If you are going to use the VAR like this and have the referees forget basic state level referee training, you might as well just use local guys from Russia next year and save money on room and board next year. The whole incident was terribly handled prior to the VAR and then you waste every one's time to produce only three yellow cards. "Nothing but positive results."
It took 4 minutes to give 3 yellow cards on a play that should have easily had a yellow and red without video intervention. Then video intervention gives a single yellow card (ignoring the first two incidents, including the initial foul--which is a clear violation of protocol). How New Zealand #5 only gets a yellow is beyond me. And I'm pretty sure there were other potential reds that were simply ignored. Gassama was lost throughout the whole thing. It is amazing that he returned to the field to give a single yellow after looking at the review and it was for something unrelated to the initial incident. It's a dereliction of duty to ignore the first incident and have to then be told by the VAR who to book after Gassama already did his review. He wasn't incredibly good during other key points in the match, so part of it just might be on him. But it was not a good advertisement for VAR.
I saw 3 reds. #5 for NZ for VC and Herrera VC for the head butt. Not sure who tossed the punch but it was a green shirt. The last 10 minutes were a disaster. Marquez has a launch with no card, a clear tactical arm pull with no card and then the 10 yards of shirt pull with no card. I'm guessing thats a failed assessment.
That was a completely disastrous use of VAR. Why have it if the referee can miss so much that obviously needed to be carded?
I don't know if it is just me, but has anyone noticed that they are showing way less replays on the broadcasts of the games. I watched Russia vs. Portugal and there was a half-hearted penalty appeal by Russia late in the second half. Looked like a Portugal player jumped on top of a Russian player during a loose bal in the box. Russian player appealed, but no replay every shown on TV. Could it be that FIFA are telling the TV feed to show less replays on TV so no outrage when VAR isn't used?
That was an utter disgrace. Can't wait for VAR to come to MLS and have our referees completely ignore VC like Gassama did. Complete waste of time
There's also the issue of the VAR only intervening if there's been a missed incident or a clear red card in the VAR's eyes. This incident wasn't missed. So the VAR was (rightly) saying there was a potential red card here. Yet Gassama goes over and only sees something worth a yellow (the headbutt, right?). And then he has to be told/reminded that he missed the initial yellow card on Mexico #5 and, oh yeah, by the way, the VC on New Zealand #5, too (but just go ahead and give yellow for that since you're not pulling red for anything, anyway). By the protocols, there should be no way that Gassama fails to give the first caution for the shirt hold and then gets it through the VAR. The foul was called. The incident was not missed. It was not a red card. The more I think about each aspect of this whole thing, the more I realize that quite literally almost everything was done wrong.
This was an absolute shitshow. Gassama was more concerned with playing advantage at every opportunity than dealing with even the most basic acts of misconduct. Then of course it devolves into mass confrontation, and they can't even get it right with replays. Embarrassing.
or what happened to the old fashioned - hey officials, once the s-storm died down, let's get our players and numbers correct, and then issue cards. yellow to shirt pull, red to boxall, red to herrerra and red to smith from new zealand Even with no VAR, what would Gassama have done. has this hurt his chances at the world cup next year
We will never know what the conversation was, but this can't be all on him. Either those 3 referees, in those sharp uniforms staring at a monitor all game, told him that a red card needed to be produced and he just ignored them or four highly trained FIFA officials (3 VARs and one on field official) all watched the same thing and came to the conclusion that no red card was needed there. I have a hard time believing the former happened. Either way, I don't know what situation is more preposterous or absurd. Maybe this is what FIFA wants from the system? We've now seen more than once that they don't want VARs producing red cards no matter how obvious it is.
Not bring him back to Russia next year, too. Insofar as the tournament and discipline goes, if that is what you're asking, I'd say nothing. If there was some really gross violent conduct that was missed (think about Suarez and the biting in 2014), they could/would act. But not for something like this where no one is injured and it's too difficult to discern one act that stood out. As for VAR, maybe this will help refine the protocols. For mass confrontations, the VAR should--in my opinion--be able to simply tell the referee who to send off, if necessary. There's already too much going on with the referee and his mine is preoccupied and his adrenaline is up. If you're going to discipline people here, let the VAR do it. And hopefully FIFA makes clear--to the public, teams, and referees--that regardless of the subjective decisions, the protocols were violated. The first shirt pull has to be a yellow before VAR is consulted--period. Aside from that, I think they need to use this as a teaching lesson. I wish FIFA would clearly say who should have got sanctioned with red cards and why, but I'm pretty sure they won't.
Right. That was supposed to happen here with VAR, too. Not sure about the red to Smith (what was that for?) or a red, maybe, to Mexico #8. Those are the type of things that maybe VAR helps with. But three cards could and should have been issued before VAR was ever consulted.
smith, comes running in about 50 yards, and is actually looking to fight with a mexican player, as in let's rumble.
Gassama is really a good referee. But it seems that the VAR has really gone over his head. Never seen him badly referee a match (and I've seen him like 15+ times), but this was wow... I can't even defend him. But really I must underline this - Gassama is a really really good referee and not just by African standards. If there was one referee from Africa I would blindly suggest to the World Cup its this guy... But he messed this up so royally though...
OK --- a question --- generally FIFA will not issue post match cards if the referee saw the incident during the game and didn't call it. If that is the case, does the VAR then mean that there is NO recourse after the game to hand out additional penalties?
Gassama had a good game in WC14 and probably deserved a second match. I've heard reports that he does well in CAF competitions. But let's not pretend the VAR mass confrontation was the only thing wrong with his performance today. In fact, the mass confrontation was a direct result of his performance in the match, his inability to have any rapport with or management of players, and his decision not to intervene and issue misconduct in several places where he should or could have. He was pretty poor start to finish. And if you can do that in a Mexico v New Zealand Confed Cup match, that doesn't give me much confidence in him handling a testy World Cup match next year. Africa probably gets 2 or 3 referees next year. Gassama is the only candidate with on-field experience in 2014. That normally would give him a leg up. But this performance was shocking, while Grisha and Alioum and Sikazwe all did pretty well in Korea. Unless there are some political issues I'm unaware of, this is the kind of performance that can--and, quite frankly should--leave Gassama at home. All referees being considered for the World Cup are good referees to some degree, but no referee who is one of the best three in his continent should be capable of that.
There's no "generally." FIFA will never issue post-match cards. On rare occasions (it's happened twice ever at a World Cup--once in 1994 and once in 2014), they will issue suspensions for really egregious on-field actions that were missed by the referee. VAR won't change that. You could conceivably have something surface after-the-match that VAR didn't notice in real-time because it was so far off-the-ball or play restarted too quickly or something similar. But it will still be rare.
Didn't watch the whole game, just watched the final 15 minutes (what was the general problem with his refereeing?). Maybe just a bad day at the office? Or possibly his lenient type of refereeing was badly fitted to this game? Can't comment. But I'm shocked he did so badly.
I just cannot get over what I saw. Roughly the last 10 minutes were a disaster. Marquez easily could have/should have been shown yellow for a two footed launch. It was a textbook definition of reckless. Whistle but no card. 5 minutes later Marquez gets caught and is beat so he offers up a textbook professional foul by just grabbing the arm of the NZ player and pulls him around. No card. If he cards the first incident you never get the second and NZ gets a nice attack. Then the 10 yards of shirt pull and resulting mass confrontation. That's about as bad a 10 minutes as a ref can have. Any ref. Much less someone with a fancy white badge.
I watched only sparingly the second half. There was one incident in that second half that summed him up for. New Zealand and Mexico player get tangled up down the right wing right next to the AR after a clean slide tackle by the Mexican player. Mexican player is down trying to get up and the New Zealand player just runs over him/knees him as he is getting up. There was no need to do that. He could have just gone around him. Completely dick move. Mexican player jumps up and almost retaliates, but keeps his cool. Easy yellow card, maybe even a red in an amateur match. Gassama goes over there and gives him a warning.
Problem is that Gassama - prior to this game - was widely regarded as one of Africa's best, if not the best. This performance leaves a big Gassama hole who was a surefire CAF rep at the World Cup. Sidi Alioum and Janny Sikazwe are great calls though. Sikazwe also had a great African Cup of Nations and - in my opinion - a great Club World Cup. Two finals in two major tournaments show how highly regarded he is. Probably Africa's best at the moment. Grisha or Bennett also options. I would have expected Diedhiou, but he's the VAR referee in the Mexico - New Zealand game and I wonder how culpable he will be for today's debacle.
100% this. This was the moment when I knew this crew wasn't up to the challenge (there were indications prior). On top of just giving him the warning, he did so in an almost pleading way and got absolutely nothing from the exchange, as the New Zealand player was essentially walking away the whole time Gassama talked to him. No presence. No effective body language. If there was a moment the match was lost and the fuse for the mass confrontation got lit, this was it.