Juan Albion
Chicken Sniffer 3rd Class
Well, that might be an exaggeration but it's getting a bit like that.
I've just been watching a fairly mediocre game between Argentina and Paraguay. Not a great game but that isn't what got to me. I just don't like the way the game is being messed about with.
With Paraguay winning 1-0 five minutes after half-time, Aguerro pulls the ball back to Martinez and the Argie gets off a shot which hits the bar. The rebound comes to Messi, whose shot is well saved by the goalie, who pushes it round the post for a corner.
I timed what happened next. We have 58 seconds of Messi lining up to take the corner and the ref sorting out the players pushing in the box as per usual at a corner. After the 58 seconds, the ref sticks his finger in his ear and indicates to Messi to wait on the corner. No-one seems to have a clue what is going on, certainly not the commentator or the crowd, who are whistling. But the ref is clearly talking to the VAR folks.
Then, 2 minutes and 7 seconds after the shot, the ref indicates he's going to look at the VAR screen.
A minute later, he comes back and signals penalty to the Argies and gives a yellow card to a defender for handball. Slow motion replays are highly inconclusive in my view. If the shot from Martinez did brush his arm it caused no spin on the ball as far as I could see,so must have been the tiniest of touches.
Then, more than five minutes after the incident, Messi steps up and scores the penalty he never even appealed for.
To add to my discontent, a few minutes later, a Paraguay forward was chopped down in the box and a penalty was given without need for VAR. Yet there was no yellow card to the offender. So you get a yellow card for a handball no-one saw and which certainly was in no way deliberate, but no card for a deliberate foul in the penalty area. Makes no sense to me.
The Paraguay penalty is then well-saved by the Argie goalie, but I half expected VAR to announce a few minutes later that the goalie's heel was 2mm off the line when the ball was kicked - didn't happen.
What has happened to football? It used to be common sense and it was clear to everyone what was going on. Not any more. This season is going to be horrible, thanks to VAR.
I've just been watching a fairly mediocre game between Argentina and Paraguay. Not a great game but that isn't what got to me. I just don't like the way the game is being messed about with.
With Paraguay winning 1-0 five minutes after half-time, Aguerro pulls the ball back to Martinez and the Argie gets off a shot which hits the bar. The rebound comes to Messi, whose shot is well saved by the goalie, who pushes it round the post for a corner.
I timed what happened next. We have 58 seconds of Messi lining up to take the corner and the ref sorting out the players pushing in the box as per usual at a corner. After the 58 seconds, the ref sticks his finger in his ear and indicates to Messi to wait on the corner. No-one seems to have a clue what is going on, certainly not the commentator or the crowd, who are whistling. But the ref is clearly talking to the VAR folks.
Then, 2 minutes and 7 seconds after the shot, the ref indicates he's going to look at the VAR screen.
A minute later, he comes back and signals penalty to the Argies and gives a yellow card to a defender for handball. Slow motion replays are highly inconclusive in my view. If the shot from Martinez did brush his arm it caused no spin on the ball as far as I could see,so must have been the tiniest of touches.
Then, more than five minutes after the incident, Messi steps up and scores the penalty he never even appealed for.
To add to my discontent, a few minutes later, a Paraguay forward was chopped down in the box and a penalty was given without need for VAR. Yet there was no yellow card to the offender. So you get a yellow card for a handball no-one saw and which certainly was in no way deliberate, but no card for a deliberate foul in the penalty area. Makes no sense to me.
The Paraguay penalty is then well-saved by the Argie goalie, but I half expected VAR to announce a few minutes later that the goalie's heel was 2mm off the line when the ball was kicked - didn't happen.
What has happened to football? It used to be common sense and it was clear to everyone what was going on. Not any more. This season is going to be horrible, thanks to VAR.
