Following a meeting between wantaway playmaker Luka Modric and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, the London club have revealed that the Croatian has been told he is not for sale.
Chelsea tabled a £22 million bid for the former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder two weeks ago, which was firmly rejected by the player’s current employers. Since then the 25-year-old has stated that he wants to leave White Hart Lane in search of Champions League football, but Levy has clarified that this will not happen, even if the Stamford Bridge team increase their offer.
“It would make no difference. This is not about money, we’re not selling our best players,” he stated to Sky Sports.
The 49-year-old believes that the meeting went very well, and that the Croatia international will be convinced to stay at the club once pre-season kicks in.
“Everything was fine, we had a very good conversation and – as I said previously – Luka Modric will not be sold.
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“It’s the end of it. As I said a few weeks ago, there’s no further discussion on it. He was on holiday, we’ve now had the conversation and he understands our position. I’m sure once he’s back with his team-mates everything will be fine,” he concluded.
It’s Christmas and to celebrate the festive season and their sponsorship of the Football League, npower are giving away pairs of tickets to Championship club supporters. It is the perfect gift for these lucky winners and a friend to commemorate 2010 and see their team into a successful 2011. Make sure you don’t miss out!
npower are offering you one last chance to save on your energy as they are rewarding fans for switching their gas and electricity supply to npower and paying by direct debit. For ‘real fans’ npower has launched Football Saver* for new customers – It’s guaranteed 7% cheaper than standard rates until 31st December 2011 plus you will automatically be placed into a special prize draw where you could win a £45 voucher to spend at your local Football League club shop, courtesy of npower, say for example towards a new shirt for the season. To take advantage of the offer call 0800 975 6613** quoting N570P, offer closes 30th January 2011.
npower are all about giving not only to the fans but to the local community too. As the new title sponsor of The Football League Kids Cup, they fully support the annual six-a-side competition with teams of Under-11’s and Under-13 girls played in towns and cities throughout the country, culminating in finals played at Wembley Stadium before the end of season npower Play-Off Finals.
The Competition:
Here at FootballFanCast we have teamed up with npower to offer footy fans the chance to win a Pair of Tickets for twelve lucky home fans to the following eight matches:
Monday 3rd January:
QPR v Bristol City Ipswich v Nottingham Forest Crystal Palace v Preston
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All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is to answer the following question correctly:
Which England international is currently the top scorer in the Championship?
A) Scott Sinclair
B) Grant Holt
C) Jay Bothroyd
Email your answer along with the game you would like to watch to [email protected].
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The competition closes on Thursday 16th December so make sure you get your answers in now!
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Terms and conditions:
Tickets are located in the home team stand and are only valid for home team supporters.Winning the football tickets doesn’t guarantee the automatic win of the £45 voucher.Winners of the voucher will be notified by npower by 31st Dec 2010.*Residential customers only. Offer and vouchers subject to availability. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply visit www.npower.com/shirtoffer or call 0800 975 6613**** Calls may be recorded and monitored for training and security purposes.To view all the competition terms and conditions visit http://www.npower.com/footballcricketterms
Tuesday night’s home game against Derby wasn’t a pretty affair. Derby dominated the midfield and played with a relaxed free style which arose from their assured mid table position; Cardiff on the other hand were nervy, afraid of making a mistake, however the tense atmosphere on the pitch didn’t filter onto the terraces. The Bluebird supporters had taken it upon themselves to turn out in force to both bolster the team and to pay a personal old fashioned supporters informal tribute at the first opportunity to former manager and Cardiff City legend Eddie May who sadly passed away at the weekend.
The first twenty minutes were all Derby and they soon had the ball in the back of the net causing City fans to hold their breaths. The goal had been offside but decisions hadn’t gone Cardiff’s way, including what looked to be valid appeal for a penalty! A sigh of relief reverberated throughout the stands when the goal was disallowed.
Joe Mason, against the run of play opened the scoring for Cardiff pouncing on and slotting home a rebound off a Kenny Miller shot that had rattled the woodwork, chants of Eddie May’s Barmy Army resonated though Cardiff city stadium that could be heard in the houses on the Canton Road…. Derby however hadn’t read the script and continued to press and cause problems in every area of the pitch, they were the better team.
Nathan Tyson continued to run circles around the Cardiff midfield and defence – twice David Marshall denied him at point blank range..Now it wasn’t just the City players who were tense. The fans had started to live on their nerves, too sure it was only a matter of time before Derby equalised. Just as heads started to go down Cardiff managed a good counter-attack.
Mason got on the end of a Lawrence pass but when in a great goal-scoring position dithered and rather than taking his chance he passed the ball to Kenny Miller who took too long teeing up his shot to be sure so that the ball was stolen off his toes… The head shaking and muttering began amongst the Cardiff fans because this wasn’t the performance they wanted for Eddie and it certainly wasn’t the one needed to cling onto a playoff position. Half time couldn’t come quickly enough.
The second half started, Derby had made one change and within minutes they also brought on Steve Davies to a plethora of snooker related puns amongst the bored and restless City fans “Let’s hope he’s not in the frame to score from a break.” and “He’d better not be on cue to snooker us.” Being amongst the better ones!
Derby continued to dictate the play the Cardiff City players and fans were taking stress to a whole new level. All the haunting memories of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory etched across their faces, the fans frustration needed an outlet for release, they needed to lift their side out of the nervy tense style of play they were entrenched in. Fans revived another chant from the Eddie May era which involved chanting shoot, shoot every time a player they knew had a shot on him received the ball. It was this chant that was partly the catalyst for the moment of pure class and magic which followed.
Suddenly receiving the ball in his own half, Club captain Mark Hudson had the briefest of looks up and spotted the Derby goalkeeper had been slow to return to his line after a goal kick. With the chants of shoot ringing in his ears, Hudson took the ball forward two yards and unleashed a shot at goal as requested. Everyone stood in a amazement as a perfectly flighted, sweetly hit but powerful shot curved then looped over the flailing and furiously back peddling Derby keeper Frank Fielding , under his bar into the back of the net.
I, nor anyone else there had ever seen anything like it. Yes it was similar to the infamous David Beckham goal from the halfway line but this was further out and from an angle and what’s more scored by a defender! The goal was from some 68-yards struck with intent, Hudson absolutely meant it. There was a split second before the Cardiff City faithful dared to celebrate, unsure if we had actually just witnessed or imagined what we had just seen. When we did start celebrating it was of the like that had never been seen before at the Cardiff City Stadium…The cheering drowned out the radio and multi-media commentators, but it didn’t matter for the Cardiff commentators were screaming and celebrating too.
It was that sort of goal, for almost a minute, professionalism went right out of the window, even Cardiff City FC historian and lead commentator on Cardiff City Player, Richard ‘Shep’ Sheppard, a consummate professional seemed incapable of saying anything other than “Oh my word what a goal what a goal…”
But despite what has to be the goal of the season, Derby refused to roll over and play dead. Still they came forward, Tyson ever dangerous on the break and Marshall palmed away a goal bound shot Whittingham cleared off the line. As the game recommenced with the Cardiff supporters now in good spirits the shouts of shoot got ever more comical – One such chant was aimed at a David Marshall goal kick; the big Scottish keeper beamed and waved a hand dismissively before launching his kick in the direction of Peter Whittingham.
Overall, David Marshall and young Ben Turner were immense at the back. Turner getting back and putting in faultless tackle after tackle and Marshall pulling off at least four or five brilliant saves.
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Despite a somewhat nervy display by the Bluebirds, Derby running things and having 56% of the possession and more shots both on and off target along with double the amount of corners of Cardiff – thanks to some of the players coming forward, standing up and being counted adding to a miracle goal from the most unexpected sources, somehow Cardiff had come through.
They had dug deep and shown true Bluebird spirit They had done themselves and everyone connected past and present with Cardiff City football club proud with the three points making sure that this season things are now firmly in our hands, this time we aren’t going to blow things because we can’t, the supporters have become an extra man on the park and amongst the players the old heads some on young shoulders have responded yes it wasn’t a pretty display against Derby but at this point in the season all that counts is the three points…
Saturday sees the sombre dignified official tribute to for the man whom everyone connected with Cardiff City Football club regards as the Bluebirds greatest ever manager.
Today Manchester City announced a sponsorship deal for their stadium that means it will be named after the airline Etihad, in a deal worth up to £300m over ten years, which includes sponsorship of the area around the stadium and various other interests.
I’ve yet to encounter a City fan who was remotely concerned at this news – far from it, as it was greeted as a two-fingered salute to Michele Platini and his financial fair play rules. It was common knowledge anyway – news of this deal has been rumoured for many months now, it was always going to happen as part of the sheikhs’ second phase of being economically self-sufficient.
Elsewhere though, there was outrage. Waving the placards most vigorously of all was the ever-entertaining Ollie Holt of the Mirror. He was depressed, distraught, devastated even at the news. Here are some of his thoughts on Twitter:
There are many ways in which the current owners of ManchesterCity have shown class. Renaming the stadium after a sponsor isn’t one of them.
I know part of the answer is FFP but if City have got so much cash, why do they have to sell a piece of their soul for stadium naming rights?
Many City fans saying they don’t care about stadium renaming because new stadium never had an identity anyway. Sad comment on the game.
Is it acceptable then to change name of team too? Presumably all in favour of Etihad Stadium would be fine with EtihadCity as name of team.
Now if Maine Road had been re-named, I’d be rather more upset, as would a lot of City fans. But it hasn’t. What is being re-named is an eight year old stadium that didn’t have a set name anyway. How often have you heard a City fan refer to the City of Manchester Stadium? Some called it COMS, some called it Eastlands, some, like when getting a taxi to the ground, just call it “the city ground please mate”. Fans call their ground various names all the time, and will continue to call their ground what they want, sponsor or no sponsor.
In fact someone argued online of the loss of heritage in changing from Eastlands to the Etihad Stadium, the irony completely lost on him that Eastlands is not, and has never been the name of the ground – but it goes to show this deal changes nothing – fans and journalists alike have been happy to spend the last eight years calling the ground by a made-up name.
So I can see how in theory a re-name could be seen as sacrilege and offensive. One journalist commented that he would be disgusted if Celtic Park was re-named. But this is different, clearly. How can everyone not see this? This is not Celtic Park, this is not Wembley, Villa Park or Anfield. If it had happened eight years earlier no one would have batted an eyelid.
It was acceptable for Arsenal to move into a sponsored stadium without having to defend themselves, and Wigan and Bolton. It’s fine for Bayern Munich to do the same. Why the outrage now?
Inevitably the old misconception that Etihad actually translates to mean United was once more dug up out of the woodwork. It doesn’t, and I couldn’t care less if it did anyway, but if that’s all people have got to attack City with, then the outlook is definitely rosy.
People can moan about the soul of a club (a ridiculous concept that is impossible determine and does not in fact exist), about modern football being all about money, about the loss of identity and so on, but the bottom line is this – the stadium naming deal makes no difference to anything. Same team, same ground, same players, same kit, same players, same division, same match-day experience, same everything.
The fact is that the deal was inevitable the moment the financial fair play plans were agreed. As I have argued before, however noble Platini’s intentions were (not very, a cynic might say), the consequences of this will be clubs desperately trying to earn more money any which way they can, leading to sponsorship deals aplenty, higher ticket prices, and even less thought given to the fans. If you want to blame someone, look towards France.
Holt had already written an article on the topic a few days ago, bemoaning the re-naming of Leicester’s ground, to the King Power Stadium.
“If you defile the stadium by prostituting its name, you destroy part of the experience.”
No you don’t Ollie. My experience next season will not be 1% worse because of the name of the stadium. Any true football fan would know this.
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“I could live with the Walkers Stadium even if it was named after a bag of crisps. It was the name of Leicester’s new arena and had been since they moved there from Filbert Street in 2002.”
What a ridiculous argument – you can have a sponsor’s name on the stadium when you move there, but don’t you dare do it eight or nine years down the line, as this is removing the soul from the game, and a depressing sign of what football has become? Utter hogwash.
Much of the argument revolves around that last point – how football is run by money, how things aren’t what they used to be. The fact is, there’s nothing worse than nostalgia. Football when I first started watching it in the 1980’s was a terrible time to be involved as a fan. Poor grounds, poor facilities, poor crowds, poor football on the whole, hooliganism, ID cards and tragedy after tragedy. I still loved every minute of course, but give me a sponsored ground and indoor toilets any day. Football has been about money since Sky invented the game in 1992. It seems some have only just woken up to the fact. Holt also mentioned Chesterfield’s sponsored stadium name, blissfully unaware of the massive financial problems they have suffered over the past decade or so, and how this deal will make their future even more secure.
Regarding City, the deal goes beyond the naming of a stadium anyway. It will form part of the £1 billion regeneration of the surrounding area, one of the poorest areas of the city. It will provide world-class sporting facilities and community football pitches. Etihad will also partner on youth and community projects both locally, throughout Britain and internationally. And clubs are after all part of the community in which they exist, and there to serve it. And it should be made clear too that Manchester City council do very well financially from the football club.
So what’s more important? A fatuous sense of outrage because the name of an almost new building has been changed, or the regeneration of east Manchester? Not a tough decision.
Liverpool have had many fantastic midfielders over the years, both in the centre and on the wing. It has been hard to narrow it down to just 10 but in my opinion the ones that I have chosen all represent what every Reds fan would like to see in a Liverpool midfield player. Whether it was the pace and guile of John Barnes, the one man team that was Billy Liddell or the hard hitting challenges of Graeme Souness, the Reds have all sorts that have graced the grass of Anfield and have gone on to become legends of the game.
Click on image below to see the TOP 10
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Read many more fantastic Liverpool articles at Live4Liverpool.com
A few months ago, Sam Allardyce was something of a saviour on Merseyside, steering Everton clear of the Premier League’s relegation battle after an abysmal start to the season under Ronald Koeman. But fast forward to present day, and all is not happy in paradise.
Indeed, in addition to results taking a sharp downturn following the bounce the November appointment initially provided, style of football has been a real sticking point with some fans – it must be said that Everton aren’t performing in a manner you’d expect of a side hoping to break into the Premier League’s big six.
But there are some counter-arguments to consider here, particularly that Everton are still aren’t completely safe from the drop, so it’s not as if Allardyce can allow the team to open up and play expansive football, and that he’s inherited an imbalanced squad from Ronald Koeman.
With that in mind, we recently asked Everton fans whether Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright should sack Allardyce and the verdict of our poll was almost completely unanimous, with 96% wanting the former England gaffer to receive his marching orders.
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Who would you bring in to replace Allardyce, Everton fans? Let us know by commenting below…
Scotland last night voted no to independence after a long few months of ifs, whats and maybes. We here at FFC Towers are glad that our friends north of the border will be staying put, and we’ve decided to celebrate by naming a British XI to applaud the union of the nations.
As well as the English and Scottish, we’ve got the ever-improving Welsh in on the act too, to create a side that would certainly book a spot at EURO 2016.
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CLICK ON DANIEL STURRIDGE TO REVEAL THE XI
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Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
There’s only one choice when it comes to a gaffer for this little lot. Sir Alex is, arguably, the greatest manager of all time following his stunning time at Manchester United, and his driven personality and uncompromising style could whip any set of players into shape. As his assistant we’ll have Ryan Giggs.
Fraser Forster
Even though Joe Hart is perhaps one of the best around, we’ve plumped to start Forster in or XI thanks to the former’s tendency for errors. The now Southampton ace carved out his reputation in Scotland with Celtic and now looks set to challenge for England’s No 1 jersey over the coming years. Commanding, strong and an excellent shot stopper, Forster is our man.
Glen Johnson
A worrying lack of options at right back sees Glen Johnson get the nod. The Liverpool man may be a much-maligned figure for his dip in form, but with bags of big game and tournament know-how, we’re sure he can function in this XI effectively.
Gary Cahill (C)
At the back we have Chelsea stalwart and captain of this ragtag bunch, Cahill. The tough-tackling Englishman looks set to take over from John Terry and club level and is certainly beginning to show the heroic playing style of his senior team-mate in the white shirt for England. There aren’t many better centre-backs in Britain right now.
Ashley Williams
Alongside Cahill we’ll have Williams. The Welshman captains his national side and has proven himself to be a star performer in the Premier League with Swansea – attracting big club attention along the way. He may not have the level of pace he possessed a few years ago, but his experience and strength are key attributes.
Leighton Baines
The standout left-back in Britain is undoubtedly Baines. The Everton man is great going forward, solid defensively and can whip in a mean ball from set-pieces. His attacking intent would bless any side, so he virtually picked himself here.
Darren Fletcher
The Scot will anchor our midfield. Fletcher may have had a torrid few years, but his fitness is creeping back and we think his ability to clean up in front of the backline will be a great asset. Fletcher has bags of big game experience from his time with Manchester United, making him a key cog in this XI.
Aaron Ramsey
The Welshman has really developed into one of Britain’s top midfielders over the course of the past few years. A horror injury threatened his career at a young age, but ‘Rambo’ has bounced back and built on the potential he showed in his early years at Cardiff. The Arsenal ace was a sure fire choice for this side.
Raheem Sterling
The most advance of our midfield three is young Sterling. The 19-year-old is, arguably, the best teenager in European football and has thrived in the ‘No 10’ role since being moved in from the wing by Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool. His pace and great strength – well, for a small-framed player – are very impressive.
Gareth Bale
The world’s most expensive player takes up the role on our right flank. Bale is now a star turn at Real Madrid and has really pushed on since leaving Spurs – which is some feat seeing as he was voted the best player in the Premier League while at White Hart Lane. The flying Welshman looks set to be the talisman of this team.
Steven Naismith
He may not be the most fashionable player, but Naismith brings real nuisance value. The Everton man has kicked on massively in recent months, settling in well since moving to the Premier League, with his industry and eye for goal big plusses.
Daniel Sturridge
Controversially we’ve axed Wayne Rooney as we go for a pacey approach (Wazza has been poor at international level for a while) with Sturridge our man. The prolific goal-getter knows where the goal is and has shown that his form at club level translates to the international game.
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Bench
Joe Hart – Not a bad back-up ‘keeper.
Phil Jagielka – A decent stand in for Williams or Cahill.
Alan Hutton – Tough and uncompromising. Useful for a late defensive display
Jordan Henderson – Bags of energy and a sprinkling quality.
Shaun Maloney – Creative and experienced, could be useful off of the bench.
Wayne Rooney – Well, he has to be on the bench.
Steven Fletcher – Guarantees goals.
Scotland stays! Man United & Liverpool stars make UK XI.
It has been another positive week for Coventry City on the field with a 2-1 win against Morecambe in the FA cup second round.
It was by no means a classic FA Cup tie but it was a game that was all about us getting through to the next round. Despite the fact we had a slightly weakened side we were in control for the majority of the 90 minutes and created more than enough chances to have won the game more comfortably.
With the team being without the likes of David McGoldrick and James Bailey in it there was a chance for others to make an impression. O’Donovan a man who has been a bit of an outcast at the club since his arrival was given a rare start. However despite a hard working performance from him there was a distinct lack of quality there and at times it was easy to see why he has not been in and around the team a great deal.
More positive though was to see McSheffery get himself another goal this time from the penalty spot. His recent improvement could be something to get excited about. We have all seen what he can do and know that he can be a player of real quality. We have not seen this since his return to the club and it is about time that he shows us fans why we adored him so much in his previous stint with the club.
Another player in the goals again was Carl Baker and many a time I have slated Baker who has never really recreated the form he showed for Stockport. Just maybe he is finding his feet again and one thing I am sure of about him is that he is very much a confidence player. The fact he is getting himself a couple of goals along with having some real influence on games should mean his confidence is receiving a massive boost. This can only be a good thing and I hope that this new found confidence continues and he keeps getting himself in and amongst the goals.
All in all it was a good day at the office for everyone involved at Coventry and the draw for the third round made for a perfect weekend for the Skyblues. A repeat of the 1987 FA cup final as Coventry face Tottenham Hotspur away at White Hart Lane.
I for one cannot wait for this match and a first trip to White Hart Lane is going to be something to savour. Tottenham are a top side with world class players and we all know that a victory is unlikely but it is the FA Cup and anything can happen.
This will undoubtedly be a great occasion for all involved and I’m sure it will bring back some great memories for those supporters lucky enough to remember the famous triumph of 1987. Unfortunately I am not one of them and I am hoping that Coventry can create another historic FA cup moment which can be celebrated by the club as a whole and all of us long suffering fans. With the drama that unfolded in the 1987 Final the script could already be written and another historic victory could be on the cards.
This cup tie is definitely one to look forward too for fans and players alike but there are plenty of important games to think about before it, starting Tuesday night against Sheffield United.
It’s another cup match and a real chance of some silverware for the club. Robins has already shown his intentions with his team selections that he wants to go all the way in the Football League Trophy and I don’t expect this to change. It is a chance to instill some much needed pride back into the club and would be a huge step forward in terms of changing the mentality at the club to a winning one.
Now Sheffield United will be no easy task with them being one of the clear favourites to win the trophy themselves but we more than matched them early on in the season and we have improved significantly since then. In my eyes we have a real chance and I’m excited about the prospect of potentially going to Wembley.
Many will say the Football League Trophy doesn’t matter and is a bit of a nothing competition but I like it as it gives the smaller teams in the country some real hope of not only winning something but to play at the best stadium in the country. Its every players dream to play at Wembley, its every managers dream to manage a team there and its every fans dream to watch their team play there. This trophy makes them dreams come true for clubs who wouldn’t otherwise get that chance and for that I am grateful that it exists.
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This game also gives us another chance to improve our stuttering home form. We are currently in the middle of four consecutive home games having drawn one and won one.
The fact we are unbeaten and that we were seconds away from winning both games is positive . However we need to try to continue this and make the Ricoh a place that other teams fear. We can go some way towards achieving this over the next two matches and if we do then the rest of season could be bright for the Skyblues.
According to Newcastle United fan page @NUFC360 on Twitter, Red Bull Salzburg attacker Valon Berisha, rated at £9m by Transfermarkt, says there is a real interest from Newcastle United to sign him this summer, and Magpies fans have been quick to react to the rumour.
@NUFC360 say that the 25-year-old, who has predominantly played on the left-hand side for the Swiss club but can also play through the middle, told Norwegian TV that there is real interest from the Tyneside club to bring him to St James’ Park.
Having scored 13 goals and provided a further 11 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions last season, there is no doubt that he would bring some much-needed creativity and goal threat for Rafa Benitez’s men after they only netted 39 times in their 38 Premier League matches in 2017/18.
Newcastle supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Berisha’s reported comments, and while one said he “would be such an underwhelming signing”, another said a “player of his quality for £8m, they can’t even whinge he’s too expensive!”
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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English football’s attempts to incorporate VAR have thus far produced mixed results. While few dispute the merits of a system that increases the likelihood of accurate and just refereeing decisions, the practicalities of adding video technology to the English game have proved problematic; using the FA Cup as the platform for experimentation, ties involving Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all lead to controversies in the last three rounds of the competition.
During Chelsea’s third round draw with Norwich, VAR missed a penalty that the Canaries’ honest defender Timm Klose later admitted should have been awarded. When Liverpool lost to West Brom in the fourth round, the entire first half was disrupted by long delays as the referee conferred with the video official – although they eventually came to the right decisions between them. And Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Huddersfield last weekend was overshadowed by some incredibly squiggly lines initially believed to have been used to determine whether Juan Mata’s goal was offside, damaging VAR’s already limited credibility.
So, do we need to make adjustments to VAR before it can be adopted permanently in English football? What alternative ways are there of using video technology? Football FanCast take a look at four suggested solutions to an innovation that continues to divide opinion…
Solution A – Stick with the current format
For all the stick VAR has received, it’s being quickly forgotten that we’re at the very conception of the system. It will take referees time to be fully trained and experienced in the nuances of video technology, just as it will take time for the actual Video Assistant Referees to master the new trade – it’s not as simple as watching a TV screen and telling the referee when he’s wrong. Eventually, officials will become more accustomed to it and there will be a wider, consistent consensus of when VAR can and can’t be used.
On top of that, by the letter of the law VAR should be marginal in influence – it’s meant to only be called upon for goals, penalties, straight red cards and cases of mistaken identity when there’s a ‘clear and obvious’ error on the referee’s part. That being said, the current setup still seems quite muddled and confusing, especially for those watching at home and even more so for those in the stadium. The rules are clearly far too open to interpretation at the moment, and that lack of consistency is incredibly frustrating.
Solution B – Only the referee can review footage
Many will argue it still leaves too much pressure on the referees, which VAR is ultimately designed to help. But changing the rules so that only the referee can decide to review footage for incidents he’s uncertain about – perhaps he was blindsided for a furtive-looking challenge inside the box or wants to determine whether a tackle should be a yellow or red card – would at least make it clear who is ultimately responsible for the decisions, reducing some of the vagueness and anonymity that many fans have found frustrating.
Furthermore, it strikes a balance between embracing new technology while allowing for human error, which many argue is an intrinsic factor in what makes football such a universally popular and engaging sport. The counter-argument though, is the pressure the referee would be under should they come to review footage on the touchline. They’ll not only be sandwiched between two dugouts protesting on behalf of their respective teams, but also in incredibly close proximity to the fans which could sway their judgement even if they are seeing crystal clear footage.
Solution C – The Challenge System
An approach used in the NFL, each manager is given two chances to challenge a referee decision and make it go to review, and are then granted a third if both of their challenges lead to an overturn in the original call. It’s not perfect – you can imagine the fury if a manager has already used his challenges but the referee misses a late penalty or awards an offside goal – but it’s at the very least a system fans can easily get their heads around and accept the merits and the flaws.
The main concern though, is whether the challenges will end up being used dishonestly by managers, hoping it gives them some sort of advantage. For example, using a challenge in the final five minutes can slow down the game and effectively time waste, or give a manager the chance to hold an impromptu team talk on the touchline. That’s no doubt a manipulation of what VAR is for and will eventually corrode the system’s credability.
Solution D – TMO
Currently used in rugby, the main difference between VAR and TMO is that the video referee is in the stadium rather than a studio in the heart of central London. More crucially, however, rugby referees essentially pass up the decision to the TMO rather than simply being advised to review their original call, and the footage is shown in the stadium – so fans aren’t left in the dark about what the officials are actually looking at.
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But it must be said that most decisions in rugby are much clearer than football, and even then the TMO can still make some incredibly controversial calls such as whether the player has put enough pressure on the ball when scoring a try. Likewise, it’s not hugely different from the VAR setup and some would argue it’s much fairer to have the video referee in another location where he won’t be influenced by the crowd.
So, which direction do you think VAR should head in? Let us know by voting below…