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Champions League Final

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Good call on the penalty shout just before half time. Player clearly kicks the ground causing him to go over. No penalty and not a dive either.
 
What are your thoughts on the two fouls for possible penalties that apparently didn't go to VAR? The kick/trip on Mbappe and the tangle with Lewandowski.
 
My thoughts are that I can't believe VAR didn't bother to have a look at them. Perhaps because the ref was so close and so sure in his decision?

Just shows VAR up for what it is

Absolutely useless
 
My thoughts are that I can't believe VAR didn't bother to have a look at them. Perhaps because the ref was so close and so sure in his decision?

Just shows VAR up for what it is

Absolutely useless
Probably have to agree with you there. He looked so sure of the Mbappe one. At first I thought it was a good tackle, but the replays showed the kick on the ankle and defender nowhere near the ball. Strange VAR didn't bother with that one?

The Lewandowski could have maybe not been a clear and obvious error? God knows
 
Probably have to agree with you there. He looked so sure of the Mbappe one. At first I thought it was a good tackle, but the replays showed the kick on the ankle and defender nowhere near the ball. Strange VAR didn't bother with that one?

The Lewandowski could have maybe not been a clear and obvious error? God knows

Thought the lewandowski one was absolutely a clear and obvious error tbh
 
My thoughts are that I can't believe VAR didn't bother to have a look at them. Perhaps because the ref was so close and so sure in his decision?

Just shows VAR up for what it is

Absolutely useless
Have to disagree. VAR almost certainly look at them but didn't recommend a review. One ref's careless, another's footballing contact. Where they fouls? Probably. Were they glaring (clear and obvious) fouls? Probably not.
 
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Have to disagree. VAR almost certainly look at them but didn't recommend a review. One ref's careless, another's footballing contact. Where they could? Probably. Were they glaring (clear and obvious) fouls? Probably not.

The commentators get a notification when an incident is being reviewed by VAR. They said both incidents passed without any review. They're both penalties. They're both clear and obvious errors
 
Have to disagree. VAR almost certainly look at them but didn't recommend a review. One ref's careless, another's footballing contact. Where they could? Probably. Were they glaring (clear and obvious) fouls? Probably not.
Commentators said VAR didn't check Either. They say when the VAR referee checks something they are notified thus tell the viewers.
 
Have to disagree. VAR almost certainly look at them but didn't recommend a review. One ref's careless, another's footballing contact. Where they could? Probably. Were they glaring (clear and obvious) fouls? Probably not.

Only critique I have of your post is the word "almost" . . .

Commentators said VAR didn't check Either. They say when the VAR referee checks something they are notified thus tell the viewers.

The protocols in the LOTG are pretty clear: " As the VAR will automatically ‘check’ every situation/decision, there is no need for coaches or players to request a ‘review’."

Among the things reviewed are:

"b. Penalty kick/no penalty kick
• attacking team offence in the build-up to the penalty incident (handball, foul, offside etc.)
• ball out of play prior to the incident
• location of offence (inside or outside the penalty area)
• penalty kick incorrectly awarded
penalty kick offence not penalised "

There was no question here that there was a possible penalty kick offense in each situation. So there are really only two possibilities. (1) it was checked and either the referee declined a recommnedation to review or one was not made, or (2) the VAR assigned to the Champions League final is utterly and woefuly incompettet, without the vaguest sense of how the VAR protocols work. I think we can consider (2) unlikely to the point of absurdity.

What happened here? In each case, the VAR checked and did not see a clear error in failing to award a PK. And that's hardly surprising given the high bar on judgment calls that we have seen in UEFA. (I don't think either call would have been reversed with VAR if a PK had been given, either.)

(Caveat on what I just wrote--it is possible that the VAR recommended an OFR, and the R declined. That, however, is extremely unlikely--an R will very rarely decline to take a look as the VAR is only recommending the review if the VAR believes a clear error has occurred. As I recall, we saw it once in the MWC--and that was the last game that R was given. While only the R can cause a review to take place, the expectation is that if a VAR recommends review it is going to take place.)
 
Yes, I'm sure the VAR would have looked at it. The commentators get told if something more extensive is happening but they won't get told every time that VAR looks at a replay.

What we can probably say from the lack of an update to the commentators and play not being held up that the VAR didn't spend too much time looking at the incidents so they obviously reached a quick verdict that no intervention was required.
 
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This VAR, Massimiliano Irrati, has been involved in more VAR controversy that all other VARs put together, including some where VAR got it totally wrong even when taking into account the limits around VAR protocol.
 
My thoughts are that I can't believe VAR didn't bother to have a look at them. Perhaps because the ref was so close and so sure in his decision?

Just shows VAR up for what it is

Absolutely useless
That's a basic mischaracterisation of how the VAR system works. The VAR checks every reviewable decision. If they don't see a clear and obvious error in the referee's on-field decision, they don't proceed to a full review. This is called a "silent check".
Commentators said VAR didn't check Either. They say when the VAR referee checks something they are notified thus tell the viewers.
Again, that's wrong. When a silent check is all that happens, there's no notification for the TV audience or commentators to see.
 
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Have to disagree. VAR almost certainly look at them but didn't recommend a review. One ref's careless, another's footballing contact. Where they fouls? Probably. Were they glaring (clear and obvious) fouls? Probably not.
I've mentioned this before but the question is not whether they were clear and obvious fouls, it's whether they were clearly and obviously wrong decisions by the referee not to give them. It's a subtle but critical difference.
 
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I've mentioned this before but the question is not whether they were clear and obvious fouls, it's whether they were clearly and obviously wrong decisions by the referee not to give them. It's a subtle but critical difference.
Which is even more damming. Take the Mbappe one. He is pointing at the ball, (pet hate of mine although I do it myself sometimes annoyingly) presumably shouting played the ball played the ball.
How more clearly and obviously wrong must you be?
 
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