Just watched the Portugal-Croatia highlights this morning. That disallowed goal… (the one right at the end, not one of the other 15 or however many there were)… that is ridiculously harsh to rule out. Did the attacker even flick it on? Looked like he missed it. Can’t have Ronaldo potentially missing the last 16 though can we.
I never thought we’d see snicko be borrowed from cricket into football. Not even being unblemished in the last year in cricket where it’s use is a lot more necessary as it is a bat and ball sport.
On another topic, methinks that the hydration breaks will be welcome and necessary in Kansas City during tonight’s game. The high today is forecast to be 93 degrees with high humidity. An Extreme Heat Warning has been issued for the area, with the ‘feel like’ temperature in the triple digits. Even though the game doesn’t start until 8:30 pm local time, it will be miserable inside Arrowhead tonight.
Seriously. I had no idea it was even used in soccer until watching that replay. How often is it 1) ambiguous as to whether a player touched a ball, AND 2) the answer being relevant to the outcome of a play?
Very rarely.
I can only think of two scenarios: in an offside situation, or a possible handball.
I attended the Switzerland-Algeria game last night — met up with an old friend in lovely Vancouver (he came up from a Texas for it). He’s attended several games at every WC since 1994 - and he’s as “worldly wise yet Chicago-rooted” as the Straight Dope itself.
Not a great game — Algeria has a few decent individual players, but their defense was rather undisciplined. There were at least two opportunities they should have scored on.
Switzerland is solid. Patient, then strong and determined when it matters. Nice to see their program building them into a real competitor.
They’ll play the winner of Ghana-Colombia. I believe Colombia is favored in that match, but not by much — Ghana is quite good.
It should have been invalidated by Maradona admitting to it.
It was also used in one of Sweden’s group games, so I guess it’s not that rare, but still it seems like a very specific circumstance.
I can imagine other uses, but I’m not sure whether they’re in place. For example, you could use it for the automated offside checks to determine the exactly correct moment that the ball was passed.
Wow, awesome. My closest games are in Toronto, but my wife and the kids are visiting family(uh, in California). Anyway, I can’t afford it most likely. I heard tickets are sky high.
If the games are sparsely attended, do they sell any tickets on site at a lower rate?
He did it several years later, it would’ve been a bit unorthodox to resume the game at that point.
Of course I’m not saying that. I’m saying that technology has made the game less enjoyable for me. When it was introduced, it was intended to be an adjunct to assist the officials on the field and sidelines. I feel it has become more than that and in many instances it supplants the officials on the field. I mean, should we take 5 minutes to check VAR every time the official denies a foul? You know, so we can make sure they make the right call. Why do we even need a referee on the field? All the players and the ball are tracked by technology - games could be refereed remotely. Do you think that would improve the game? I don’t. I’m not asking anyone to agree with me, I’m just an old man shaking my fist at the clouds.
I think the problem I have is that in neither of those scenarios is whether the ball actually grazed the player’s body relevant.
That is, if the referee didn’t see that the ball touched the player’s head (in the Croatia example) or the hand (in the hypothetical handball), and we can’t see it clearly on video, then why do we need an accelerometer to tell us “the truth”?
Specifically to the Croatia goal, I think it’s a farce. Whether there was a slight touch on the Croatian player’s head has absolutely no bearing on the play - the ball didn’t even change spin. The goal scorer was clearly onside when the initial ball was played. So if we have to go to accelerometer measurements (not even video!) to determine whether there was a slight touch what is the point? How does this make the game better?
If you think that’s what I was saying you weren’t paying attention.
In fact I’m not sure there are less wrong calls than before.
We still have constant debate and discussion but now with added unnecessary interruptions to the game flow.
Speaking of Aiden’s and Maradona, apparently he’s been making the rounds at all of this year’s matches. Even the ones taking place simultaneously.
You really thought He could die?
Our Diego, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy left foot come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily dribblings;
and forgive us if we let the turtle ran away;
and lead us not into a draw,
but deliver us from penalty kicks.
The standard, as far as I recall, has always been the location of any part of the attacker’s body that can legally play the ball, not just the feet. That includes the head, but not the arms. And measured against any part of the second to last defender, which includes said defender’s arms and hands.
Also, the offense is offside, not offsides. The latter usually comes from pointyball.
I have emotional scars that date to July, 1990 
(though they closed ,finally, in December 2022)
I have scars from when I was -2 years old! (Wembley Goal…)