Well deserved semi-final spots for France & Belgium. Actually the semi-final I predicted pre-tournament.
What did you think of the not given penalty to Brazil that looked like a foul? I thought the ball was probably out of play when the contact happened...
Was great refereeing to ignore Neymar's dives.
on that penalty, this is where the VAR protocol is the issue. Follow me if you will
The VAR is not there to say 'this is a foul/this is not a foul'. It is there to say if a clear and obvious error has occurred and they are quite different.
The Brazilian had a heavy touch and I don't believe he had any chance of getting the ball before it crossed the goalline. There is glancing contact on the shin from Kompany but enough for a foul and the manner which he goes in is questionable. The Brazilian goes over to either a: avoid more contact or b: to accentuate the contact. That’s where he gets hit again with most/more of the force/contact. The glance on the shin is a foul and in the middle of the field, that’s a freekick all day. Now the referee does not feel this is enough to be a foul in the penalty area. When I look at that, I see a free kick and a penalty. The ball is in play at point of contact. What do I know about refereeing? Plenty of footballers will tell you 'very little'.....
When the VAR looks at this, the only question they are answering is 'by not giving the penalty, is this a clear and obvious error'. On some forums I troll, there is very much a mixed opinion on whether or not this is a penalty. By that position alone, this is not a clear and obvious error. If you have some people saying 'this is a penalty' and some people saying 'this is not a penalty' then a clear and obvious error has not occurred. From there, the VAR can't intervene.
Think of Tommy Smiths penalty against Italy in WC2010. Would the VAR over-rule that and say 'that’s a clear and obvious error'? No. We may agree/disagree on whether it’s a foul or not but you can make a penalty there so it’s not clearly and obviously wrong.
Always remember, VAR is not there to assess foul/no foul. Only if the decision made is clearly and obviously wrong. I believe this is clearly and obviously wrong but others do not. I however have my own issues with VAR and its use and am not a fan of it.