytekin with the big encounter, Steinhaus with a Second League match, still waiting for her second Bundesliga match.
I've given up on VAR. It just doesn't work, and there are too many instances to make me think otherwise. If it were my money to spend with referees, I think I'd still go with AARs first. They give you the goal line coverage that satisfies the removal of goal line technology plus gives you additional eyes on incidents in the penalty area. I still think Euro 2016 officiating was leaps and bounds better compared to other major tournaments that had other officiating changes but did not have AARs.