Thomas Tuchel expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating during the World Cup following England’s victory over Mexico, labeling it as inconsistent and unreliable. His remarks seem to reflect a psychological tactic; in reality, the referees have generally performed adequately, though there have been notable errors. As with any profession, perfection is unattainable for referees.
Egypt claimed they experienced unfair treatment in their match against Argentina, yet the decisions to rule out an Egyptian goal and validate Argentina’s winning goal were justified. The disallowed goal stemmed from a foul committed by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez during the attacking sequence, involving a shirt pull and contact with Martínez’s foot.
It is significant to note that the ball maintained forward momentum, with no lateral or backward passes made prior to the goal. While it could have been a standout moment of the tournament, the decision to disallow it was indeed the correct one.
Regarding Argentina’s late third goal, Egypt argued there was a foul by Julián Alvarez on Mohamed Salah. Although some have drawn parallels to the prior incident due to contact between boots, this situation was different. Alvarez made contact with the ball first, followed by slight contact that did not warrant a foul or a review by the video assistant referee.
In the Mexico-England match, VAR played a crucial role, identifying Jarell Quansah’s tackle on Jesús Gallardo as a red-card offense. I was surprised that this was not initially recognized by the on-field referee, Alireza Faghani. The correct decision was made after VAR recommended a review of the incident.
Tuchel expressed frustration over several calls that night. The referee faced a challenging environment, compounded by the high stakes, weather conditions, and the atmosphere at the Azteca Stadium. The players exacerbated the situation by feigning injuries, dissenting, and questioning nearly every decision. Following the Quansah challenge, tensions escalated with the entire Mexico bench reacting angrily.
It was unexpected to hear that England might appeal Quansah’s red card, but the Folarin Balogun case has shifted the narrative. Traditionally, there has been no option to appeal a red card in tournament play, with an automatic one-match ban applied. I was unaware of Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, which FIFA reportedly invoked to suspend the USA striker’s penalty.
Balogun’s sending-off was certainly justified with the aid of video evidence. Initially, I was uncertain whether his challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic warranted a red card, but upon reviewing the footage, it became clear. The location of the ball was crucial, as it was not within a playable distance.
When assessing a potential red-card offense, two critical factors must be considered: excessive force and the safety of the opponent. In Balogun’s case, the point of contact was on the calf, extending down to the achilles, resulting in an ankle roll that could have led to serious injury.
The comments from Donald Trump alongside Tuchel’s remarks have amplified discussions surrounding officiating. As a referee, it is essential to remain unaffected by external noise. In elite officiating, sports psychologists assist referees in managing such pressures. Personally, I struggled to let go of a poor decision, which could linger for days, but that does not interfere with performance. Focus must remain on the current match.
This World Cup has seen a total of 13 red cards, compared to four in each of the last two tournaments, yet I believe the officiating has been largely appropriate. Ensuring player safety is paramount, with Quansah and Balogun exemplifying the need for firm boundaries. VAR has been effectively utilized for red cards that were missed on the field.
That said, VAR interventions have not been without flaws. For instance, Vinícius Júnior’s disallowed goal for Brazil against Scotland was a case where I felt the original on-field decision should have stood. The contact was minimal, and not all contact constitutes a foul, as it is a natural aspect of football. No clear and obvious error was made by the referee in that instance.
In such scenarios, a “check complete” call would suffice without needing to re-referee the game. I believed Harry Kane should have received a penalty against the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to contact from goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. However, since it was not deemed a clear and obvious error, the video assistant’s choice to uphold the on-field decision was correct.
VAR rightly intervened in awarding France a penalty after Désiré Doué was fouled by Paraguay’s Diego Gómez, which surprised me as the on-field referee, Ilgiz Tantashev, did not call it initially.
This match presented another tough challenge for the referee, who needed to be more decisive. I was astonished that no Paraguay players received cautions, as referees aim to manage the game effectively. Unfortunately, the lack of early cards allowed Paraguay to gain confidence, jeopardizing the referee’s control over the match.
FIFA has evidently adjusted its VAR approach, establishing a high threshold for intervention, similar to what we observe in the Premier League. Observing the different refereeing styles from various countries and confederations has been intriguing. However, some fouls are universally recognized, and I was taken aback when Leroy Sané’s goal for Germany against Ecuador was permitted, even after teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic kicked Pedro Vite in the head. VAR automatically checks the attacking possession phase when a goal is scored, and I believe that should have been a foul.
Pavlovic’s boot was positioned higher than Declan Rice’s when the England midfielder was booked early in the Mexico match. The only explanation I can think of is that both the video assistant and the referee felt it was a close call, determining that Vite had lowered his head while Pavlovic had raised his boot, thus not meeting the threshold for a foul.
Chris Foy is a former Premier League referee.
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