Football News: Here We VAR Again

I hoped we would have started to see improvements in officiating, better use of technology, etc, I certainly hoped I wouldn't have to comment on another abysmal officiating display - but after the most one-sided decision making I have maybe ever seen here we are. I am simply going to talk over the big, contentious decisions, decide how badly they got them wrong, and ponder the ramifications of it all.

1) Curtis Jones Red Card:

In real time, it looked like an honest attempt to win the ball. Slowed down, you could see his foot bobble off the ball and go into the player's ankle. There are a few key points in the incident - Jones was in full control. He didn't follow through; he did make contact high, but it seemed neither deliberate and, given he made contact with the ball first and was never out of control himself, this really is a 50/50 decision. I cannot say it's definitely not a red because end contact is high, and it can be seen as dangerous.

Some were comparing it to Gusto's on Digne the other week - the only similarity was point of contact in my opinion, Gusto had lunged and was not in control, which made his more of a Red. What I would say, in this instance, is that a yellow was a sufficient punishment, and that a clear and obvious error had not occurred. This still does not explain why the replay was frozen on the point of contact when the official approached the viewing station. It is bizarre, implies bias immediately, and seems like an attempt by the VAR official to push the on-field referee towards a red card. It is ultimately not an incorrect decision, but how it was reached is very questionable.

Officiating: 4/10

2) Luis Diaz offside goal:

He is onside, clearly. This decision stinks of corruption. Very quick review, no lines used, and then afterwards a bizarre explanation boiling down to "human error". Nothing about it adds up and you can put it on the list of awful decisions Liverpool have had given against them this season.

Officiating: 0/10

3) Foul on Gomez:

The defender got little, if any of the ball, and took all of the player first to get it. It was like Van Dijk's Vs Newcastle in which he got the ball, but went through the man to do so, except in this case the defender barely got anything of the ball. The fact it was barely checked speaks volumes about the sort of directive the officials were hell bent on following this game.

Officiating: 3/10

4) Jota red card:

A culmination of two yellow cards, the second absolutely justified, but the first completely and utterly wrong. A minuscule, clearly unintentional heel clip that should never have been yellow. Again, the flow of decisions just seemed to be continually moving in one direction, and it was against Liverpool. VAR cannot overrule yellows, but the on-field official was having a festival carding Liverpool players whenever possible, so it was hardly surprising.

Officiating: 3/10

How many times have you seen such a volume of decisions, key decisions at that, continually go against one team? It is staggering. I have no proof, but something stinks at the PMGOL, and that game was farcical from an officiating perspective. And with the new "respect" rules, nobody is able to voice their concerns without facing significant repercussions. Expect more of the same moving forward, especially for Liverpool. The club clearly has a target on its back.

On the bright side that was probably the most resilient, tenacious, team performance for a long time, Matip did not deserve that conclusion, and if anything this seeming bias against Liverpool may help create a siege mentality, which might push them to better results moving forward. If Liverpool keep playing with this much heart, they will win more than they lose, regardless of how many men they are up against.

Will we see anything change in the future? My guess is we will get a padded out version of events from the PMGOL, promises of new procedures to avoid errors like this, but ultimately just more of the same, with officials hiding behind one another, and the actual ways decisions are reached being about as clear as mud. Call it bias, call it cheating, call it corruption, something foul is afoot and until it is either properly investigated, or the PMGOL is disbanded in place of an independent body, we are not going to get any answers, or any decent standard of officiating.

Written by Seano_ October 01 2023 08:30:39