2018 FIFA World Cup Finals

[C-ZETA]

The Spain goal showed how VAR is meant to be. The Portugal-Iran game showed how it really shouldn't be.

Hopefully they just tell the ref to pack his bags and that'll be that. Need to train all refs how to use it properly before it should be brought into full-on worldwide use.

 

[ASH32]

Meanwhile Spain had a goal disallowed for offside which was given by VAR. A near perfect example of how it can work, it just took 30 seconds too long when the first replay was obvious.

Yes and it's not the VAR that's the problem (although things can always be made better), it's the terrible refs that even get decisions wrong when they are watching the game on a tele. Also imagine how many wrong decisions would have been made without the VAR, it's a far greater number than the terrible ones made whilst using it.

Then again half or more of these wrong decisions are probably on purpose anyway and when the on-field referee has the final say he can still fix or just be a 🤬 if he so choses, even with the VAR in place and that part doesn't sit right with me.

 

[Touring Mars]

I'm still at a loss to figure out how the referee and the entire VAR team can get some of these calls wrong when they are so obviously wrong.

The Spain goal was a good example of VAR working as it should work, but they are getting it wrong as often as they are getting it right.

One thing it is succeeding in doing is totally undermining the referee on the pitch and opening him up to challenge from players and managers while the game is in play - at least without VAR they just had to suck it up... now it seems the more you complain about something, the more likely it is you can get a bad decision made in your favour.

 

[Dennisch]

Reading all the posts about tonight's games, I am glad I didn't watch them. I was hoping that the VAR would change things, but all it does is delay the game. The ridiculous decisions keep on piling up, might as well stop with the VAR in this tournament as it is clear that this way it isn't working, or at least not consistent enough.

 

[girabyt3]

Reading all the posts about tonight's games, I am glad I didn't watch them. I was hoping that the VAR would change things, but all it does is delay the game. The ridiculous decisions keep on piling up, might as well stop with the VAR in this tournament as it is clear that this way it isn't working, or at least not consistent enough.

Controversy will always be controversy

 

[PzR Slim]

 

[zzz_pt]

The Italian in the VAR today (Portugal vs Iran) was the same from Portugal vs Spain. That explains a lot.

Now we're on the "worst side" of the tournament:

Uruguay
France
Nigeria
Argentina
Brazil
Germany
England

The way to the final would be smoother on the other side.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Tuesday
Australia v Peru (C 3pm)
Denmark v France (C 3pm)
Iceland v Croatia (D 7pm)
Nigeria v Argentina (D 7pm)

Wednesday
Mexico v Sweden (F 3pm)
South Korea v Germany (F 3pm)
Switzerland v Costa Rica (E 7pm)
Serbia v Brazil (E 7pm)

Thursday
Senegal v Colombia (H 3pm)
Japan v Poland (H 3pm)
Panama v Tunisia (G 7pm)
England v Belgium (G 7pm)

All Kick-off times are GMT.

Nigeria v Argentina tomorrow night is massive.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Shame I can't watch Australia vs Peru tomorrow morning. I just hope that they win the game and stay in the contest.

 

[Bealdor]

VAR is proving to be a liabilty at this level... what a total farce.

Still, Iran were so close to winning the damn group there! Incredible!!

Let's face it, that was a terrible game of football - and some barmy decisions on VAR as well... the only saving grace is that Portugal didn't win the group, thanks to a late goal from Spain and an awful penalty decision for Iran. That said, I don't believe Ronaldo's penalty should have been given either, and I'm glad he missed - and he is a lucky boy not to have been sent off and be suspended for their next game.

What was wrong with Portugal's penalty? It was a clear foul.

 

[Liquid]

I could go on a long monologue about yesterday's games but what's the point? So with that in mind...

Cristiano Ronaldo needs to shave that arse cotton off his face as soon as possible.

 

[dacc10]

Portugal vs Iran just showed how a bad decision of the referee can ruin the progression of a team in a tournment. A magical penalty that appeared out of an accidental hand ball, at exactly the same time Spain draws, is just too much coincidence. That was no way near a "hand ball", the ball hit the hand/arm, which was in a natural position when you jump to dispute the ball, after being headed point blank. With VAR that should be clear as day, but apparently not.

Ronaldo's penalty, WAS a penalty. The defender reached too late for the ball and touched Ronaldo instead.

Now let's hope there are better referees in the next phase, because now come the big games. Refs helped by the VAR could be almost perfect, but still they managed to screw up even the most obvious of the situations.

Cristiano Ronaldo needs to shave that arse cotton off his face as soon as possible.

He uses it because it was a bet he made with someone (Quaresma I think?).

 

[Touring Mars]

A magical penalty that appeared out of an accidental hand ball, at exactly the same time Spain draws, is just too much coincidence.

Nah.

The Spain goal was a goal - the ref called it wrong and VAR rightly corrected the mistake.

The Iran penalty was not a penalty - the ref called it right at first but then used VAR to make the wrong call. The exact same mistake was made in the Denmark v Australia game, so it's not like it was a freak event. It seems that all of the officials involved need a refresher course on what 'deliberate handball' means - at the moment, the interpretation seems to be that if you move in such a way as to put your hand where it is likely to get hit by the ball (i.e. jumping) and your hand gets hit by the ball, then it's 'deliberate'. But you cannot simply make your arms disappear when making an otherwise perfectly legitimate tackle or defensive header.

Ronaldo's penalty, WAS a penalty. The defender reached too late for the ball and touched Ronaldo instead.

A moot point considering it was saved.

I think we need to give a lot of credit to Iran - they were far better than I was expecting (I predicted a 5-0 win for Spain against them!) and they deserved a draw last night, though even I can see that it would have been unfair if Portugal had been knocked out because of such an obvious error by the ref.

 

[daan]

VAR. What is it good for?

 

[Liquid]

VAR. What is it good for?

VAR, I despise
'Cause it means destruction of defensive lines
VAR means tears to thousands of fans' eyes
When the players go to fight
And added time's five

I said, VAR...

 

[Touring Mars]

VAR. What is it good for?

When two teams go to VAR, a point is all that they can score...

 

[Jimlaad43]

Referees need to be explicitly told to book players who make the VAR sign or ask for it. Not than any of them will have the balls to do it, but it would cut some off the faff out. Also, the little screen around the back is a mess. The fourth official needs to be allowed to make the final say so we don't get the slow mess it can become.

VAR needs to copy Rugby's example as soon as possible.

 

[Liquid]

Referees need to be explicitly told to book players who make the VAR sign or ask for it. Not than any of them will have the balls to do it, but it would cut some off the faff out. Also, the little screen around the back is a mess. The fourth official needs to be allowed to make the final say so we don't get the slow mess it can become.

VAR needs to copy Rugby's example as soon as possible.

Microphoned refs and captains only would be where to start.

If 20st steroid freaks can respect the referee and only speak when spoken to, then these deceitful, childish crybabies ought to be able to do so as well.

 

[Akmuq]

If 20st steroid freaks can respect the referee and only speak when spoken to, then these deceitful, childish crybabies ought to be able to do so as well.

That's the most 'rugby fan' sentence I've ever read.

 

[lancia delta hf]

I love var. Its great. I also love toast. Which is why I wouldn't put an incompetent referee in charge of toaster. There's nothing wrong with my toaster.

VAR, I despise
'Cause it means destruction of defensive lines
VAR means tears to thousands of fans' eyes
When the players go to fight
And added time's five

I said, VAR...

it really doesn't matter if var adds 5 minutes injury time. We get that without VAR. We also get reffs incorrect decisions ruin a teams world cup without VAR.

One thing VAR makes me feel more comfortable about is it is harder to be a corrupt reff ( Byron Moreno 2002 world cup anyone?), that should make reffs feel more comfortable too. The biggest problem with VAR at the moment is that Every time it is used, coms, pundits ( especially the Muppet BBC crew) act like it's the first time they've seen a pair of tits.

I will remind everyone that VAR had no play in the pathetic weak refereeing when the reff ignored Ronaldo's disgraceful dive and didn't book him, same as Neymar's pathetic dive. I don't see cries to get rid of 3rd rate weak ass reffs though.

The Italian in the VAR today (Portugal vs Iran) was the same from Portugal vs Spain. That explains a lot.

Now we're on the "worst side" of the tournament:

Uruguay
France
Nigeria
Argentina
Brazil
Germany
England

The way to the final would be smoother on the other side.

Not a single Italian official should be at the world cup. All of them are corrupt. All of them refused to use VAR in Juventus games since Xmas ( juventus cried and cried about var for the first 2 months ) about because someone who funds them ( FIAT I.E the Agnelll's I.E the Juventus owners) gave them their orders to ignore var ( it was important to juventus to win the title in the first year of var to prove they don't cheat, they did this by cheating and corrupting the system ). This to me also proves FIFA are still bent and sportsmanship is Not the most important aspect of football.

 

[Liquid]

I don't see cries to get rid of 3rd rate weak ass reffs though.

Try supporting a team in the English system outside the Premier League. The standard of refereeing is rancid.

 

[dacc10]

The VAR refs should have a bigger word. If there's an offside that's clear through the replays, then it should be promptly pointed out. The same goes for goals that didn't fully pass the line, etc. There are easy decisions that end up complicated for no reason. The only situation the ref should see in the monitor is when he makes a decision that the VAR deems wrong.

VAR is a case of "with great power comes great responsibility". You need to have competent referees both in VAR and on the pitch. If, after the refs make a wrong decision after taking 5 minutes watching an obvious foul or something, then they should get somehow be called out.

I will remind everyone that VAR had no play in the pathetic weak refereeing when the reff ignored Ronaldo's disgraceful dive and didn't book him, same as Neymar's pathetic dive. I don't see cries to get rid of 3rd rate weak ass reffs though.

Ronaldo's dive? Which dive? Yesterday?

 

[Touring Mars]

Yeh, when it comes to the phrase 'Ronaldo's dive', you really need to be more specific...

 

[lancia delta hf]

The Italian in the VAR today (Portugal vs Iran) was the same from Portugal vs Spain. That explains a lot.

Now we're on the "worst side" of the tournament:

Uruguay
France
Nigeria
Argentina
Brazil
Germany
England

The way to the final would be smoother on the other side.

The VAR refs should have a bigger word. If there's an offside that's clear through the replays, then it should be promptly pointed out. The same goes for goals that didn't fully pass the line, etc. There are easy decisions that end up complicated for no reason. The only situation the ref should see in the monitor is when he makes a decision that the VAR deems wrong.

VAR is a case of "with great power comes great responsibility". You need to have competent referees both in VAR and on the pitch. If, after the refs make a wrong decision after taking 5 minutes watching an obvious foul or something, then they should get somehow be called out.




Ronaldo's dive? Which dive? Yesterday?

No, it was in the 2nd game vs Morocco. This diving is ingrained into these players, they probably don't even think about it. And they look like they've been hard done by when they don't get a penalty for their flopping. Reffs have helped mould this disease in football by pandering to their dives more and more over the years. Blatant dives need to punished retrospectively if refs don't do it. I say give them an amber card, a card which means they stay on the pitch but it turns into a red after the game.

Being a competitor means trying to beat your opponent and test yourself. Players are trying to win without merit when they dive. Its time to get tough, I'm falling out of love with pro football thanks to all this crap and corruption. I should sue.



The fact he asked for VAR shows that these players legit believe diving is a penalty.

 

[Touring Mars]

The fact he asked for VAR shows that these players legit believe diving is a penalty.

Maybe he realised it was such an awful dive that the best way to avoid a VAR review would be to demand one himself... either way, it should have been a booking, firstly for the dive and secondly for the 'let's see this again in slow motion' request.

Diving for a penalty should be treated the same way as deliberately handling the ball to stop a goal - straight red.

 

[dacc10]

Nah.

The Spain goal was a goal - the ref called it wrong and VAR rightly corrected the mistake.

The Iran penalty was not a penalty - the ref called it right at first but then used VAR to make the wrong call. The exact same mistake was made in the Denmark v Australia game, so it's not like it was a freak event. It seems that all of the officials involved need a refresher course on what 'deliberate handball' means - at the moment, the interpretation seems to be that if you move in such a way as to put your hand where it is likely to get hit by the ball (i.e. jumping) and your hand gets hit by the ball, then it's 'deliberate'. But you cannot simply make your arms disappear when making an otherwise perfectly legitimate tackle or defensive header.


A moot point considering it was saved.

I think we need to give a lot of credit to Iran - they were far better than I was expecting (I predicted a 5-0 win for Spain against them!) and they deserved a draw last night, though even I can see that it would have been unfair if Portugal had been knocked out because of such an obvious error by the ref.

Sorry, didn't notice you replied to me.
I know the second goal from Spain was fair, there was no offside. What I meant was that the referee in Portugal-Iran made the decision exactly at the same time.
Exactly! People need to stop considering everything an handball. People expecting players to run and jump with their arms straight, parallel with their bodies. It's just silly.

As for the penalty, I know the keeper saved it, is just that many people are considering it a dive and say it was not a foul at all, when it cleary was.
I gave credit to them already, they made everything they could to go through in a group where they were given as the weakest team. Still, they could complain less on every little thing that happened in the game. Compulsively complaining to the ref with 4 or 5 players everytime you lose the ball gets annoying and ruins the tempo of the game.

Yeh, when it comes to the phrase 'Ronaldo's dive', you really need to be more specific...

Everything is considered a dive from him, apparently. If there was contact and it's enough to lose balance, it's not a dive. It's in the books.

No, it was in the 2nd game vs Morocco.

I think I know what are you talking about. But I assure there was contact, knee on knee.


7:30, look from all angles.

 

[zzz_pt]

No, it was in the 2nd game vs Morocco. This diving is ingrained into these players, they probably don't even think about it. And they look like they've been hard done by when they don't get a penalty for their flopping. Reffs have helped mould this disease in football by pandering to their dives more and more over the years. Blatant dives need to punished retrospectively if refs don't do it. I say give them an amber card, a card which means they stay on the pitch but it turns into a red after the game.

Being a competitor means trying to beat your opponent and test yourself. Players are trying to win without merit when they dive. Its time to get tough, I'm falling out of love with pro football thanks to all this crap and corruption. I should sue.



The fact he asked for VAR shows that these players legit believe diving is a penalty.

That video edit cuts the part when Amrabat hits Ronaldo. Poor edit.

 

[dacc10]

That video was conveniently made, let me tell you. Might as well judge every single play looking the other way around, if we start judging through blind spots.
Don't think it was a penalty, and his reaction was exaggerated, but there was contact, which was enough to lose balance.

 

[MoLiEG]

Ronaldo...

He sold it poorly.

 

[girabyt3]

GOOOOOOOAALLLL!!!! CARRILLO!!! 36 YEARS WE WAITED TO SCREAM IT!!!! GOOOOOAAALLL!!!!

VAMOS PERU!!!