Sick of keepers holding the ball for 30-40 seconds to waste time or slow down play?

The [unenforced] law says a keeper can only hold the ball for 6 seconds. Any longer and it's an indirect FK to the opposition.

We now have details of The IFAB trial to change it.

Thread. 👇 As well as wasting time, a goalkeeper holding the ball for too long is considered an unfair tactic because the opposing team has no possibility to regain possession.

That's because a goalkeeper cannot be challenged when in control of the ball with the hand(s).

Mauro Icardi's offside in Galatasaray vs. Manchester United gives us a good illustration of how semi-automated technology will be more accurate and reliable - yet may lead to more goals being disallowed.

This was ruled out on the field, but stay with me. There's a common misconception that handball starts at the bottom of the sleeve.

This isn't the case.

It's the arm point level with the armpit - if you had it by your side - around the whole arm.

Basically, the area of the arm which can't increase body size if you move it.

Ok, here's the nuts and bolts.

This is what happened with the Luis Diaz "goal" which Liverpool had disallowed vs. Tottenham.

There will be a deeper dive in the Monday VAR thread, but in simple terms the VAR took the wrong onfield decision - it led to the goal being disallowed. So the VAR, Darren England, checked offside thinking the onfield decision was "goal."

It was a quick offside check because it was clear Diaz was onside, so he told the referee "check complete".

In telling the ref "check complete" he is saying the onfield decision was correct.

So the dust has settled on the first VAR audio show of the year with Howard Webb.

Time for a little old-school VAR thread to go through it.

I'll include the video clips. We got 2 of the 3 big errors in the Premier League this season - the penalty not given against Andre Onana vs. Wolves + the offside goal Man City scored against Fulham.

It didn't include Alexis Mac Allister's red card, which has been the main point of complaint in my comments.

Getting lots of comments about Lee Mason's return to PGMOL, and they're fair. I'm surprised too.

But he isn't working in the Premier League, he will be a coach in League One and League Two.

PGMOL is reducing the ratio of coaches to referees, so a lot of roles have been created. Bottom line is everyone who is appointed as a coach is going to be a former ref, and Lee Mason was obviously vastly experienced.

I've no idea if he will be good as a coach, after a pretty dismal end to his career on the pitch and in the VAR room, but understand the reaction.

FIFA publishes the top 10 international player transfers by total transfer fee in 2022.

Includes:
Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez to Liverpool
Antony, Casemiro to Man United
Erling Haaland to Man City
Alexander Isak to Newcastle
Raphinha to Barcelona

(list is not in fee order) The domination of English football in the transfer market laid bare.

The top 5 country-to-country transfer routes are all to England.

France to England the most lucrative market in 2022.

UEFA has announced a new format for the UEFA Nations League from 2024, expanding slightly with additional playoffs.

The next edition will begin in September 2024, and will mean a slightly modified qualification format for World Cup/Euros qualifying.

Details within. First, a new playoff format.

Final 4 now becomes a final 8, featuring 1st and 2nd from League A.

Quarterfinals (2 legs), 1st vs 2nd, take place in March 2025.

The final four (1 leg) will then be held in June 2025.

There are also new promotion/relegation playoffs (2 legs).

2022-23 VAR STATS THREAD

Overturns: 61
Rejected: 3
+Goals: 19
-Goals: 24
Pens: 16 (6 missed)
~for handball: 7
~overturned: 8
~retakes: 1
Disallowed offside: 15
Allowed after offside: 8
Disallowed handball: 2
Disallowed foul: 7
Reds: 3
~overturned: 2
espn.com/soccer/english… VAR STATS (cont)

Season-on-season VAR frequency (interventions per game):

2022-23: 0.32
2021-22: 0.32
2020-21: 0.32
2019-20: 0.29

VAR overturns rejected by referee at monitor:

2022-23: 3
2021-22: 0
2020-21: 5
2019-20: 0

The VAR must find definitive proof t
ref was wrong.

Not about finding clear evidence of a handball, but unequivocal evidence of no handball. Ref won't be sent to the monitor without it.

Remember, any touch on the arm, even accidental, is an offence.

We might feel that the probability is the ball didn't touch the arm of Joelinton, but the VAR cannot work on probabilities.

I don't think there's really the evidence for the VAR, Andre Marriner, to overturn the decision of the referee, Stuart Attwell.

We need to clear up a few things on the disallowed Antoine Griezmann goal.

It's turned into quite the mess, with the French FA complaining the goal was disallowed after Tunisia kicked off (which isn't possible by VAR protocol).

So, do France have a case? #TUNFRA #FIFAWorldCup This all boils down to whether the referee, Matthew Conger of New Zealand, gave Tunisia permission to kickoff.

Because Tunisia did kickoff, and Conger instantly blew the final whistle.

But if Conger hasn't signalled Tunisia to restart, it's meaningless.

GROUP C - ROUTE TO CHAOS

Poland lose, Mexico win; level on 4pts for 2nd

- If records are identical, eg:
Poland 0-2 Argentina
Saudi Arabia 0-2 Mexico

- Onto fair play:
Poland: -4
Mexico: -6

- If level, random draw

#POLARG #KSAMEX

FULL PERMUTATIONS: espn.co.uk/football/fifa-… This scenario applies to any combination of results whereby both games are decided by the same two-goal scoreline.

So
Poland 1-3 Argentina
Saudi Arabia 1-3 Mexico

Poland 2-4 Argentina
Saudi Arabia 2-4 Mexico

Here you go, the explanation of Antoine Griezmann's VAR-disallowed goal for offside.

It's a harsh decision and comes down to a complex and highly subjective area of offside: namely, what is a "deliberate play"?

In law, it's not as simple as it sounds.

espn.com/soccer/fifa-wo… This is an IFAB example of a "deliberate play" header = no offside.

It's similar to Montassar Talbi's, but with more control over the direction. Shows how complex it is.

But Antoine Griezmann's goal probably shouldn't have been disallowed through VAR. #TUNFRA #FIFAWorldCup

That is NOT a penalty and is literally in the IFAB directory of what ISN'T a penalty.

It can only be a penalty if it's a deliberate act.

This image is from the IFAB. Slide 37 of the IFAB Laws of the Game presentation, when the handball law was last clarified in the summer of 2021 (it has NOT changed since).

Video example: theifab.com/law-changes/20…

When a goal is disallowed by the VAR for offside because a defender hasn't made a "deliberate play" I get lots of tweets.

Think Nazinho for Sporting on Harry Kane's goal.
Or Fabinho / Ibrahima Konte on Karim Benzema's goal.

Well check out this example from the Bundesliga. Bochum v Gladbach on Tuesday. In the 82nd minute, Ramy Bensebaini scores for the away side to make it 2-2.

It's disallowed by the VAR for offside against the corner taker, Jonas Hofmann, despite the ball being played by defender Vasilios Lampropoulos.

Manchester United failing to win their UEL group presents a bit of an issue for the Premier League, as there is now no natural space in the calendar to rearrange their games against Crystal Palace and Leeds United.

Every single weekend and midweek is already accounted for. #MUFC Between now and the end of the season, Man United's empty midweeks are covered by possible FA Cup replays, Carabao Cup dates, European dates or empty midweeks already reserved for specified catch-up dates related to domestic cup competitions.

There's nowhere to slot them in.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool's possible Champions League RO16 opponents:

🇩🇪 Bayern Munich
🇵🇹 Benfica
🇵🇹 FC Porto
🇪🇸 Real Madrid

Draw is 11am UK on Monday, November 7.

#LFC #UCL 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich's possible Champions League opponents:

🇮🇹 AC Milan
🇧🇪 Club Brugge
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool
🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain

Draw is 11am UK on Monday, November 7.
#FCBayern #UCL

Few quick tweets on the Sadio Mane handball claim in Bayern Munch vs. Inter Milan.

I'm amazed this didn't result in a penalty in UEFA competition, so let's why referee Ivan Kruzliak didn't award one to Inter.

One of the key considerations is a player making his body bigger, which usually refers to their silhouette.

As you can see from the two images, the silhouette of Mane's body on the path of the ball is not increased by his arms.

A thread on Harry Kane's offside goal for Tottenham against Sporting. #COYS

This thread brings in information from UEFA, but also uses knowledge of the system and the VAR processes.

Will also include the FACTUAL aspects of the law. UEFA is not releasing a 3D animation of the decision (reasons will become clear).

However, UEFA has told me that the semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) was used to help assist the officials.

And this image with the correct offside lines was provided to the broadcaster.

After controversial incidents in the Bundesliga this weekend, the account which expertly provides analysis of referee and VAR decisions (do work for Sky Germany and others) has deleted their Twitter account due to the level of abuse.

But only in the Premier League.

https://twitter.com/ManuThiele/status/1568975082105577472

Lecce hit out at "embarrassing" VAR errors vs. Monza in Serie A.

Marcus Rashford was onside for Manchester United's second goal due to the tolerance level which was added to VAR offside last summer.

Would have been offside in 2020-21.

When a player is onside due to tolerance level one green line is shown, drawn to the defender.

#MUNLIV Manchester United have conceded two goals in recent games due to the tolerance level being applied.

Against Norwich in April and Brighton on the first weekend of the season.

BIG NEWS JUST IN!

FIFA has approved the use of its new Semi-Automated Offside Technology for VAR at the World Cup.

But what does this mean?

It should make offside much quicker and more accurate, with better visualisation through 3D animation. 1/5
espn.co.uk/football/fifa-… Full details of how semi-automated offside works, including quotes from Pierluigi Collina. The good, and the bad.

- Quicker, more accurate
- Back to "toenail offsides"?
- 3D animation
- Spontaneous goal celebrations?
- Delayed flag?
- When in Prem?
2/5

espn.co.uk/football/fifa-…