Refereeing

[ajthefox]

Saw this and thought it was interesting.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy06881596wo

 

From what I've seen (mostly highlights) I did think refereeing had been pretty good and I had noted a few instances of referees basically saying no to players going down because they are being soft. Turns out it's part of the directive, which I think is good. Too often people/players equate contact with foul, forgetting it is a contact sport.

[AKCJ]

Feels like FIFA have taken more of a common sense approach to refereeing. 

[Lionator]

It’s almost like having the regarded greatest referee of all time in charge of referees pays off. 
 

I did like in the Argentina game last night, the Austrian getting booked after getting pushed but falling over like a fool.

 

The directives of the refs is clearly, you’re here to play football, don’t BS and we’ll let you get on with it. 

[StanSP]

Distinct difference in what we're used to in PL/EFL compared to the consistency being shown in pretty much all the games so far. 

 

Basically taking no shit and the firm but fair notion is applied almost all the time.

[Footballwipe]

Generally agree, though I think we'll really see the standard as the tournament progresses.

 

As the ante is upped, the games mean and matter more and the tetchiness/shithousery increases, then we'll properly see their metal.

 

Positive signs, though.

[Alf Bentley]

I strongly agree with the OP. So far, the refereeing has been very good indeed, with very rare exceptions.

 

I've seen quite a few full matches, as well as highlights, and can confirm a definite trend for refs to ignore players who go down needlessly after a bit of contact. Glad to hear that's due to a FIFA directive.

 

Several other FIFA directives seem to be working well:

- The rule saying throw-ins will be handed to the other side if the delay lasts more than 10 (?) seconds is meaning fewer delays and more continuous action.

- The rule that players leaving the pitch or receiving treatment due to injuries have to stay off for a minute is meaning fewer faked injuries - and fewer needless delays, again

- There also seems to be less diving, though whether that relates to rule adjustments, I don't know

- There have only been a handful of over-long delays due to VAR decisions. Most decisions seem to be happening quickly and accurately

 

I know people have gripes about the hydration breaks. They might have a point, but slightly overstated IMHO. Even if this one is a negative, it is outweighed by the positives of the other adjustments, in my view.

[STEVIE B]

Of the few games I've watched, it's been pretty good. Most seem to let the game flow. Decent use of playing any advantage & not blowing for petty fouls. Nothing worse than a stop-start game. 

[davieG]

44 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

I know people have gripes about the hydration breaks.

The problem is they've stopped the 'fake' goalkeeper injuries from allowing tactics talk and then introduced a worse case of it with the hydration breaks. why not put the drinks, cold cloths etc at the pitchside and let the players use them without manager and coaches talking to them.

[davieG]

According to that report it's the TV media causing the problem with their in-depth multi camera views of every incident hence stirring up the TV fan as experts.

[davieG]

FourFourTwo  ·

Follow

 

When FIFA tried to introduce four quarters in football 32 years ago, but were 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗

Hydration breaks have gone down badly, but splitting matches into four has been in the works for longer than you might think

Ahead of USA '94, American television networks were terrified of a sport with 45 minutes of uninterrupted play and absolutely zero commercial breaks

FIFA were also panicking after Italia '90 averaged a measly 2.21 goals per game and produced a dreadful, foul-heavy final

¼ To ‘fix’ the game for American audiences and increase goals, FIFA seriously considered several radical changes. 4x 25-Minute Quarters were one…

FIFA President João Havelange dropped a bombshell, suggesting football abandon its traditional two 45-minute halves in favour of quarters. The Goal? To blatantly accommodate American television networks like ABC and ESPN, who held the 1994 rights

UEFA, backed heavily by the traditionalist British Home Associations on the International Football Association Board (IFAB), fiercely guarded the sanctity of the game's clock and flatly refused to butcher football’s structure for advertising dollars

 

It'll come eventually.

[AyewJoking]

i read somewhere that fifa had already recovered half the cost of staging the tournament from ads during the hydration breaks.....could have been a joke but remember the 1994 world cup where we feared USA would implement quarters instead of half time???

[Vlad the Fox]

I also heard, think it was the football ramble, where the ref one game had to wait for notification the adds had finished before he could blow to restart the match. 
 

They should get the fourth official to bring the drinks on to the centre circle, for the players, quick slurp and get on with it.

Edited 27 minutes ago by Vlad the Fox

[FoxesWalk]

4 hours ago, davieG said:

FourFourTwo  ·

Follow

 

When FIFA tried to introduce four quarters in football 32 years ago, but were 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗

Hydration breaks have gone down badly, but splitting matches into four has been in the works for longer than you might think

Ahead of USA '94, American television networks were terrified of a sport with 45 minutes of uninterrupted play and absolutely zero commercial breaks

FIFA were also panicking after Italia '90 averaged a measly 2.21 goals per game and produced a dreadful, foul-heavy final

¼ To ‘fix’ the game for American audiences and increase goals, FIFA seriously considered several radical changes. 4x 25-Minute Quarters were one…

FIFA President João Havelange dropped a bombshell, suggesting football abandon its traditional two 45-minute halves in favour of quarters. The Goal? To blatantly accommodate American television networks like ABC and ESPN, who held the 1994 rights

UEFA, backed heavily by the traditionalist British Home Associations on the International Football Association Board (IFAB), fiercely guarded the sanctity of the game's clock and flatly refused to butcher football’s structure for advertising dollars

 

It'll come eventually.

It is worth so much money, the quarters are guaranteed to happen imo, they will be in ever major league after they hear how Fox made 250m in ad sales just in hydration breaks for this tournament