LEICESTER
CITY
Recorded the
biggest away
win in the 131-
year history of the
English top flight,
winning 9-0 in the
Premier League
at Southampton.FINLAND
A 3-0 victory in
Helsinki against
Liechtenstein
secured second
place in Group J
of the Euro 2020
qualifiers and
guaranteed a place
at the finals of a
major tournament
for the first time.Yesterday’s men
There was an odd – and welcome –
reversal of the status quo in the latest
chapter of the FIFAGate saga. Manuel
Burga, ex-Peru FA supremo, has been
banned for life from football even though
he was cleared of corruption by a New
York court in December 2017.
Burga and two former CONMEBOL
general-secretaries have been kicked out
by the FIFA ethics committee and fined
1million Swiss francs over the long-time
skimming of millions of dollars from
marketing and TV contracts.
Meanwhile, ex-CONCACAF president
Jack Warner continues to contest
extradition to the US from Trinidad
& Tobago, but he must be growing
worried. Reports from Port of Spain have
hinted that he is considering emerging
from well-heeled retirement to re-enter
politics – presumably with a view to
securing diplomatic immunity.
Back in Europe Michel Platini, now free
from his four-year ban, is launching legal
action to reclaim “my good name” and
the $2m he believes FIFA owes him
from almost two decades ago.
And Jerome Valcke, the ex-FIFA
secretary-general, is considering an
appeal to the European Court of Human
Rights over his 10-year ban on charges of
illicit ticket-selling and expenses abuse.IRAN
A goal conceded
in added time in
the World Cup
qualifier away to
Iraq meant they
haven’t beaten
their neighbours
in the last four
games.BURIRAM UNITED
Were three minutes
from their eighth Thai
League 1 title in its
12-season history
when they conceded
an equaliser away
to already-relegated
Chiangmai, thus
handing a maiden
title to Chiangrai United.CHINA
Defeat to
Syria in the
World Cup
qualifiers
led to the
departure of
Marcello Lippi
as national-
team coach.Cup was down to three basic reasons.
Firstly, the World Cup referees had
undergone all the basic preparation as a
team; secondly, they knew they were the
world’s best and had a high level of trust
in themselves and each other; and thirdly,
all were ambitious to progress as far as
possible in the finals, and if they could be
saved from error then so much the better.
Rossetti, at UEFA, has taken a similar
approach and he has been fortunate
in that Europe’s major leagues use
VAR so the referees are confident and
competent in working with the new tool.
A major surprise, after IFAB approved
VAR for worldwide use, was that the
Premier League did not order up its
immediate introduction. Indeed, had
it done so then more tolerance might
have been shown by managers, fans and
media for the initial problems. But no
such patience was awaiting when the
Premier League eventually joined the
VAR club, a year later than necessary.
The initial concern of the Premier
League and PGMOL was understandable:
fans would object to lengthy interruptions
while VAR was activated in mid-match.
Hence the crucial – and self-defeating
- order for referees to ignore the option
of running over to the pitchside monitor.
This had two negative effects. One was
perception: if the fans see the referee
going over to the monitor then at least
they see some dramatic action and know
that something is happening – far better
than the awful seconds and minutes of
watching the referee with a finger stuck
in his ear.
But the second effect has been the
worst: the referees on the pitch have
had no option but to accept the Order of
the VAR even in subjectively contentious
areas such as handball. Down on the
ground, the referee knows that the VAR
has the benefit of a multiplicity of camera
angles and a better view of the incident.
No longer are they in charge of the
match. The greatest responsibility has
been removed from them.
This is not what IFAB intended. It is not
what Collina, Busacca and Rosetti – all
once top-flight referees themselves –
want or wanted.
If VAR is to work in the Premier
League then power must be restored
to the referees. That means use of the
pitchside monitor. It also means the
Premier League falling in line with the
rest of the game. Not for the first time,
English football has only itself to blame
for being left behind.INDEPENDIENTE
DEL VALLE
The Ecuadorian club won
their first international
club title as they beat
Colon of Argentina 3-1 in
the Copa Sudamericana
Final in Paraguay.Ignored...a pitchside Premier League monitorGLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE