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      Who is Women’s World Cup final referee Tori Penso?

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      WOMEN’S WORLD CUP referee Tori Penso is one of the leading officials in the game.And she has been charged with being the woman in the middle for England’s Women’s World Cup final clash against Spain.
      Tori Penso became the first woman to referee an MLS match in over 20 yearsCredit: Getty

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      From her career on the pitch to her family life – here’s everything you need to know.
      Who is Tori Penso?
      Tori Penso is American football referee from Florida.
      In 2020, she became the first woman to referee an MLS match in over 20 years.
      Penso began her refereeing career at the age of 14 – where she started reffing both boys’ and girls’ games.
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      Not only was this a way of income for the then teenager, it also opened the door to a great opportunity – earning her an invitation to a refereeing camp run by the Olympic Development Program in Texas.
      At the time, Penso was playing football while also studying for a university degree in marketing – and she did not yet view refereeing as a potential job.
      She told FIFA.com: ”There were no full-time female referees in the States, and so I didn’t really see it as a career.
      ”I did understand, though, that it was more than just a temporary job for me, and that maybe it would enable me to get to know my country a bit better, and maybe even the world.”
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      Penso later made the decision to give up her job at an advertising agency in favour for refereeing.
      In 2021, she made history once again – becoming the first woman to referee a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
      A year later, in 2022, Penso took charge of five FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup matches in Costa Rica, including one of the semi-finals.
      How long has Tori Penso been a referee?
      As mentioned above Penso was introduced to world of refereeing during her youth.
      In 2021, Penso, a leading offical in the game, became a FIFA-rated referee.
      As of August 2023, the trailblazing referee has taken charge of four matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
      She was chosen to officiate the highly-anticipated England vs Australia semi-final on August 16, 2023.
      Is Tori Penso married and does she have any children?
      Tori Penso is married to fellow referee Chris Penso.
      The couple share three daughters. More

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      Portsmouth clash bizarrely SUSPENDED as ref walks down tunnel with the ball before FAN ‘takes over as linesman’

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      PORTSMOUTH’S clash with Cheltenham was bizarrely delayed as the officials appealed for any qualified refs in the crowd to take over as linesman.The unusual incident occurred just 12 minutes into the second half, when referee Ben Toner grabbed the ball and left the field of play.
      Portsmouth’s clash with Cheltenham was bizarrely delayedCredit: Rex
      At the time, Pompey tweeted: “As if this afternoon couldn’t get anymore bizarre…
      “The referee has taken the ball and disappeared down the tunnel – we’ll keep you updated.”
      Two minutes later, they added: “A message has just gone out over the PA system for a qualified official to make themselves known…
      “And a fan from the stands has just emerged to take over duties, so we should be fine!”
      The original officiating team at the match consisted of Ben Toner as referee, Daniel Flynn and Mark Derrien as his assistants and Stephen Brown as the fourth official.
      One of the linesmen was forced off injured during the first half of the match, with Brown taking over.
      Disaster then struck early on in the second period, when the other linesman also picked up an injury.
      At this point the referee led both teams back down the tunnel, with the Fratton Park PA system appealing for any qualified referees to emerge from the crowd.
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      Around ten minutes after the initial incident it was confirmed that play would resume in a further five.
      The match eventually got back underway in the 55th minute, with a supporter running the line.
      Pompey and Cheltenham were level at 0-0 when the suspension occurred.
      As the replacement assistant ref raised his flag for a throw-in for the first time, he received a loud cheer from the crowd.
      The officials eventually reverted to the original match clock, meaning they entered 21 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the initial 90. More

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      Premier League ball-in-play figures revealed after major rule change was introduced to crack down on time-wasting

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      PREMIER LEAGUE games have seen an increase in the amount of ball-in-play time following new rules designed to crack down on timewasting.Ifab have introduced rules which has seen officials add on extra time for goal celebrations, substitutions, injuries, penalties and red cards.
      New rules have seen an increase in added time in the Premier League and EFL this seasonCredit: Rex
      The Premier League has seen the amount of ball in play time increase by almost four minutes
      This has had a significant effect on matches across the EFL and in the top tier, with few games lasting less than 100 minutes as a result of the changes.
      It has also increased the amount of time the ball is in play, with an average rise of almost four minutes so far this season.
      That is a big improvement, particularly as matches have only lasted, on average, three minutes longer than they did last season.
      Last season saw the most average game time [98.27] but the least average ball-in-play time [54.52] of any Prem season in the last 10 years.
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      Now ball-in-play time is at an average of 58.42 and is likely to improve further as fewer players attempt to waste time – as they know it will be added on at the end of the match.
      There has also been an improvement in ball-in-play time in all three EFL divisions, with League Two seeing the highest increase at eight minutes.
      However it remains the division with the least amount of ball-in-play time, though is now only half a minute behind League One, with 56.04 minutes of ball time compared to 56.56.
      New disciplinary rules have also been introduced to clamp down on “unacceptable conduct on the pitch, on the sidelines and in the stands”.
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      There has also been a clamp down on player and manager disciplineCredit: Getty
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      The Premier League and EFL are keen to give match officials greater protection – to prevent managers and players trying to intimidate and influence decisions.
      Under the new regulations, all club technical staff, including managers and assistants, must sign up to a “code of conduct” – which has been approved by the League Managers Association.
      The rules have already seen players in the Championship and League One sent off for dissent.
      While Bolton boss Ian Evatt and Leyton Orient gaffer Richie Wellens were also red-carded in mid-week after confronting the referee. More

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      Gary Lineker reveals how referee brought him crashing back to earth after scoring El Clasico hat-trick with cruel move

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      GARY LINEKER has revealed the cruel move by a referee that ruined his moment after an El Clasico hat-trick.The 62-year-old was reminiscing about his days with Barcelona where he spent three years of his illustrious career.

      Gary Lineker was brought back down to earth by a Spanish referee following his El Clasico hat-trickCredit: Getty
      Lineker spent three years playing in Spain for Barcelona after making the switch from EvertonCredit: Getty
      The former England star told the story of his hat-trick for Barcelona against Real Madrid in 1987.
      Lineker looked back on chipping Madrid goalkeeper Paco Buyo to net his third goal after scoring two in the opening five minutes.
      Speaking to GOAL he said: “It was the first one [El Clasico] I’d played at the Nou Camp and I scored two goals in the first five minutes – both from very close range.
      “And I had goose bumps. The noise was incredible, in front of 120,000 fans.
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      “It was about five minutes into the second half and I was one-on-one withy the goalkeeper who I believe was [Paco] Buyo. I’ve dinked it over him and when I saw it going in it was just magical.”
      But despite the euphoria that Lineker must have been feeling in that moment, he was denied a longstanding English tradition by the referee.
      After bagging his hat-trick he was expecting to take the match ball home with him.
      But when he asked the referee for the ball, he had no clue what Lineker was talking about and refused to hand it over.
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      The former Leicester and Spurs striker said: “The referee had the ball in his hands.
      “I went up to him and asked him for the ball, but he was going ‘Que? Porque? No.’
      “I went ‘I’ve scored three goals’ and he just didn’t get it. It wasn’t a thing in Spain back then and so I never got it [the ball].”
      Barcelona ended up 3-2 winners in the game and Lineker was still able to celebrate the three points regardless of missing out on the match ball.
      The Match of the Day host ended up playing 138 times for the Catalan club, scoring 51 goals before moving to Tottenham in 1989. More

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      Fans joke Todd Boelhy has ‘signed Anthony Taylor too’ as Chelsea somehow get away with ‘handball’ in box vs Liverpool

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      FOOTBALL fans joked Todd Boehly wild spending spree has now extended to referees as Chelsea escaped a huge handball claim in their penalty area. Liverpool were adamant they should have had a spot kick early in the second half at Stamford Bridge.
      Anthony Taylor was in charge of Chelsea’s clash with LiverpoolCredit: Reuters
      Nicolas Jackson deflected the ball to safety with his handCredit: Sky Sports
      Nicolas Jackson deflected a corner back out of play with his hand – although his arm was tucked into his body.
      The new striker claimed it had come off his chest but replays showed he clearly used his hand, albeit probably accidentally.
      But ref Anthony Taylor opted against awarding a penalty.
      And the VAR Darren England agreed after watching the incident back, refusing to send the man in the middle to the pitchside monitor as play resumed.
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      That prompted an outpouring of similar comments on Twitter suggesting the official was the latest big-money transfer arrival for Boehly’s Chelsea.
      One said: “Did Boehly sign Taylor?”
      Another joked: “Crazy to think that Boehly and Eghbali talked Anthony Taylor into an eight-year contract.”
      And a final user referenced the long-held bitterness Chelsea supporters hold towards Taylor by adding: “We’ve finally bought Anthony Taylor to our side.”
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      To make matters worse for Liverpool, Taylor inadvertently got in the way of Dominik Szoboszlai as the Hungarian tried to launch a counter attack.
      However, he did not have to stop the game or perform a drop ball because the referee managed to avoid making contact with the ball.
      One viewer quipped: “Boehly should consider Anthony Taylor as his new DM the way he just blocked off Szoboszlai,” referencing Chelsea’s ongoing pursuit of Moises Caicedo to bolster Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield.
      Another typed: “Anthony Taylor doing a boss job as a DM for Chelsea there.”
      A third wrote: “This is genuinely a hall of fame horror show from Anthony Taylor.”
      And one fan commented: “Anthony Taylor has been Chelsea’s best player.”
      It was a busy day for VAR England who had to chalk off goals for both Mo Salah and Ben Chilwell in the first half.
      Luis Diaz had put Liverpool in front on 18 minutes, sliding in at the back post, before Blues debutant Axel Disasi bundled in an equaliser before the break.
      And it ended 1-1 in Poch’s first competitive game in charge of Chelsea.
      Credit: Twitter
      Todd Boehly was in the stands for the 1-1 draw at Stamford BridgeCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      Fans in stitches as they spot moment Harry Kane realises he can’t complain to German referee about penalty

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      FANS were left in stitches after spotting the awkward moment Harry Kane realised he couldn’t argue with a German referee. Kane completed a £104million transfer from Tottenham to Bayern Munich on Saturday morning.

      Harry Kane tried to approach the ref before stopping in his tracks
      He was unable to help Bayern Munich from falling to a 3-0 defeat against RB LeipzigCredit: Getty
      And he was straight into Bayern’s squad for the Supercup clash with RB Leipzig.
      Kane came off the bench for the last half an hour as his debut unravelled into nothing short of a nightmare.
      Dani Olmo’s first half brace gave Leipzig a commanding lead before Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel eventually opted to bring on his new ace in the 64th minute.
      But moments after coming on Kane saw his side concede a penalty a following a handball in the area from Noussair Mazraoui.
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      Kane is typically in the refs ear about such situations immediately fighting his teams case.
      However, as he approached the ref Kane seemed to remember there was a language barrier.
      He then proceeded to watch on as his team-mates protested the penalty – which was converted by Olmo to complete his hat-trick.
      And fans were quick to react to the awkward moment, with one tweeting: “Kane went to complain to the ref about the penalty decision but he remembered he can’t speak German 😭😭.”
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      A second said: “Top scenes seeing Harry Kane go over to complain to the referee about that penalty only to realise he doesn’t speak German.”
      “This made me laugh 😅. Harry Kane complaining to the referee & then remembering he doesn’t speak German yet 🤣,” remarked a third.
      A fourth added: “Kane started to try and protest with the referee there and then realised he doesn’t speak German.” More

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      Arsenal and Nottingham Forest already in breach of new protocol just 24 hours into Premier League season

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      PREMIER LEAGUE clubs breached the new rules on the opening weekend of the season – but escaped without punishment.A whole host of fresh legislations were brought in over the summer – which will see matches regularly exceed the 100-minute mark.
      Mikel Arteta and Nicolas Jover were both in the Emirates technical areaCredit: Reuters
      One of the changes means only one coach can stand at the edge of the technical area to give instructions to players.
      Should a second join and also bark out orders, they should be booked.
      However, both Arsenal and Nottingham Forest coaches got away without cautions despite breaking the rules in the lunchtime kick-off.
      Mikel Arteta’s No2 Albert Stuivenberg and Gunners set-piece coach Nicolas Jover were both spotted alongside the manager on the side of the Emirates pitch during the 2-1 win.
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      Steve Cooper’s side-kick Steven Reid was also caught with the Forest gaffer.
      Action should have been taken which would have seen all three assistants shown yellow cards by referee Michael Oliver.
      However, SunSport understands Premier League officials missed the incidents as they still get used to implementing the wave of new regulations.
      But Stuart Attwell followed on from his no-nonsense performance in the Community Shield – which saw him book Arteta for waving an imaginary card – by brandishing yellows to Marco Silva and one of his coaches in the closing minutes of Fulham’s win at Everton.
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      And fans took to Twitter to lament the officials in the Arsenal clash with Nottingham Forest – with Newcastle supporters certain ‘Mad Dog’ Jason Tindall would not get the same lenient treatment.
      One said: “Make a mental note of this for when Tindall gets told to sit down, let’s observe together.”
      Another wrote: “Two coaches in the technical area. And it was three at some point too. But no yellow cards. NUFC vs Villa later. The moment Jason Tindall puts one foot in, he will be yellow carded. And the pundits will be all over him. Watch this space.”
      A third added: “How have Arsenal got three people in the technical area and not a word has been said?”
      And a fourth commented: “The technical area rule is an absolute farce.”
      The Arsenal assistant should have been booked for his actionsCredit: TNT Sports
      Steven Reid escaped without a yellow card in Forest’s defeatCredit: TNT Sports More

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      Ten major Premier League changes this season including Champions League qualification, winter break and tough new laws

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      THERE will be huge changes to the Premier League this season, including for European qualification and tough new laws.Prem action returns on Friday night when Treble winners Manchester City head to newly-promoted Burnley.
      Luton will be the 51st team to play in the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
      More time will now be added to cut out time-wastingCredit: Getty

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      With many new things for fans to keep a look out for, SunSport run you through the biggest changes…
      New team in town
      Luton will become the 51st different side to play in the Premier League since it was formed in 1993-94.
      New balls please
      Players will be kicking around a new ball this season – the Nike Flight has black lines and “splashes of orange” on it.
      There will be an extra “multiball” cone stand on the half way line opposite the dug-outs.
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      The new Nike Flight Premier League ball comes into play this seasonCredit: Nike
      Numbers and fonts
      This is the fourth redesign of the official Premier League font for numbers and names.
      All sides must use the same font and from this season it will be “bolder” with bigger numbers being used.
      There is also now a standalone Premier League lion badge on shirt sleeves.
      The new numbers have been shown offCredit: https://www.premierleague.com/news/3109195
      There will also be a lion badge on sleevesCredit: https://www.premierleague.com/news/3109195
      Whistleblowers
      Tim Robinson and Darren Bond are new full-time referees following the retirement of Andre Marriner.
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      Changing times
      All stoppages except for bookings must be calculated “exactly” by officials.
      PGMOL chiefs expect it to mean an average of just under 12 minutes of additional time per match.
      Already it’s causing a major stir, with Manchester United defender Raphael Varane releasing a statement over the changes.
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      Lay down the law
      Two major law changes will be implemented this season.
      A player adjudged to be “challenging for the ball” when they “deny an obvious goalscoring opportunity” in the box will only be yellow carded even if they are not attempting to play the ball.
      Fifa and Ifab have also clarified what is now deemed “deliberate play” by defenders with regards to offside.
      If a player is considered to be in control of the pass, attempt to gain possession or clearance, this would be a ‘deliberate play’ and the attacker in an offside position should not be penalised for offside.
      An inaccurate or unsuccessful action does not change that the defender “deliberately played” the ball.
      Behaviour clampdown
      Tough new rules for players and bosses include yellow cards for any time-wasting and automatic bans for three yellow cards for any coach or manager.
      Bookings must be handed out if two or more players surround an official.
      There is a lower bar for dissent as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta found out in the Community Shield, as he was booked for waving an imaginary card and protesting a decision.
      Mikel Arteta was stung by the new rules at WembleyCredit: PA
      VAR from over
      An extra two VAR cameras at each end will mean the end of “blind spots”.
      This should help with tight offside calls and highlight any before missed incidences.
      Winter break
      The winter break is back, probably for one season only, with a full set of ten fixtures split across two weekends in mid-January to give the players a guaranteed rest.
      Time for Manchester United’s Anthony Martial to get those winter gloves out.
      Fifth Champions League spot
      The team that comes fifth will likely get an automatic seat in the Champions League for the following season.
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      But only if English teams teams are among the top two performers across the three Uefa club competitions.
      They have been for six of the past seven seasons – last term both the Champions League and Conference League were won by Prem sides Manchester City and West Ham respectively.
      There could be an extra place in the Champions League for English teamsCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More