Match #18 Ukraine : North Macedonia Thursday, 17 June 2021 16:00 local time (09:00 EDT) Bucharest Referee: Fernando Andres Rapallini (ARG) AR1: Juan Pablo Belatti (ARG) AR2: Diego Yamil Bonfa (ARG) Fourth Official: Slavko Vinčić (SVN) Video Assistant Referee: Alejandro Hernández (ESP) AVAR 1: José María Sánchez (ESP) AVAR 2: Filippo Meli (ITA) AVAR 3: Juan Martínez Munuera (ESP)
I'm not watching but is Rapallini wearing a "UEFA Match Official" badge? Even though he technically isn't a UEFA match official. Or is he wearing his FIFA badge? That's a question that only referee nerds would care to ask.
Couldn't help but laugh when they brought it Clatts and asked if he had any experience officiating outside of UEFA. Um yeah. Yeah he does. Got paid well for it too.
On the other end, probably one of the first clear examples of a totally unnecessary delayed flag. Then an excellent simulation card. It was relatively easy, insofar as those go, but Rapallini's positioning was key. His fitness and positioning has been excellent so far; it's noticeable.
He's working a UEFA match, assigned directly by UEFA. For this match, he is a UEFA match official. Gil Manzano will wear a CONMEBOL badge tonight.
Good penalty decision--have to presume AR helped there. North Macedonia is lucky the goal-scorer put that rebound away. Pretty sure if any of the other nearby teammates converted, that was going to VAR for encroachment.
It's probably stating the obvious at this point, but any federation working to improve its elite refereeing should probably go spend some time in Argentina to see what they are doing. It's been a long, long time since I've noticed any obvious deficiences in their top 2-3 international guys (though, I do vaguely recall one guy got dropped heading into WC14 or 18).
I suppose the ball hitting his hand that was outside of protecting his face was enough to be consider handling. I guess were all trying to learn what is and isn't a handball now.
Clattenburg had good points on this. I don't like this send down given the standard that has been established with the rest of the event. I don't know anything about how long this referee has been training with the UEFA group, but the VAR is Spanish, so he would have been given the full briefing AND I ASSUME the referee has been given all of that same pre-tournament training too.
Most referees still do the warning on free kick walls. Players are quite literally told this will be called if it is seen. So I'm sort of not surprised, partciularly with a Spanish VAR, that this gets sent down. For me, the questions I have are around the conclusive angle shown in the RRA. It looks like the ball hit the outstretched arm but it also sort of looked like it hit #9's back, too. At the very least, i I was at the RRA I would have asked the VAR for a second angle. Awarding the penalty with only one angle is my big issue. I also wonder about the caution. Yes, a shot on goal is a yellow card. But are we sure from that angle and distance that the shot was on frame? It's one of those cheap cautions that is easy to give and sort of helps sell the call. But imagine if he was already on one? Yikes.
I've been pausing at times so catching up to live play. The replay from behind the wall that Clattenburg said "absolutely did not" change his opinion or whatever was the one that showed, to me, conclusively that this was the right call. Just surprised that--from everything I saw--Rapallini wasn't shown that angle at the RRA. If he was, I withdraw all my objections on the penalty decision. Though I still have qualms over the yellow card.
There is a long story about that guy, Diego Abal, for another day. Argentina is no.1 country in the world for refereeing IMO! Every single ref they sent to the WC since 1990 has been absolutely top class (Lamolina and Castrilli on a lower rung though). Rapallini is such a natural, always a pleasure to watch him.
Looking at it here North Macedonia actually does a pretty good job on its timing. there's one player in the arc but the rest of them seem to time it pretty dead on. (Kick taken at 0:47)
I've got two players clearly in the arc. The two that end up closest to the ball. Also remember that "pretty good" is not good enough. If the encroaching player scores the goal, it's VAR review--even if we are talking centimeters. EDIT to explain that the player who is sprinting from behind the arc has his back foot outside the arc when the ball is struck. But his front foot, while not on the ground, would be clearly past the plane of the arc (as well as the vast majority of the rest of his body).
I misunderstood, I thought you were saying that if any of the non-takers scored it it would be called back, which seemed harsh if the scorer hadn't encroached and the others were trifling. I understand if the scorer himself had encroached it would be called back even if his encroachment was trifling.
Sorry, my language here isn't clear. I might have made things even more confusing. Having watched the video you posted, what I am saying is that two attacking teammates encroached and ended up very close to the ball. If either one of those players had converted the rebound instead of the penalty taker, this would have gone to VAR review and would not have counted.
Yep, agreed. But if one of the non-encroaching players had converted the rebound that wouldn't have gone to VAR, despite other players encroaching, right?
Correct. Though I suppose if an encroaching player had interfered with a defender's ability to clear the rebound, that would be subject to review. This is one of those areas of VAR case law that still seems to be in the process of being established.
Oh boy. This was that change that I didn't really understand at the time and clearly also forgot about. I'll have to go look. But if it's strictly true about two feet literally on the ground... well, you can envisage some pretty farcical scenarios where players try to time things and launch themselves into the PA at exactly the right moment. I still think my overall point that started this holds, by the way! But maybe I regret raising it.