The Ref Stop

Man U v Wigan

The Ref Stop
Penalties are like eggs. You get hard ones and soft ones. But a soft egg, is still an egg.

The fact professional players got down like they've been snipered, is the most annoying part though
 
Don't see much difference between this and the Jota one against Newcastle. Both players exaggerated the effect the contact had on them.
 
Feel like Anthony Taylor has been the focus of a few soft penalties in recent weeks
 
Perhaps us refs should insist on the physio coming on to administer first aid, if they make out they're that badly hurt ? lol
Make them leave the field for a few mins
My first call when seeing a player go down soft like this and act injured is to wave the physio on 😈
 
You're forgetting that Fernandes would not of had to go off in this scenario as he took the penalty
Well that's where they should change the laws, then. If these pros are THAT injured they should leave the field irrespective of who's taking it
 
I feel that if this is given then ANY contact in the area is a penalty.
If I have my fan hat on I don't want this or the Jota one to be penalties.
I also don't know how to quantify "how much" contact is enough for it to be a pen.
 
Just seen the clip. I think it's another damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario for the referee.
 
Personally I feel like fans and referees alike need some sort of clarity as to the expectation in situations such as this. When the contact itself is significant enough for a penalty, but the player could very easily have stayed standing and his control of the ball would not have been affected. Should it still be a penalty?
 
But how do we all agree on what contact is classed as significant enough?

Football isn't a very honest sport. Players will do what is needed to gain an advantage.
 
But how do we all agree on what contact is classed as significant enough?

Football isn't a very honest sport. Players will do what is needed to gain an advantage.
I get your point, I just mean from a judgement call point of view. Anthony Taylor probably knew that Bruno could have stayed on his feet if he wanted to, but had to give the foul because of the contact. IF football doesn't expect a penalty there, which I'm not really sure if it does or doesn't, then we need the tools to be able to say 'well he could have stayed up' if you know what I mean.

It does complicate things though.
 
I think you're all thinking about this the wrong way around, we'll some.

Contact or amount of contact is only part of our consideration when judging whether a challenge is fair,careless, reckless or excessive force.

Whilst the contact to the foot is minor, look at how he has challenged and tell me he has taken enough care in the challenge?

This was not normal, or expected, football contact. It was a foul, and a penalty, pretty irrelevant of whether or not Fernandes could have stayed up, or not.

The fact that we wouldn't give a penalty, when we probably should if he stays up, is why he goes down. Can't really blame him.
 
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Even the Wigan manager thought this was a penalty, albeit not initially as he thought Fernandes had dived initially, but once he saw the replay he said he was happy with the penalty. You have to question whether we as referees are overthinking it when even the disadvantaged manager agrees with the decision.

I think Jason Cundy summed it up quite well, he said that almost every player will go down when they feel that amount of contact, but that doesn't mean it isn't a foul.
 
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