THE Women’s World Cup made history with a VAR decision announced by the referee to the stadium for the first time.
But Alex Scott joked it was like something out of the Hunger Games.
Fifa made the decision for the tournament in New Zealand and Australia to allow referees to announce the calls.
And in the very first match of the tournament, Yoshimi Yamashita had the chance to make the most of the new protocols.
With just three minutes to go before full-time, Caroline Graham Hansen appeared to handle the ball although initially play carried on.
But Yamashita was advised to take a look at a replay on the pitch-side monitor before deciding a penalty was the correct decision.
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And when the Japanese official had made up her mind, she announced through her microphone at the Eden Park stadium PA system: “After an on-field review, the decision is: penalty.”
The announcement was met by delighted cheers from the New Zealand players and the hosts’ home crowd – although Ria Percival hit the bar before the Football Ferns held on for a shock 1-0 win over 1995 champions Norway.
But Alex Scott in the BBC studio could not help but compare the ref’s booming voice to the Hunger Games.
The former Arsenal and England defender said: “I couldn’t help but laugh.
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“I felt like I was in the Hunger Games.”
Others were delighted by the progression to keep fans in the loop – but many felt more still needs to be done.
One said: “Great step in the right direction. Let’s people know what is going on. VAR in the men’s game is far too “cloak and dagger” with fans in the stadium and watching on TV having no clue how decisions are made.”
Another added: “Good step in the right direction but we need to hear the conversation between room and ref.”
A third wrote: “We don’t want an announcement, we want to hear the discussions with the VAR officials.”
And a final user wrote: “I was expecting to hear the referee’s reasoning behind the decision, as we do in cricket, rugby, NFL etc. This is absolutely laughable.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
