He’s looking back at his trail AR like “now what do I do?” He genuinely had no clue what he had done.
It’s one of my biggest fears (having done it) is forgetting who’s on a yellow. It looks bad and is bad when a sendoff is not the result you intended. At this level do the other ref’s not help the center? “Hey remember #x is on a yellow” ?
What do you mean by send off is not what you intended? Meaning that the player did a yellow card worthy offense but because it would have been his second you let him get away with it?
Meaning that you give them a soft caution for their second caution unintentionally. A second caution should be worthwhile.
I think brilliant defenders like Van Dijk have got away with that foul for decades because they know the referee can't see it and they can't see what the can't call. I also believe at some point circa 2016 some people probably made arguments that VAR would ensure brilliant defenders like Van Dijk couldn't cheat like that anymore at the professional level because the cameras would catch the foul in high-definition and officials would be obligated to give the penalty and red card. Yet here we are.
So I'm either equally or more floored than you are. I've found myself just simply thinking about this from time-to-time today for no reason whatsoever because it's that dumb. In some ways, I could probably write an essay critiquing Tierney here but in others, it's just so blatantly stupid that I don't even know where to begin. The one thought I keep coming to is that Newcastle was kicking off. Why not just hold onto the ball and hand it to their center forward when he approaches you? That was always my default move; particularly in youth and amateur games, it gives you as a referee a quick chance to make a personal connection (or size someone up if no such connection is apparent--nothing was more helpful or clarifying than getting ZERO personal connection from a men's amateur player who you just met when you hand them the ball). At the professional level, that's needed less but I still always found that quick human touch helpful. If Tierney holds the ball in his hand until Newcastle is ready to kickoff, then what is Chelsea going to do? And particularly given Tierney knew this would happen and had his crew talk to Chelsea about it. Huh? You knew it was happening and this was your plan? C'mon. Either let it happen (and stand where the circle intersects the midfield line) because it's not a big deal OR work to prevent it with an easy audible to your procedures. There is no reason whatsoever that this had to happen other than Tierney was not smart enough to prevent it. I don't know, man. It's just galactically stupid. More and more I actually worry that most elite referees are playing checkers when we used to have a lot of chess players.
I expected to click on this video hoofing to be pleasantly surprised but instead I just see an attacker flopping and winning a penalty kick for very, very light contact.
And roll the tape back to 67’ when Atwell ignored what looked like a two handed push in the PA that was just as bad that 15-20 seconds later ended with a ball in the net the other way. My admitted red colored glasses were seeing red for other reasons.
I have absolutely zero doubt whatsoever that he thought he was calling a pulling/holding foul. I am beyond confident in this. Look at the way Maguire mimes that he didn't pull or hold. He saw an arm and the player go down, so he called it a hold. I think if he actually saw what the contact was, there's a very good chance he doesn't give it. That said, once given, with the high bar for VAR intervention in England, it stands. On the one hand, yes. On the other, Maguire is completely beat and he turns to put his arm on the opponent's chest to slow him down or impede him. His design and intent is to stop an OGSO through foul means. Agree the player goes down easy rather than try to play through it. But as much as I agree with that framing 100%, I keep going back to the idea of a defender not just doing something silly that could be punished, but intending to do exactly what the law is mean to prevent or punish. It's soft contact, but there's also clear malice here. I am sure most English observers don't want this foul, but if we want to reward attacking soccer and punish cynical play, I don't have much problem with this being red. So I went and looked and I am a bit torn on this one. There is probably more force in any push here and there are two hands, so from a degree of physicality it is "worse." But the attacker is really nowhere and if we're talking about going down from contact that doesn't make you go down, that applies here, too. And this is the classic case where the attacker is still in possession of the ball and not really disadvantaged. The defender has done something silly, but not cynical. I guess I could probably talk in circles here. In most games, this is nothing. It's beyond soft. We don't give this act as a foul. The problem is that in the very same game Maguire does something comparable, with less physicality, but far more cynical. I land on Maguire's being something we want to punish and the one that would have gone against Bournemouth being something we are supposed to ignore. It's just unfortunate they end up in the same game, minutes apart, with both being very consequential. It does feel inconsistent to an extent, but I can defend both individual judgments. Of course, this is an example of what makes officiating our sport so challenging.
I will wager that if the ball was not in the net the other way within 20 seconds that the push at 67’ gets called down by VAR. There is no chance in the world that an English VAR calls down anything that would annul a goal at the other end.
Disagree here. VAR intervention level is so high in England. That’s not given via VAR in England no matter what. And for what it’s worth, neither is Maguire’s (witness the VVD pull that wasn’t given a week ago). Also, as much as I hate in English officiating, everyone worldwide very much has the idea that the outcome of the play does not matter hammered into them. They are making immediate assessments on the merits of the check/possible review. If this was at the level of intervention for the EPL, it would have happened. But it’s just not.
This is also why, to me, the people who equivocate tangentially related incidents as “the same thing, and therefore the ref is inconsistent” are usually incorrect. Outside of occurring in the penalty area, the circumstances with both of these decisions are somewhat different, like you described; positions of the attacker, position of the defender, the actual action the defender is doing. In fact, despite there being a shirt pull involved, I think the penalty+spa YC that Atwell gave in 59’ is more similar in mechanism to the penalty+RC he gave, than the two debated incidents.
One more thing missed on this play... in the first half, maybe 15 min or so (iirc) there was a push worse than those two in the second half that he waved off, and VAR did not intervne. On that first half one, I an almost promise MLS VAR would have sent down. But in EPL, no send down. So, the one in 67 minute goes uncalled as well, and that's fine. It equalizes now. Both teams had similar offenses waived off. That leads to the one that was called. Also, I'd add that Maguire celebrated like he scored an amazing header, and replay shows it was an on goal, which is kind of a punk move... so the send off is a bit of soccer karma. Not saying that Atwell even thought about that, but sort of neat how it all worked out.
Maguire got the attention Friday for a "soft" DOGSO red, but I'm also (pleasantly) surprised this was given yesterday at 9:41 in the highlights below: Of course, I also think this is just all a crapshoot at this point. If Kavanagh had not given this, there'd be no VAR intervention. And I also don't think this is given in a bigger match or against a bigger club (and I'm someone who has historically hated that argument, but I fear it's become truer in the VAR age).
Martinelli of Arsenal just shoves the referee ,with his team losing 2-1, out of the way trying to do a quick restart after a card was shown and the referee gives him a yellow. What is exactly the justification for the yellow in the laws of the game? UB - Game disrepute? Dissent - By action?
truth be told, I am not totally convinced that he knew it was the referee who was standing there. But if he did know, that has to be red.
So here's how this goes... A) He doesn't give the red card. The incident gets clipped and shared like this, with pretty much all actual comments being "that's a red, you can't do that" and the like. No stories written. No comments from Arteta. No mass mobbing. No days of analysis about how "well by the letter of the law Martinelli was silly, but..." B) He gives the red card. All the things in Path A above happen. He doesn't referee Arsenal again for a year and he's possibly toxic in big matches for the rest of the season. Referee forums and a minority of online commenters defend him.
Though I have to admit I'd be leaning yellow outside the Area. 📸 - STACH IS LEAVING THE PITCH DUE TO INJURY! https://t.co/AnoPfukBJt— LIVE GOALS (@FTLiveGoals) April 5, 2026
England, man. The way he takes out the left leg late is definitionally reckless. VAR has to intervene. But it’s England.