Most football fans would have thought that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) had better things to do than further tinker with the game we all love, and maybe come up with some solutions for the absolute cluster-shambles that has become the Video Assistant Referee experiment. But no, they became obsessed with blue cards and sin bins again.
So naturally, this weekend we saw another absolute clanger from a referee who again, unfortunately, ended up aiding one of the top six sides, and even though VAR was sold on ‘clear and obvious errors’ they either did not notice the decision, or were entirely neutered from getting involved.
Even neutral fans will recall in the incident, as no doubt will those who were playing a Virgin Games Promo Code at the point such was the monumental nature of the error and the headlines it has since caused.
Ibrahima Konate goes down with a head injury and with such a focus on potential concussion issues, play was rightly stopped. However, Nottingham Forest were in possession at the point and for some reason only known to Paul Tierney, he restarted play by giving the back to Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Darwin Nunez went on to score their winner just 110 seconds later, and at the full time whistle, emotions got the better of plenty at The City Ground, as players surrounded the referee, coach Steven Reid was shown a red card for his own remonstrations and even owner Evangelos Marinakis tried to make his way to the referee’s office to complain, but he was finally ushered away.
Now, Tierney’s report will no doubt state that Callum Hudson-Odoi was in control of the ball, and then he blew up. However, Luis Diaz then nipped in and quickly kicked the ball back to the goalkeeper.
VAR were checking for a penalty at the point, which was not given, and again either chose not to point it out, or could not. The referee will also cite the incorrect decision did not directly lead to a goal being scored, but that is a matter of opinion in hindsight.
Alan Shearer on Match of the Day rightly commented, ‘It should be a Forest ball on the wing where it was touched. I get the time point to a certain degree. But if you drop it to where Forest should have had it, everything changes.’
Fellow pundit Jermaine Jenas echoed those thoughts, calling it a ‘shocking decision’ especially when you factor in that Forest had Jurgen Klopp’s side under some pressure at that point, and with the game restarting from the correct passage of play, they may well have won another corner.
It is such a simple and basic error, and whether it directly or indirectly led to their winner, again is this not the sort of massively avoidable clanger VAR was originally sold to fix.
So why has everyone involved become obsessed with drawing lines and measuring arm pit hair, and forgotten about the simple stuff.
The simple stuff that is in IFAB’s rule book, which it would be nice for them to focus on instead of chasing new fangled things that will only wind long suffering fans up further – and presumably confuse the referee’s even further.
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