UEFA and VAR Must Also Take Responsiblity for Jan Vertonghen's Head Injury

The following incident occurred in the 31st minute of the UEFA Champions League semifinal first-leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax on Tuesday 30 April 2019.

From a direct free kick, two attacking players from Tottenham (white 4 and 5) both come together with Ajax goalkeeper (blue 24). Jan Vertonghen's face (white 5) smashes into the back of Toby Alderweireld's head (white 4), leaving Vertonghen lying on the ground in an awkward position. Blood pours from a cut on his nose.

Question 1: At the free kick restart, is Vertonghen in an offside position?
Question 2a: Who is challenging for the ball?
Question 2b: Who is interfering with play?

This is a difficult incident to assess, discuss and manage because first, some will claim Alderweireld was onside and had every right to challenge for the ball. Second, others will also add that in situations where there is a mix of onside and offside players, ARs must wait to see who touches the ball.

Third, UEFA, as the competition organizer, plus the Head of Referees have GUIDELINES instructing ARs to KEEP THEIR FLAGS DOWN in offside situations or tight offside situations until either a goal is scored, a penalty kick is awarded or the ball goes out of play. The reasoning for this guideline is simple: since there is now video technology, match officials can allow the game to flow until there is a convenient break in the game to allow a review.

However, it is this reasoning (to allow the game to flow and to be an entertaining spectacle) where it can be argued that UEFA and the Head of Referees must take responsibility for this collision and ALL OTHER collisions where their instructions have downgraded the safety of players.

The VAR guidelines ignore players safety because, as in Vertonghen's case, an offside player is allowed to challenge and potentially collide with opposition players (and even their own teammates). Essentially, ARs who keep their flags down on offside players are permitting a potential collision between charging attacking players and onrushing defending players or goalkeepers.

The question is, are the current VAR guidelines a good thing or not?

Friendly Matches by FIFA Put Players' Health At Risk

I cringe every time there is a friendly match (like a charity match, a testimonial, or high-profile celebrity kickabout) because the safety of players is usually overlooked. The recent FIFA Legends match is another example of this. Players NEVER wear SHIN GUARDS.

The article below makes a song-and-dance about the availability (or lack) of defibrillators, while overlooking the simple act of not wearing protective shin pads.  FIFA's medical chief may criticise his organisation's lack of available defibrillators but not all stadia or sports clubs are rich enough to afford such specialized equipment. Shin guards, on the other hand (or foot!), are affordable to all players.

Diego Maradona and Co's health 'put at risk' by FIFA during Legends matches at Zurich headquarters

• FIFA staged Legends match at their headquarters without pitchside defibrillator
• Council member Michel D'Hooghe was angry at lack of medical equipment
• Ex-players including Diego Maradona, Carles Puyol and Lucas Radebe took part

By Charles Sale for the Daily Mail

Published: 22:47 GMT, 9 January 2017 | Updated: 22:47 GMT, 9 January 2017  

FIFA's medical chief has slammed world football's ruling body for staging Legends matches at their own headquarters in Zurich without a pitchside defibrillator.

Belgium's FIFA council member Michel D'Hooghe was visibly angry at the lack of emergency medical equipment on the touchline for the tournament held at FIFA House, especially considering the ages and physical shape of those playing — notably Diego Maradona, 56, once the world's greatest player.

Along with Maradona, the former stars taking part included Spain's Carles Puyol and Michel Salgado, South Africa's Lucas Radebe, Argentina's Gabriel Batistuta and Croatia's Zvonimir Boban, now FIFA deputy secretary general.

Diego Maradona took part in a FIFA Legends match ahead of the awards ceremony in Zurich

The Argentine legend played alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino and England full back Alex Scott

They were joined by a number of top football administrators led by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. 

Other suits on the pitch were CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, Brazil football chief Fernando Sarney, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and America's Sunil Gulati.

There were two defibrillators, used to revive heart-attack victims, stored nearby in the offices and the gym. 

But D'Hooghe, chairman of FIFA's medical committee, said: 'FIFA are not setting a good example. The equipment should be ready for use beside the pitch, not in the building. The first three minutes are the most important in the event of the heart stopping.

'And this is a dangerous day, with many of the legends and the football officials not being particularly fit. It's high risk.'

Referees live in fear as grass-roots game spirals out of control

There is an article from The Telegraph highlighting results from a survey of over 2,000 grass-roots referees in England. There needs to be a much better and improved version of the Respect campaign.

Respect 2.0 please!

Rational Ref: Horrid acts are no laughing matter

Match officials should not be so reviled by fans, especially when they are injured during the course of their duty on the pitch

• 

Referee Chris Foy is left out for the count after a ball hit him flush in the face in the first minute of the match between Newcastle and Swansea last weekend. Photo: AP

When something unpleasant happens to match officials fans go wild with delight and reporters have a field day writing about the misfortune inflicted on the man in the middle.

This happened last weekend when EPL referee Chris Foy was knocked out for a few seconds by a ball hitting him flush in the face in the first minute of the Newcastle and Swansea match. After the Newcastle medic checked him, he continued for 30 minutes, but something was not right, so stand-in referee Anthony Taylor replaced the dazed and confused Foy.

The feelings of schadenfreude espoused by everyone watching revealed just how hated match officials are. Does this antipathy tell us anything about soccer lovers and the society we live in?

In other sports, officials are not as intensely loathed. Those in tennis, snooker and golf are not regularly mocked, jeered and abused by players and spectators when they make decisions.

Seriously, contrast the crowd's pleasure at seeing referee Foy being hit in the head and concussed to the reaction of shock over the death of a keeper in Gabon after an opponent stepped on his head. Did anyone laugh? Keeper Sylvain Azougoui suffered serious head injuries that ultimately proved fatal.

 

Recall last season, when Swansea City's Ashley Williams deliberately kicked the ball with full force from close range at the head of Manchester United's Robin van Persie. Then United manager Alex Ferguson said Van Persie "could have been killed". "[It] was the most dangerous thing I've seen on a football field for many years. It was absolutely deliberate. The whistle has gone, the game has stopped and he has done that right in front of the referee… It was a disgraceful act," said Ferguson.

The FA did not take action against Williams, using the feeble excuse that referee Michael Oliver had cautioned both players, which meant the FA was "powerless" to take retrospective action on grounds of "re-refereeing" an incident.

Had Van Persie suffered a broken neck or even worse, it is certain action would have been taken against Williams, regardless of whether the referee had already "dealt with the incident".

A recent study showed that heading the ball is associated with clear risks of brain injuries, mainly because it increases the odds of head collisions with other players. Referees are trained to treat any impact to the head as a serious injury.

Players who deliberately kick, or attempt to kick at, opponents' heads must also be severely punished retrospectively by competition organisers.

Two years ago Mario Balotelli, then of Manchester City, was retrospectively sanctioned for his intentional stamp that narrowly missed the head of Scott Parker, who was playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

At the time, Balotelli, still immature at 21, denied he did anything malicious and referee Howard Webb had missed the incident. The FA suspended Balotelli for four matches and Manchester City did not bother to appeal against the charge of violent conduct, which spoke volumes.

Although it is impossible to know the intent of players, referees use a clever test. They ask themselves would the offender have acted in the same uncontrolled manner towards his teammate or even a family member. Although by no means foolproof, this is how experienced officials try to make sense of seemingly "innocent" incidents.

But they also need support in terms of retrospective action since referees cannot always see everything that happens on the pitch.

A blow to the head should be treated seriously. It is no laughing matter.

• A final note: Fifa once again showed its technophobic paranoia when it pulled the plug on Australia's experiment in miking up A-League referees for its current end-of-season finals, which would have been a world first. The idea was that at key moments, the audio from the referee and linesmen would have been aired by broadcaster Fox Sports. This would have brought soccer in line with other codes such as rugby league, union and Aussie Rules.

Agree or disagree? Contact Rational Ref at rationalref@gmail.com

 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Horrid acts are no laughing matter

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 April, 2014

An Explosion On The Soccer Pitch

The following incident occurred during an AFC Asian Champions League quarterfinal first-leg match between Foolad Sepahan (Iran) and Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia) on 20 September 2012. The match finished 0—0.

In the 64', away team Al Ahli won a corner kick and home supporters threw objects on to the pitch near the corner flag. After the corner was taken and the ball was out of play, AR2 Chow Chun-kit (Hong Kong) signalled that there was debris in his area. Referee Liu Kwok-man (Hong Kong) went to investigate. Videos of the incident show what happened:

Grenade Explodes on Football Pitch (The Guardian)

Luckiest Man of the Week (YouTube)




Firecracker Explosion in Iran (YouTube)





Referee Liu was responsive and responsible. As the match Referee he is empowered to stop, suspend or abandon the match as he sees fit. Eventually, the match was suspended for about five minutes and then play resumed. The AFC is now investigating the incident.

Tasty Probert Sandwich Taken In Good Spirits

The following incident occurred during the EPL match between Wigan Athletic and Fulham on Saturday 22 September 2012. The match finished 1—2.

In the 15', Referee Lee Probert was scythed down simultaneously from behind by Fulham's Steve Sidwell (black 7) and in front by Wigan's Ben Watson (blue/white 8). Here are the freeze frames:

Lee Probert displayed a good sense of humour to lighten the mood. Fortunately, he was up and running again and did not seem to suffer physically from the incident.

Technically, Probert could have cautioned both players for being reckless. However, this would not have gone down well with players, supporters and commentators.

Mark Halsey was the 4th Official, and in the event of a serious injury to the match Referee he would be the replacement. Probert was not harmed, and humour also prevailed. 

Mark Halsey did not have to come on, and the next day took charge of the emotionally-charged Liverpool vs Manchester United match

BBC's Match of the Day heaped further jokes on Probert with this incident as soon as Probert was ready to restart play. Here are the freeze frames:

Wigan's Ben Watson appears to have got it in for Probert, doesn't he?

Considering Lee Probert's recent history in the EPL (see Probing Lee Probert Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Progress Report; and What is Probert Looking At?), this "experience" of being mown down should stand him in good stead by allowing him to "taste" such challenges. Hopefully, he will not "miss" or "let go" any unsavoury challenges similar to the ones he has missed before.

Nasty Tackles EPL Round 36: Part 2 of 2

Link to Part 1 of 2

Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic on Saturday 7 May 2011. The match finished 1—1.


Head injury vs playing advantage

In the 33rd minute, Emile Heskey of Aston Villa is fouled by Wigan's Antolin Alcaraz. Even from the distant wide-angle camera view, the left arm of Alcaraz can clearly be seen to be used against Heskey. However, Referee Mike Jones (infamous for the "beach ball and poor application of the Laws" incident) plays advantage. The first thing to consider here is whether there is a head injury to Heskey. The second thing to consider is whether Alcaraz led with his forearm and elbow (e.g. Leading with elbows is serious foul play). The third thing to consider is whether playing advantage is the correct option (since it is 2 attacking players against 4 defending players; plus the fact that there are grounds for issuing a card) or to award a direct free kick in a potentially dangerous dead-ball position.

The second consideration appears to have been missed by everyone; no one (commentators, coaches, fans, journalists or referees) raised a query about Alcaraz's unfair challenge on Heskey. It seems everyone were too consumed and distracted by Heskey's reaction and later actions, to consider what Alcaraz may have got away with.

Following a foul and a head injury to Emile Heskey (maroon), Referee Mike Jones waves "Play On"

I know all this sounds difficult and possibly complicated for Referees to do (consistently well), but this must be tempered by the fact that all EPL match officials are full-time professionals. They are trained and prepared to know what to do in these type of incidents, so they are expected to get these decisions more correct than wrong. Professional Referees set the benchmark for the rest of us.

The following is what Heskey did next.


Violent conduct towards Referee

After the defending team commits a foul and the subsequent advantage peters out, Heskey gets up and charges Referee Mike Jones.


The Referee whistles play to stop and Heskey walks away. Heskey then returns and adopts an aggressive and threatening stance right in Mike Jones' face. Heskey walks away but then returns again and holds two fingers up (indicating that he is telling the Referee that he has been fouled twice).

Eventually Mike Jones shows a yellow card to Heskey

Does anyone know what the restart was?

According to match reports (here's one example), Heskey continued to cut an angry and frustrated figure and continued to harass Jones for the remainder of the half. At half-time Heskey confronted Jones again, this time in the tunnel. Even Gary McAllister, Aston Villa's caretaker manager in the absence of Gerard Houllier, understood Heskey's unstable mental state, and promptly took him off and allowed him to leave the stadium without needing to stay to watch the second half.

Referee Mike Jones therefore had two opportunities to send off Heskey, and failed both times. Jones' leniency is to be condemned, particularly in light of the EPL's new campaign launched only last month calling for renewed respect to match officials and a curtailing of player and coach abuse toward match officials (see Education, Education, Education).

Contrast this to the bold Brazilian Referee who took immediate and decisive action against a player who did a similar thing to what Heskey did to Jones (but without the physical contact). This should be the benchmark.

Let's repeat what Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore regards as unacceptable behaviour:

"As to what we think is unacceptable; it's vitriolic abuse towards match officials and that has on occasions gone unpunished; the surrounding of referees is unacceptable; the goading of referees into trying to get opponents sanctioned we think is unacceptable; and also the undue criticism, where it spills over into questioning the referee's integrity or his honesty is also unacceptable."

It is always nauseating to read or hear commentators, coaches and playing colleagues describe that such-and-such a player is a "gentle giant" or a "gentleman", in much the same way as others describe such-and-such a player is a "tough tackler" or has a "nasty streak", as if this is supposed to exonerate and excuse such players for their immediate "uncharacteristic" behaviour during a present match. We've seen it with Harry Redknapp (in Part 1 of 2) saying it was "uncharacteristic of Charlie Adam" to do what he did, and the TV commentator John Motson effectively said much the same thing about Emile Heskey who is "sometimes accused of being too gentle for a big man to suddenly flare up like that". Referees do not have that luxury to consider. Yes, Referees should do their homework and prepare for likely scenarios according to previous behavioural traits in some players. But for every match, Referees can only make decisions based on what has actually happened during that match. Referees do not have the luxury, nor should they need to have, to base their decisions on a player's previous history.

Therefore, Referees do should not care whether Emile Heskey is a gentle giant most of the time, or whether he is an intimidating and imposing big black bulging player some of the time. Referees should only care about what happened there and then in real-time and in the moment. It would be interesting to know what was going through Mike Jones' mind during the incidents with Heskey (just as it would be interesting to know what Jones was thinking during the beach ball incident too).

NOTE: It appears something is not quite right with Emile Heskey. Some people have claimed that Heskey's frustrations are due to his and his team's erratic form this season. This is pure speculation. Only Heskey and those close to him may know why he had such a sustained emotional outburst, and the reason(s) for this may not necessarily be football-related. We simply do not know. It will be interesting to observe how Heskey is over the next few matches.


SUMMARY

Whether they like it or not, professional Referees set the benchmark for the rest of us. And when players, coaches and fans witness any leniency or incidents that are poorly dealt with in the professional arena, it makes it that much harder for the rest of us in the semi-professional, amateur and youth ranks who are trying to apply the Laws consistently to facilitate matches that are fair, safe and enjoyable.