Refereeing

ALAN SHEARER has hailed referee Stuart Attwell after Bruno Guimaraes escaped red against Arsenal. Guimaraes was fortunate to stay on the pitch when his flailing elbow struck the head of Jorginho during Newcastle’s win over the Gunners.
Alan Shearer has praised Stuart Attwell for not sending Bruno Guimaraes off against ArsenalCredit: Getty
Guimaraes charged down Jorginho with a raised arm
The Newcastle midfielder’s elbow struck the back of the head of the Arsenal man
The Brazilian midfielder had mistimed a tackle just moments before and after getting up to make amends he seemed to shove his arm into the back of Jorginho’s head.
The decision was checked by VAR, but ultimately nothing was given and the Magpies star man was able to continue without so much as a yellow card.
And it would seem even Newcastle legend Shearer thought Guimaraes was lucky to not be dismissed as he appeared to joke about the referee in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The England hero posted: “Well done Ref. You’re the man.”
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Whereas other fans watching the game were incensed at the officials decision to allow Guimaraes to continue without punishment.
One wrote: “He’s so lucky to still be on the pitch. I don’t understand why VAR didn’t give a red for that.”
While another added: “Clearest red of the season.”
A third commented: “That’s a red every day.”
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One fan suggested that Arsenal will receive an apology from the PGMOL in the coming days for the decision.
They wrote: “Can’t wait for the apology lads!”
It was a feisty affair at St James’ Park with a wild Kai Havertz lunge sparking the game into life – leading to three Newcastle players seeing yellow in the space of a few minutes.
But despite treading on eggshells the Magpies were able to get over the line and wound up as 1-0 winners.
It’s the first time that the Gunners have tasted defeat in the league this season and leaves their bitter rivals Tottenham as the only Premier League club still unbeaten this term.
Anthony Gordon scored the game’s only goalCredit: Reuters More

SUPPORTERS in the stands and managers in the dugouts are no stranger to calling a referee’s decision rubbish.But to Gabriel Victoria, from Monday to Friday, that is technically true.
Gabriel Victoria would juggle rubbish collecting with his work as an official
There was not enough money to be made in full-time refereeing in Panama so he juggled careers
That is because back home in Panama he is a full-time BINMAN.
And Victoria juggled is day job with being a linesman at the 2018 World Cup.
He was an assistant official as Brazil drew 1-1 with Switzerland during the group stages in Russia.
It was a long, but mainly clean, road for Victoria, on his path to the biggest stage in football.
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Victoria, who has cleaned the streets of Panama City for 25 years, was one of 99 officials involved at the World Cup.
He became a Fifa licensed ref in 2008 after discovering a passion for taking charge of games many years earlier when he was the man with the whistle to do a friend a favour and to see what it would be like.
It led to the veteran making his way up the ranks in Panama but there was not enough money in refereeing for him to do the career full-time so continued to be a binman.
The grandfather of two would kick-off his day at 3am and be on the streets at 5am.
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Gabriel Victoria worked as a linesman at the World CupCredit: YouTube @ Fepafut Panamá
He balanced refereeing with collecting rubbishCredit: YouTube @ Fepafut Panamá
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He explained: “At 11am I go home to rest a little and in the afternoon I go to full training as referee.
“At first it was difficult, but you get used to it.
“At the national level we have a salary per game, we don’t have a fixed wage.”
Victoria was was selected as a World Cup official after Panama made it to the 2018 finals.
He was joined by compatriot John Pitti in Russia.
Victoria added: “Thank God. It will be our first time in a senior World Cup. With effort and sacrifice I have achieved wonderful things.
“Fight for your dreams. It is difficult — but not impossible.”
Victoria decided to hang up his whistle after the tournament in 2018 as he had achieved his dream and was hoping to launch a career as a refereeing instructor and inspire more to follow in his path.
He hoped to train more referees after retiring
Dad-of-three was excited at the prospect of his time in Russia when speaking to local press on his round
Gabriel Victoria has worked as a match official for 20 years, 11 at international level
He was a binman in Panama City More

LEGENDARY referee Pierluigi Collina once locked himself in his room for 36 hours before a World Cup final.The Italian is widely regarded as one of the greatest whistlers of all time.
Pierluigi Collina said he locked himself in his room for 36 hours before the World Cup 2002 finalCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Collina was regarded as one of the greatest referees in footballCredit: Getty
Collina was known for his no-nonsense style and remains one of the most respected figures in the game.
In a glittering 28-year career of refereeing, he took charge of Champions League, World Cup and UEFA Cup finals.
The 63-year-old was named “The World’s Best Referee” by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics six times in a row between 1998 to 2003.
His invincible status was reinforced during his preparation for the 2002 World Cup final between France and Brazil.
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The Bologna-born official asked for VHS tapes of both teams to analyse their style of play.
Collina told ESPN: “I remember when I was asked to referee the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.
“I had to ask for VHS tapes of both teams. I locked myself in my room for a day and a half, taking notes and watching every minute of every match.
“Because the goal of a referee is to be one step ahead, to know what is going to happen before it happens.”
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“At the time, it was pretty unusual to prepare like that… but I’m proud of the fact that today this is normal prep for a referee.”
Modern refs are heavily scrutinised for their decisions on the pitch.
They pressure has arguably never been so high following numerous controversial VAR blunders.
One of this season’s worst was Liverpool’s Luis Diaz goal being incorrectly disallowed for offside against Spurs due to miscommunications from the on-field referee.
Audio from the control room revealed the officials understood they made a mistake but deemed it too late to reverse the decision.
During his interview, Collina admitted that the pressure to get things right immediately can lead to mistakes.
He added: “Sometimes accuracy and speed don’t go together. … If you want to be sure, it takes time.” More