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Dale Johnson

2 Feb, 14 tweets, 2 min read

UEFA has announced the COVID-19-related regulations for the knockout stages of the Champions League and the Europa League.

With travel far more difficult in 2021, this is going to be crucial information.

All clubs must work to obtain from the relevant authorities exemptions from existing travel restrictions, such as border closures and quarantine requirements, for the match to take place as scheduled.

This is at UEFA approved venues in accordance with the published calendar.

Clubs have until next Monday, February 8, to notify UEFA if a travel exemption cannot be obtained for the UCL RO16 first legs and the UEL RO32.

This includes anything that would impact the staging of, or travelling to/from, one of knock-out stage matches.

If restrictions could result in the match not taking place as scheduled, these rules apply.

1) If restrictions imposed by the national/local authorities of the home club apply to the visiting club, the home club must propose an alternative venue which may be in a neutral country

1) (cont..) If the home club fails to propose a suitable
alternative venue and a reorganisation of the match is not
possible, the home club will be considered to have forfeited and lost by 3-0.

2) If restrictions imposed by the national/local authorities of the visiting club apply to the visiting club's travel to play OR return home, the home club must propose an alternative venue which may be in a neutral country

2) (cont) If the home club fails to propose a suitable
alternative venue, the UEFA administration will take a final decision.

If either club refuses to take part in the match, it will forfeit the match by 3-0.

Where possible, clubs should try to use as an alternative venue a UEFA approved venue used in the competition by another club.

All clubs participating in the knock-out stage shall use best endeavours to make their UEFA approved venue available as a neutral venue.

In all cases, the clubs may agree - subject to UEFA’s approval - on a venue reversal (swapping home and away legs) or on a neutral venue.

If info on restrictions imposed is not accurate or is
insufficient or received too late, the UEFA administration will take a final decision.

In all cases, the UEFA administration has the right to assign an alternative venue for any particular match or even to decide that either or both legs of the relevant round to be rescheduled and/or played in a neutral country and/or organised as a single-leg tie.

In terms of positive tests, the rules are the same as in previous knockout ties (and the Nations League).

If a game can't be played, as decreed by local authorities, before the round deadline, the team with the positive tests will lose the leg 3-0. If both affected, UEFA rule.

Champions League Match deadlines (if rearrangement necessary)

a. Round of 16: 2 April 2021;
b. Quarter-finals: 23 April 2021;
c. Semi-finals: 14 May 2021.

Europa League Match deadlines (if rearrangement necessary)

a. Round of 32: 5 March 2021;
b. Round of 16: 2 April 2021;
c. Quarter-finals: 23 April 2021;
d. Semi-finals: 14 May 2021.

If, for any reason, a round in the KO-stage cannot be completed, the UEFA Executive Committee will decide on the principles for determining the winner.

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More from @DaleJohnsonESPN

Dale Johnson

@DaleJohnsonESPN

3 Feb

Okay, let's take a look at Tuesday night's madness in the Premier League, with the Laws and VAR.

- Red cards for David Luiz, Jan Bednarek
- Cancelled Man United pen
- Red for Bernd Leno
- Drama in Germany - offside, deliberate play of ball

As usual, don't shoot the messenger.

Let's start by explaining the Triple Punishment law, brought in from 2016-17.

It states a player is cautioned if the offence "was an attempt to play the ball" and "in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.)" it's a red."

So, in general terms, Luiz and Bednarek both denied a goal-scoring opportunity with no attempt to play the ball.

That neither attempted to make a challenge isn't considered, as intent is no longer in the Laws of the Game.

They are better making a poor, desperate tackle.

Read 15 tweets

Dale Johnson

@DaleJohnsonESPN

1 Feb

It's Monday VAR thread time, with only a few (high profile) things to mention:

- Southampton's "penalty" for handball
- Massively reduced interventions
- The offside equaliser
- Bruno Fernandes' challenge

Starting with the Southampton pen, it seems that the VAR, Mike Dean, has become tangled with the absolute letter of the law.

There are similarities with the Rodri decision for Man City, which went against Villa.

Neither decision was "what football expects."

"What football expects" is a key mantra of the VAR project.

While obviously the game must be officiated to the Laws of the Game, there are situations that are simply what they seem.

Rodri was offside.
Matty Cash gave away a penalty.

No one would have argued with either.

Read 14 tweets

Dale Johnson

@DaleJohnsonESPN

20 Jan

Tyrone Mings chesting the ball was judged by the officials and the VAR a deliberate act to play the ball and that reset the offside phase, bringing Rodri onside.

Can't agree, and surely has to be offside in this circumstance.

#MCIAVL

For me, this is the key point.

If Mings had made a deliberate play, messed up and the ball ran to Rodri, offside is reset.

But Mings' deliberate play was to control the ball and then he had it stolen off him by a player in an offside position. #MCIAVL

Obviously this is open to interpretation.

"A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball is not considered to have gained an advantage."

So for me it's whether you believe Rodri *received* the ball from Mings, or stole it.

Read 6 tweets

Dale Johnson

@DaleJohnsonESPN

30 Dec 20

The Premier League schedule can just about handle the games that have been postponed... so far.

But the league is on the brink of a fixture crisis, and the failure to entertaining agreeing curtailment / abandonment options may come back and bite them hard.

From the initial fixture build there were three Premier Lague catchup dates built in - the midweeks of March 2, April 20 and May 19.

However, these placeholders were primarily for teams which reached the Carabao Cup final and/or the FA Cup final.

Added to that, even without COVID postponements, if a PL team were to get the semis of the Champions League or Europa League and the final of both domestic cups there aren't enough spare midweeks to fit those games in.

Looking at you, Man City, Man United and Tottenham.

Read 14 tweets

Dale Johnson

@DaleJohnsonESPN

28 Dec 20

It's the Monday VAR thread.

- Penalty incidents at Leeds
- Arsenal / Wolves / Palace penalties
- Brighton handball
- WBA goal

This is not a week when I'll get much appreciation for my opinions, but these are subjective decisions so we can't always agree...

The Leeds penalty is clouded by Nick Pope getting his foot to the ball. But that doesn't mean it cannot be a penalty.

I totally get why many will feel it shouldn't be a penalty, but once the referee has given this there's no chance it gets overturned.

From this image, it seems a clear challenge from the goalkeeper to get to the ball ahead of Patrick Bamford.

There's no problem here, it's a normal attempt to win the ball.

But that doesn't give Pope carte blanche.

Read 16 tweets

Dale Johnson

@DaleJohnsonESPN

21 Dec 20

It's your Monday VAR thread! This week:

- Explaining the process of the Newcastle-Fulham penalty
- Red cards
- Few handballs
- A brief return to offside

First, the Newcastle penalty which resulted in a red card for Joachim Andersen via VAR.

The main questions and comments have centred around:
- It was outside the box!
- Why wasn't the referee shown replays?
- How can it be a red card if it's a penalty? (double jeopardy)

First, a reminder of the VAR process.

The ref will explain why he has given the decision, and the VAR will check replays for a clear and obvious error.

So, if ref Graham Scott says Andersen has clipped Callum Wilson's foot, does the VAR have reason to support that?

Read 19 tweets

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