VAR stirs bad memories for Kiwis
Every Fifa World Cup seems to have an officiating flashpoint and maybe this edition’s came yesterday.
The late penalty awarded to Portugal in their 2-0 victory over Uruguay will be debated across the football world.
It’s the kind of decision that gets analysed in Fifa backrooms and may lead to a reinterpretation of existing rules over the new few weeks.
Uruguayan defender Jose Gimenez was falling backwards, after being turned inside out by Bruno Fernandez, and his left hand feathered the ball, as he looked to break his fall. No one apart from Fernandez appealed and the Iranian referee Alireza Faghani quickly disregarded his claim.
But the VAR sent him to the pitch monitor — and we all know what happens next.
The eventual verdict gave no regard for intent, let alone gravity or physics. What exactly was Jimenez supposed to do?
Remarkably the decision was made by Qatari Abdullah Al Marri, the same VAR official who controversially scratched Chris Wood’s goal against Costa Rica in the intercontinental playoff in June.
The 29-year-old has extremely limited experience — having been in charge of only three international games, all low-profile friendlies, which makes you wonder why he has been given such responsibility at the World Cup.
“I don’t think it is a penalty kick,” said long-time former Premier League referee Mike Deane in post-match coverage. “His arm is in a natural position, it’s not a deliberate act, he hasn’t moved his arm towards the ball. The referee should never have been invited to the monitor.”
The sequence again highlighted the implicit pressure on match officials when called to the screen.
It was a bad call, though thankfully not too decisive, as Portugal already led 1-0 before the 94th-minute spot kick.
But imagine if that scenario repeats in a knockout game — and proves critical?
That will be Fifa’s worst fear. The hand ball rule is becoming a lottery, as interpreted by VAR officials, with defenders often expected to be high speed contortionists.
Nobody wants football to become like hockey, where attacking players spend more time trying to win penalty corners — by dribbling or passing at an opponent’s foot — than scoring goals from open play.
That’s the risk of the current guidelines, as attacking teams will try to find any possible advantage.
There is also hope, though, as yesterday’s action also saw a smart decision, as a Ghanaian hand ball just before their first goal in their 3-2 win over South Korea was correctly adjudged as accidental.
The waiting is the hardest part
After 12 years, Ghana have their chance for World Cup revenge against Uruguay.
At the 2010 tournament in South Africa, Ghana were denied a semifinal berth in the cruellest way, with Luis Suarez’s infamous hand ball.
With seconds remaining in extra time, the former Liverpool striker swotted away a goal-bound shot from Ghana striker Dominic Adiyiah.
The subsequent events are seared in the memory; the South Americans wasting time with crazy protests, Suarez wandering slowly off the field, Asamoah Gyan crashing his penalty against the crossbar, Suarez celebrating madly in the tunnel and Ghana, almost inevitably, losing the penalty shootout and missing the chance to become the first African team to reach the last four.
They meet again on Saturday, with a win or draw for the West African nation enough to end Uruguay’s time in Qatar.
African joy
There is nothing quite like watching African teams at a World Cup.
Despite most of their players being European-based, their teams retain an unpredictable edge, especially shown by Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal this time. That can lead to frustrating mistakes but also wonderfully adventurous play. The tournament sprang to life yesterday, with 11 goals in the first two matches featuring Cameroon and Ghana.