How much of a suspension can be passed on but the recommendation of if the laws had been applied correctly to get us to a place where a suspension may be warranted is a referee decision. The second Nani issues specifically would/should never be overturned by a panel of referees. There is just not enough evidence to do so. The assault incident should be pursued simply due to the precedent it sets.
So the Inside Video Review is out. What I like about what Barkey/Inside Video Review does is show you all four angles, and man, that is a red card. Barkey's explanation of why it was rescinded is...less than convincing ("While the contact occurred straight-leg, studs into his opponent's ankle, because it occurred after his opponent had already played the ball it lacked the intensity of disproportionate force..."). What in the world? Its not a red card because his opponent had already played the ball? But the shocking thing is what Barkey did next. he compared the Nani reversal tot he Marshall reversal from 2018! That was the red card that VAR Gantar recommended to Toledo, who gave it, the league reversed it, and then soccer america/Seattle news ran a story with extensive quotes from Gantar about how obviously anybody who knows anything about soccer knows that was a red card, including Gantar showing the reporter video of it on his cell phone!--easily the most gutsy press move of a referee in PRO history and one that would have shamed the review committee if they were capable of it). Present day: Barkey's point is that in both cases the replay makes them look like obvious reds if you look at the freeze frame. However, in both cases they should not have been given because of reasons. Ironcialy, the comparison to Marshall's red card is apt. They are both very similar. Both are players that the league didn't want to miss another game. So VAR not withstanding, those cards are reversed. I don't think the comparison of Nanis' red to Marshall's is going to have the effect on the PRO referees that Barkey is going for. He might be trying to teach them that stills can lie, but they are going to take the lesson that some players just shouldn't be red carded. Then Barkey ends with the red card in LA vs. Vancouver. I mean that is obviously red and a good use of VAR. But it also undoes all the dancing Barkey did with Marshall and Nani. Honestly that play is not significantly different than Marshall's at all. Barkey is in a tricky situation, having to defend the reversals which I can't imagine he agrees with. But him showing the Marshall thing fascinates me. It makes me wonder if it is Barkey's way of showing the review committee how insane their Nani reversal is? But no, I bet he's playing it straight. He probably really thinks the Vancouver red is fundamentally different than Marshall/Nani.
I think you can draw a line between those--there was significantly less speed/force on the Nani play. I'm not saying that we should draw the line there, but there is a real difference. We seem to be continuing to see the pendulum swing in the direction of preferring yellow over red on plays that would have been seen as red not too many years ago. Almost seems we need a couple of serious injuries on "yellow" plays to move back the other direction.
If we had a crop of PRO refs all about to retire it would be the greatest gift they could give the next generation. Just throw your red cards away and let pandemonium ensue. then when asked why: “well you kept overturning them. So why give them out.”
I agree, but I'm specifically talking about the LA/Vancouver red (I think tiw as Araujo) that he ended the episode with and the Marshall challenge he showed. Both were yellow in real time, both upgraded to red, both were almost the same kind of tackle--same motion, same point of contact. And they should both be red cards. Nani's should too by the way. That was a straight leg tackle, studs up, and into the opponents ankle. This is the same Nani who...well, lets just say he has several noteworthy send-offs under his belt. This is not some college kid on a late lunge (if it was Araujo, he is like 18 years old or something--not even sure he graduated HS). It is not some choir boy (remember, that's how they justified Marshall's reversal is that everyone in the league who knows him knows he would never, ever, ever rake some dude's calf). It is freaking Nani going in on a straight leg challenge with studs to the ankle that makes the VAR say "stop the presses." Soccer players don't challenge like that unless they have lost their cool.
Marshall was not initially cautioned for that challenge. It was a "gotcha" call where they found what looked a bad point of contact and ran with it. Fooled me at the time, but it shouldn't have. It's not solid contact. Nani's challenge was much worse than Marshall, to the point where I really wanted them to say that they would expect check complete if red was the call in the field. Would think the comparison is less to highlight similarities and more to show that it's been 2+ years since the last such error.
This was my interpretation of its inclusion as well. Barley makes a point to highlight that the last time they incorrectly upgraded to a red card (for SFP?) was in 2018. To me it seems like he’s trying to get ahead of the “PRO sucks as usual” PR train by reminding everyone that it’s been so long since the last time such an “error” was made (and no, I do not think this should have been considered an error at all... I think this was a clear red card and Rivero was right to intervene).
Kyle Beckerman retired, which leads to this interesting stat. It is truly poetic that the first and last cards of Kyle Beckerman's MLS career were both issued by Kevin Stott. That last card was red because of course it was. #RSL #Rapids96 #MLSRefStats— MLS Referee Stats (@MLSRefStats) December 22, 2020
His first yellow was for the Rapids against DC in April 2002. Last card was the second caution for RSL against Vancouver in September 2020.
Would Kyle Beckerman be the US leader in the “Sergio Ramos hat trick” - games with a goal, an assist, and a card?