Referee controversies

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    Bournemouth star accuses Anthony Taylor of ignoring little-known rule after ‘mental’ refereeing display against Chelsea

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    BOURNEMOUTH skipper Adam Smith blasted “mental” refereeing in his side’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea.Whistle-mad Anthony Taylor booked a Prem record 14 players on Saturday — costing both clubs £25,000 in FA fines.Adam Smith has blasted the refereeing during Bournemouth’s 1-0 defeat to ChelseaCredit: RexReferee Anthony Taylor dished out 14 yellow cards in the fixture – a new Premier League recordCredit: GettyEight Blues stars saw yellow, including debutant Jadon Sancho just 11 minutes after coming on as sub, along with six from the hosts.Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and Cherries fitness coach Pablo de la Torre were also booked.Defender Smith, 33, said: “I can’t deal with it any more. Every foul was a yellow. It’s mental.“He booked me for just going up to talk to him about the penalty and the sending-off decision.READ MORE ON FOOTBALL“I’m the captain and I’m allowed to do that but he said I had come from a far distance and that’s why he booked me. But I don’t understand.”Smith wanted to ask the official why keeper Robert Sanchez was not sent off for a foul on Evanilson when he had a clear scoring opportunity.Captains are allowed to discuss decisions with referees in a calm manner.Taylor gave a penalty and Blues ace Sanchez saved Evanilson’s kick.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSSmith added: “That’s what I said and he booked me. I guess it’s just little Bournemouth, which I’ve had for the past nine years.”Smith has played 380 games for the Cherries and just signed a one-year contract extension but admits football can leave him baffled.Fans fume at ‘pure robbery’ after Arsenal star Jurrien Timber avoids red card after referee ‘bottles it’He said: “Sometimes I don’t enjoy the game. It’s multiple things, to be honest. It’s refereeing for sure, which is just draining, really draining.”Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez was only shown a yellow for his clumsy challenge on Evanilson due to the “double jeopardy” rule.That rule means players can only be sent off and give away a penalty if they didn’t try and make a challenge for the ball – something Taylor and VAR deemed Sanchez to have done.Adam Smith was booked for trying to speak to Taylor about the decision not to send off Robert SanchezCredit: RexSanchez was booked for clattering into Bournemouth striker EvanilsonCredit: AFP More

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      Mark Clattenburg admits Nottingham Forest role was not a success after humiliating ‘Luton fan’ VAR row

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      MARK CLATTENBURG claims he quit his consultancy role at Nottingham Forest because he was causing more controversy and confusion than was healthy for the club.The former Premier League referee was handed his ground-breaking job by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis in February.Mark Clattenburg has opened up on his time as a refereeing consultant at Nottingham ForestCredit: PABut he stepped down three months later in the wake of the club’s furious statement on X claiming they had “warned,” the PGMOL that VAR Stuart Attwell supported relegation rivals Luton, after they were denied three penalties against Everton.Asked whether his role had been a success, Clattenburg, 49, told BBC Radio Five Live: “No, because if you look it caused more problems than it did good.”There were certain things that we implemented within the club, certain ways to give a sporting edge to Nottingham Forest, but there seemed to be a huge outcry from certain people, certain bodies, certain companies.”It was just highlighted week in, week out.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLClattenburg claims there was a “misinterpretation,” of his role at the City Ground and that his remit was wider than simply advising the club on refereeing.He found himself embroiled in two major controversies.He spoke out publicly in March after referee Paul Tierney wrongly handed possession back to Liverpool following an injury to Ibrahima Konate, when Forest had the ball in the attacking third of the pitch.Liverpool surged down to the other end of the pitch and Darwin Nunez struck a 99th minute winner to Forest’s fury.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSPremier League sides deducted points and others at risk
      Nottingham Forest
      Deducted four points during the 2023-24 season for breaching Premier League spending limit by £34.563m. Failed in their appeal with decision upheld.
      Everton
      Initial 10-point deduction for 2021-22 Premier League breaches reduced to six points on appeal. Were deducted a further two points later in the 2023-24 season. Appealed, but since withdrawn following Prem survival.
      Sheffield United
      Hit with a two-point deduction for their finances during the 2022-23 EFL season. Will begin the 2024-25 Championship season on -2 points following their relegation from the Prem.
      OTHERS WHO COULD FACE PUNISHMENT…
      Manchester City
      Etihad club emphatically denies the 115 allegations laid against them in February 2023. The lengthy Commission case has been scheduled to start in October or November but a final decision is not expected until March or April 2025.
      Chelsea
      Blues chiefs flagged up illicit payments made to agents and others during the Roman Abramovich era. Fined £8.6m by Uefa but still to be formally charged by the Prem despite an ongoing investigation.
      Leicester
      Foxes breached Prem PSR loss limits last season but did not have to report their 2022-23 accounts until this month because of their relegation. That puts the timetable back and means that they will probably face a Prem points deduction for the 2024-25 season following their return to the top flight.
      Everton (again)
      The Toffees are again at risk of breaking PSR rules and are in a race against time to raise funds and balance the books. Not only could that lead to another charge but also administration. That would lead to an automatic nine-point deduction for the 2024/25 season.

      He followed that up by publicly slamming the officiating during Forest’s defeat at Everton in April, when the visitor’s were denied three strong penalty claims.He fell on his sword shortly afterwards, claiming he had become: “more of a hindrance than a help,” to Forest.Premier League sides deducted points and others at risk More

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      Football could be hit by most radical change to offside law in 30 YEARS as Wenger presses ahead with ‘daylight’ rule

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      ARSENE WENGER is set to press ahead with the most radical rule change football has seen in more than 30 years as he looks to implement his “daylight” offside law. The former Arsenal boss is Fifa’s chief of global football development.Arsene Wenger is set to press ahead with his radical offside proposalCredit: GettyThe player above would NOT be offside using the new ruleCredit: DirectTVSportsHe has been a major advocate for a huge change to the offside rule that will effectively mean there has to be “daylight” between attacker and defender for an offside offence.The new rule dictates if any part of an attacker’s body that can score — head, torso or legs — is still in line with the defender then they should be judged onside.Wenger, 74, has viewed results from trials for the new rule – performed in Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands – as positive, according to The Times.And he is now set to propose this new offside law to football lawmakers at the International FA Board (Ifab).READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe most recent big change to the offside law came in 1990, when Scotland successfully proposed that attackers could be onside if they are level with defenders instead of behind them.Ex-Arsenal vice chairman David Dein backed the proposal when attending the Fifa congress in Bangkok last week, calling it “refreshingly innovative”.However, ex-Portugal star Luis Figo, who is now head of Uefa’s Football Board, is understood to be among those with reservations to the idea.Speaking in 2020, Wenger said: “There is room to change the rule and not say that a part of a player’s nose is offside, so you are offside because you can score with that. Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS”Instead, you will be not offside if any part of the body that can score a goal is in line with the last defender, even if other parts of the attacker’s body are in front.”That will sort it out and you will no longer have decisions about millimetres and a fraction of the attacker being in front of the defensive line.”Rules of football under review after unknown Swedish club find loophole in offside lawWenger also wants to introduce kick-ins in the defensive half if they are taken within five seconds to help speed up play. More

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      Controversial new blue card has ALREADY been used in football, with former star punished in huge derby clash

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      CONTROVERSIAL plans to implement a new blue card in football have already been in use around the world, including one of the most intense derbies in football.Yesterday it was reported football lawmakers Ifab are planning to bring in a new blue card following successful trials at grassroots level.
      A controversial rule blue card is set to be introduced in footballCredit: Reuters
      But the new blue card has already been used in one of the world’s hottest derbiesCredit: Reuters
      The new card would see players handed a 10-minute sin-bin similar to that seen in rugby, with the card being dished out for cynical fouls or for dissent against the match officials.
      These offences are all currently punished with a yellow and like a yellow card, players who received two blue cards will be sent off.
      If implemented at the top level, blue cards will be the first major disciplinary change since the introduction of yellow and red cards back in 1970.
      SunSport understands the card could be introduced in FA competitions such as the Trophy or Vase, they will NOT be added into the FA Cup.
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      However, the card has already been used at the top level in Uruguay, albeit more than 20 years ago.
      During a derby match between Peñarol and Nacional de Montevideo – the oldest derby outside of the British Isles – a blue card was issued to Robert “El Bola” Lima.
      After the card was brandished Peñarol were forced to play for five minutes with a man down before he was reintroduced.
      Back then the rule was a five-minute sin-bin, half of what Ifab are proposing today.
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      Blue MurderBy Martin Lipton
      IT’S a sin for football to allow cynical cheats to get away with it.
      So introducing ten-minute sin-bins would be a big step forward for the game.
      In truth, it does not matter what card the referee shows – blue, green or pink.
      What matters is that, if the trial – which will not include the Prem or EFL at this stage – is a success, then it could become part of top tier professional football by the end of the decade.
      The argument is simple: Nobody likes what Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina describes as “anti-football action”.
      That is a deliberate, cynical act to stop a potential break by fouling a rival with absolutely no attempt to play the ball.
      If teams who do that have to spend the last 10 minutes of a game a man short, they could pay a real price, rather than just picking up a yellow card and “taking one for the team”.
      Sin bins for dissent might be a tougher argument to progress, although it might just give refs some respect back.
      But having players sat by the side of the pitch, powerless as their man-short side concedes a last-gasp winner, might actually change the way players behave. And it will be a statement of intent.

      The 10-minute deterrent may see the end of fouls such as Italy star Giorgio Chiellini’s brutal tug on England star Bukayo Saka in the Euro 2020 final.
      Meanwhile, data from OptaJoe has revealed there have been a record number of yellow cards dished out for dissent (233) and time-wasting (121) this season.
      Paul Merson fears ‘the game will be killed’ as football prepares for huge rule change
      Tony Scholes, the Prem’s chief football officer, said: “We’ve discussed sin bins with Ifab, in the same way we’ve discussed all the potential law change trials.
      “I don’t think sin bins will be available to us as a top competition anyway, yet.
      “That’s whether or not we wanted to use them.
      “But they will not be used by the Premier League next season.” More

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      Fans fume ‘you can’t make this up’ after controversial VAR confirmed for huge Arsenal vs Liverpool clash

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      FANS are fuming about the controversial VAR allocation for Arsenal vs Liverpool.The two Premier League heavyweights go head to head this Sunday in a crucial clash in the title race.
      Fans are fuming about the Video Assistant Referee for the Arsenal vs Liverpool game this weekendCredit: Alamy
      Liverpool were denied a penalty by VAR last time the two met after Martin Odegaard appeared to handle the ball in the box
      It’s the second time the two sides have come head to head in the league in a matter of weeks.
      Their 1-1 draw last time out was clouded in controversy after Liverpool were denied a penalty for what appeared to be a handball in the box by Martin Odegaard.
      Mohamed Salah had attempted to flick the ball around Odegaard when it hit the arm of the Arsenal skipper.
      But after a review of the incident, VAR David Coote decided not to award Liverpool a spot kick.
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      The decision was later reviewed by chief refereeing officer Howard Webb on Match Officials Mic’d Up, who revealed it SHOULD have been a penalty.
      And now with the Emirates Stadium preparing to host the reverse fixture this weekend, David Coote has been chosen once again as the VAR for the match despite his incorrect decision.
      Fans can’t believe that Coote has been re-selected for the same fixture just six weeks after making such a high profile mistake.
      Taking to social media, one wrote: “You actually can’t make this up!”
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      While another added: “Make it make sense.”
      A third simply wrote: “Joke.”
      And a fourth joked: “Mortgage on decisions going Liverpool’s way in that case!”
      The game is about as high pressure as it gets as both teams fight for their lives in the title race.
      Liverpool currently sit top of the table with Arsenal just five points behind them in third place.
      But before the two meet in north London this weekend they will both have to get through their midweek Premier League fixtures.
      Arsenal travel to face Nottingham Forest tonight while Liverpool face the tough task of hosting Chelsea at Anfield.
      David Coote has been chosen as the VAR for this weekend’s fixture despite getting the penalty decision wrong the last time the two teams metCredit: Getty More