Referees

Impressive Willian Dive Fools Even VAR

Sometimes, even VAR can’t overcome the remarkable skill and acting ability of footballers. Chelsea took an early lead over Burnley after a clear Willian dive en route to an easy 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Even with Christian Pulisic out injured, Chelsea was probably going to beat Burnley with or without help from the officials. The Blues fully deserved their victory, but that doesn’t mean those outside of Stamford Bridge won’t be raising a few eyebrows after how Chelsea’s opening goal was earned moments after a potential opener was ruled out for Burnley.

The 5 Worst Calls The18 Has Ever Seen In Youth Soccer

Everyone’s got at least one — one memory from playing soccer they just can’t get out of their head, one moment in time they regularly ruminate over years after the fact. 

There are bad calls in every match and then there are the incidents that do not fade from memory. Everyone who has played the game for any length of time has at least one moment of madness from a ref they’ll never forget.

So we at The18 have compiled a list of the worst officiating decisions we’ve ever seen, to let you know you are not alone in your constant chewing over that one call so many years ago. 

Mourinho Strikes Again With Hilarious Postgame Press Conference

When his side slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in 2014, then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho produced one of the great memes of recent memory speaking in the mixed zone after the game. When pressed on the impact of two red cards produced by referee Chris Foy had on his side, Mourinho famously said "I prefer not to speak ... if I speak I am in big trouble, and I don't want to be in big trouble".

Liverpool's 50-Game Unbeaten Streak At Anfield Says It All

Coming off a tantalizing victory against Manchester City sealed by an 89th minute Matt Doherty winner just 43 hours earlier, fifth-place Wolves made Liverpool sweat as the Reds held on 1-0 to record their 10th straight victory in the Premier League and run their unbeaten league home streak to 50 games on Sunday. 

Newcastle Scores Bizarre, Slow Motion Goal After VAR Overturns Offside Decision

Two stats stood out ahead of today’s Premier League match between Sheffield and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane: (1) Andy Carroll was handed his first Newcastle start in almost nine years and (2) Martin Dúbravka was busy making his 65th straight EPL appearance for the Toon, a run which began directly following his move from Sparta Prague back in January of 2018.

Both players played massive roles in Newcastle’s bizarre 2-0 victory. 

Lionel Messi Booked For Diving After Telling Ref Not To Call A PK

Seeing Lionel Messi dive is about as rare as seeing the Argentine pick up a red card. It might happen from time to time, but not enough for anyone to legitimately call Messi a flopper.

Don’t tell that to 36-year-old referee Clement Turpin, who officiated Barcelona’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday at the Camp Nou.

The One Thing Soccer Officiating Could Learn From American Football

Over the current international break, representatives from all 20 English Premier League clubs met to discuss the recent introduction of Video Assistant Referees. On the whole, they reported an increase in the rate of game-changing calls being made correctly but admitted the league could do a better job communicating certain decisions to fans.

Pep Guardiola Avoids Punishment For Being #Blessed And #Thankful For VAR

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has escaped any sanctions from the Football Association for turning himself into the Meme Lord during Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool. 

If You Thought American Politics Were Nutty, At Least They Aren’t Debating Ronaldo Penalty Kicks

A good portion of the sports-loving world would love it if politics never entered sports. While that’s a pipedream (politics and sports will always be intertwined), we expect at the very least for sports to be conducted outside the purview of politicians.

But in Italy, two senators have brought up a debate on the state of Serie A.

Liga MX Match Halted In Final Minutes For Homophobic Chant

In September, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) unveiled a plan to stamp out the use of the homophobic “puto” chant. Scared of further punishment from FIFA — from fines to forfeiting World Cup qualifiers — the FMF finally decided to do the right thing.

The fans? Not so much.

Pages