So near and yet so VAR.

My understanding is this is for the premier league only.
Uefa will still enforce that harsh law in European games.

Imaging how often the game will be stopped just to check every incident specially as premier league games tend to be full of incidents.

comment by Desperate Dier-Bring me Ndombele (U6468)
posted 1 second ago
My understanding is this is for the premier league only.
Uefa will still enforce that harsh law in European games.
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Under Uefa rule, clubs will have to amputate defenders arms then?

The penalty was awarded in under a minute

The problem isn’t VAR. it’s nothing to do with VAR. The problem is with the ambiguity of the handball ruling and the interpretation by different referees. There were awful handball decisions I can remember before VAR came in. VAR is simply highlighting the failing in the rules of the game - which are not set by Mike Riley

Sadly even VAR cannot solve the corruption and bias so prevalent in our game.

But now VAR also is helping bad defending and clever forward play when strikers are being called offside by 0.1mm?

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If you're offside, you're offside ... whether it's by 10 yards or 0.1mm, as you say. Not sure you can criticise the use of VAR for giving CORRECT offsides, which are pretty black and white.

Totally agree that the handball stuff needs some major clarification/revision though, as it's basically becoming a tactic to hit the hand/arm ... as is throwing yourself in front of defenders in the box to engineer "contact", as Alex Morgan pretty much did for the crucial opener in the WC Final yesterday ... having got a away with another blatant attempt earlier in the game.

I think you'll see far more common sense from British referees than we've seen in European and International football.

The guidance put out and the decision making around handballs has been utterly ridiculous.

The great irony is that defenders now feel compelled to put their arms in a very unnatural position to avoid being penalised.

comment by Dave The Jackal (U22179)
posted 1 minute ago
But now VAR also is helping bad defending and clever forward play when strikers are being called offside by 0.1mm?

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If you're offside, you're offside ... whether it's by 10 yards or 0.1mm, as you say. Not sure you can criticise the use of VAR for giving CORRECT offsides, which are pretty black and white.

Totally agree that the handball stuff needs some major clarification/revision though, as it's basically becoming a tactic to hit the hand/arm ... as is throwing yourself in front of defenders in the box to engineer "contact", as Alex Morgan pretty much did for the crucial opener in the WC Final yesterday ... having got a away with another blatant attempt earlier in the game.
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I think the issue is that we're left asking, what has VAR really achieved here?

Offside was introduced to stop goal hanging, not to work out if one of your toe hairs was offside.

Yes it reaches the correct conclusion but are the delays worth it? I'm not so sure.

Sissoko deliberately had an arm. The ball hit his arm that he deliberately had. Therefore it was deliberate handball. There are millions of people out there with one or no arms who would love to have been in Sissoko's position and able to handle the ball. Yet Sissoko is complaining??

comment by Winston (U16525)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Dave The Jackal (U22179)
posted 1 minute ago
But now VAR also is helping bad defending and clever forward play when strikers are being called offside by 0.1mm?

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If you're offside, you're offside ... whether it's by 10 yards or 0.1mm, as you say. Not sure you can criticise the use of VAR for giving CORRECT offsides, which are pretty black and white.

Totally agree that the handball stuff needs some major clarification/revision though, as it's basically becoming a tactic to hit the hand/arm ... as is throwing yourself in front of defenders in the box to engineer "contact", as Alex Morgan pretty much did for the crucial opener in the WC Final yesterday ... having got a away with another blatant attempt earlier in the game.
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I think the issue is that we're left asking, what has VAR really achieved here?

Offside was introduced to stop goal hanging, not to work out if one of your toe hairs was offside.

Yes it reaches the correct conclusion but are the delays worth it? I'm not so sure.
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Exactly, right about offside by a toe hair

The attacking player is supposed to be given an advantage in tight decisions to encourage flair play and attacking sides?

Now every defender, like some clubs do that already, will put their hands up for offside at every goal and ask refs for VAR in the hope that some part of the opposition player, maybe his nose or chin was offside?

It's turning into the photo finish type enquiry?

comment by The Artist formerly known as Black Starr (U12353)
posted 12 minutes ago
The problem isn’t VAR. it’s nothing to do with VAR. The problem is with the ambiguity of the handball ruling and the interpretation by different referees. There were awful handball decisions I can remember before VAR came in. VAR is simply highlighting the failing in the rules of the game - which are not set by Mike Riley
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VAR hasn't helped at all. There supposed to be 3 officials watching few screens and from different angles and yet between them all, they are getting decisions wrong?

We can moan and groan about VAR as much as we like but the fact remains that Sissoko was brain dead having his arm up like that in the 18 yard box. Surely the silly sod was aware of the type of pens that had been given throughout the competition for handball.

The new handball rule is morally incorrect.

VAR were never going to overturn that penalty in the CL final, not after their darlings were gifted a goal head start after 27 seconds, it fit completely into the UEFA narrative to see Pool lift the CL.

comment by PawlBawron (U1055)
posted 1 minute ago
We can moan and groan about VAR as much as we like but the fact remains that Sissoko was brain dead having his arm up like that in the 18 yard box. Surely the silly sod was aware of the type of pens that had been given throughout the competition for handball.
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Exactly, it was stupid and his arm was in an unnatural position (despite Sizzle claiming otherwise ). It's his own fault and nobody can really complain. The ref was following the laws of the game.

comment by Firmino's Brightest Tooth (U1217)
posted 49 seconds ago
comment by PawlBawron (U1055)
posted 1 minute ago
We can moan and groan about VAR as much as we like but the fact remains that Sissoko was brain dead having his arm up like that in the 18 yard box. Surely the silly sod was aware of the type of pens that had been given throughout the competition for handball.
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Exactly, it was stupid and his arm was in an unnatural position (despite Sizzle claiming otherwise). It's his own fault and nobody can really complain. The ref was following the laws of the game.
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Totally agree, I just think the laws of the game in particular the handball law, need to be reviewed.

I think the handball rule should be; deliberate handball to stop a goal or a claer goal scoring opportunity.

None of this ball smacked against the arm/hand ballacks and specially when it's not a goal scoring opportunity like crossing from one side of the 18 yard box to the other.

comment by PawlBawron (U1055)
posted 3 minutes ago
We can moan and groan about VAR as much as we like but the fact remains that Sissoko was brain dead having his arm up like that in the 18 yard box. Surely the silly sod was aware of the type of pens that had been given throughout the competition for handball.
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Are you implying that defenders should defend with their arms tucked behind their backs all the time?

Are you saying that anytime the ball touches an opposition player's hand, it is penalty even if the ball ricochet of his other part of the body?

There should be a degree of handball by "accident" otherwise players will drive the ball at defenders, and get pens?

That would be the end of the game and it would be a silly as players would be lifting the ball in the box?

The other thing VAR has done is players throwing themselves to get penalties or stooping low and try to head balls and getting refs to refer to VAR?

The game will lack in discretion and in taking into account the human factor in which accidental handballs do occur?

Sissoko deliberatly moved his arm, it didn't end up there by accident

comment by Loco Liverpool (U18018)
posted 13 seconds ago
Sissoko deliberatly moved his arm, it didn't end up there by accident
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Yes but it didn't stop a clear goal or clear goal scoring opportunity.

I've never really understood the whole it must be deliberate thing, because I'd wager 90% of handballs aren't deliberate.

Regarding offside, I think a good solution could be you must have both feet offside, because is an attacker being a big toe ahead of the defender really going to be the difference between a goal or not?

comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 12 seconds ago
I've never really understood the whole it must be deliberate thing, because I'd wager 90% of handballs aren't deliberate.

Regarding offside, I think a good solution could be you must have both feet offside, because is an attacker being a big toe ahead of the defender really going to be the difference between a goal or not?
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That's exactly why they need to review the handball law.