Referees

Horrendous Piece Of MLS Officiating Ends With Ref Abusing VAR System To Bail Himself Out

Last night, D.C. United defeated the Columbus Crew 3-1 at Audi Field thanks to goals from Luciano Acosta, Wayne Rooney and Paul Arriola, but the complexion of the match would’ve been wildly different had the Crew’s 22nd-minute opener been allowed to stand.

With the score level at 0-0, referee Ted Unkel got mixed up in the play with United in possession. A pass intended for Acosta never reached its mark because of the ref’s interference, and Wil Trapp immediately released Pedro Santos going the other way. Santos hammered home his finish, 1-0 to the Crew.  

FIFA Names 15 Video Assistant Referees For 2019 Women’s World Cup — All Men

In March, FIFA confirmed the use of VAR — video assistant referees — for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, something it really had to do after its successful implementation at the 2019 men’s World Cup. 

On Thursday, FIFA named the 15 video assistant referees who will man the booths at this summer’s Women’s World Cup — and we do mean man.

All 15 VAR picks are men. 

Stephanie Frappart To Become First Woman To Referee Ligue 1 Match

Stephanie Frappart will become the first female Ligue 1 referee during Sunday’s match between Amiens and Strasbourg. 

Tottenham Rides VAR, Hand-Ball Goal To Champions League Semifinals In Most Remarkable Second Leg

One of the wildest Champions League matches of all time had one of the wildest endings imaginable.

Tottenham Hotspur — and VAR — threw a wrench into Manchester City’s quest for an unprecedented quadruple on Wednesday at Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Spurs lost 4-3 on the day but advanced 4-4 on aggregate by way of away goals into the Champions League semifinals, where Ajax awaits

Burnley Player Booked For Kissing Opponent

The English commentator summed up the Ashley Barnes yellow card perfectly:

“The game has gone completely when you’re booked for kissing,” he said.

Barnes, a Burnley forward with double-digit Premier League goals this season, went into referee Mike Dean’s book just before halftime in a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Cardiff City on Saturday. 

The incident followed Cardiff’s Joe Bennett tugging Barnes down from behind, a clear yellow card.

But in addition to booking Bennett, Dean showed Ashley Barnes yellow after the two momentarily clashed head to head. 

Did Mo Salah Deserve Red For This Tackle On Danilo That Didn't Even Earn Yellow?

On Tuesday night, Liverpool saw off Benfica 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. It was fairly routine for the Reds, who could have scored more but also could’ve conceded a couple. Regardless of the final result, Liverpool was a bit lucky the Mo Salah tackle on Danilo Pereira did not draw severe punishment.

Diego Costa Could Be Banned For 8 Games After Promising To Poo On Ref’s Mother

Mentally, Diego Costa isn’t entirely there. Look at the 26 yellow cards he received over his three-year Premier League stay for ample evidence of the striker’s propensity to be a mad lad. 

Cardiff City Robbed Of Vital Points Against Chelsea

Cardiff City sat third bottom of the Premier League table and, coming into Sunday, had eight games to go to claw its way out of the relegation zone. Cardiff’s schedule seems daunting, having to play Chelsea, Manchester City and the team above them, Burnley, in its upcoming three matches.

Chelsea arrived in Cardiff today looking for what was supposed to be three easy points. To be fair to Cardiff, it seemed like a match that would not be won. But that wasn’t necessarily the case.

USMNT's Carter-Vickers Concedes PK On Sterling Dive As Manchester City Survives Swansea

Swansea City was on the verge of a season-defining victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. Then Raheem Sterling threw himself to the ground under a challenge from USMNT defender Cameron Carter-Vickers and the entire match dynamic changed.

Watch: Cagliari Goal From Own Half Disallowed Because It Was An Indirect Free Kick

You gotta feel bad for Cagliari regista Luca Cigarini. 

During a Serie A match against Fiorentina on Friday, Cigarini scored what could have been the best goal of his career, launching a free kick from his own half into the back of the net.

But the goal didn’t count.

No, it wasn’t the result of VAR or suspicious refereeing (well, maybe a little of the latter). Instead, it was a case of a direct vs indirect free kick scenario. 

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