Match 1: MEX : RSA - SAMPAIO (BRA)

As a ESL speaker, it's gotta be nerve-wrecking SPEAKING in front of literal thousands...

 

Anyone know the exact details of the offside technology that buzzes the AR that a player is offside?

I get how the technology is there to identify that a player is an offside position.

But is it buzzing the entire time a player is an offside position even if he doesn't get the ball?

How can the technology tell that his teammate was the one that passed him the ball at the moment he was offside?

 

Ah, I stand corrected. Those were during live action? Wow.

 

First red card by VAR for violent conduct or SFP in World Cup history.

Safe to say that isn't being given in the last two World Cups.

By the way, what a terrible announcement by Sampaio. "Serious foul play?"

 

To me it’s about unsporting delay. Otherwise, all of us, players and refs, don’t mind a slow restart sometimes.

 

I would be fine with letting refs speak either English, French, or Spanish for announcements--I mean, why not Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country, especially when the host nation is playing? Presumably most Brazilian international refs speak better Spanish than English.

Of course there are lots of refs who don't speak any of those three languages natively, but I think it would help.

 

Completely disagree. S. African player was hip checked on his movement. Actually should have been a foul on the Mexican player. Then just a swim move by the S. African player to get around the Mexican player who was fouling him. IMO a terrible call. If the WC refereeing is going to be like this, this is not good.

 

What were the prop bet odds for three reds in the opening game?!

 

I think that's right.

 

All three red cards were defensible but will leave a sense of being a little soft in a lot of people's mouths.

 

No idea re the conditions he says are required. That was nonsense.

But I agree with his bottom line—that was DOGSO.