referee world cup It is aware of a growing trend of grappling or swarming goalkeepers during corner kicks in the Premier League and will “address this in a very good way”, a FIFA expert warned on Monday.
The issue of how match officials should deal with jostling between players during set pieces was brought into full focus on Sunday. west ham rejected An injury-time equalizer against title-chasing Arsenal.
The video review, said to be the most important in Premier League history, ruled that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was thwarted by the flailing arms of West Ham player Pablo as he scrambled for the ball in a corner during a chaotic penalty area scene with players from both teams grabbing and pulling each other.
Similar levels of physical contact go unpunished in many other situations, and Premier League officials appear to be fairly lenient before intervening during the season. British football is back to basics With that tactic.
Former Swiss goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler, coordinator of FIFA’s technical research group for the upcoming World Cup, acknowledged the need to be at the forefront of the issue of corner grappling “from the very beginning” of the tournament.
“It’s a trend – of course it is – but I’m sure we have the best referees in the World Cup and referees will be key in this situation,” he said in a video call with reporters.
“It’s difficult for referees. It’s just a small foul on the goalkeeper while there are a lot of people around and it’s not easy to see. But I’m very confident that FIFA has the best referees anyway and we will deal with this in a very good way.”
For many, it was ironic that Arsenal benefited from this controversial call-up as they beat West Ham 1-0, putting them on track to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
Under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners have become England’s most dangerous side from corners and free-kicks. They appointed a set-piece coach in Nicolas Jobar, who set specific patterns in dead-ball situations to cause maximum chaos.
Gilberto Silva, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Premier League with Arsenal in 2004, is also a member of the FIFA technical group, and said that his overwhelming set-pieces were “a very powerful weapon” for his former team.
But he added: “I’m not sure if it will be the same at the World Cup, because we don’t have much time to prepare the team for this tournament.
“Of course, it can be a weapon used and they have to use it, but not as the main one.”
The Premier League will send dozens of players and two of a total of 52 referees to the World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, and they will have to adapt to different standards than they have been under for the past nine months.
West Ham remain dissatisfied as controversy swirls
The late VAR decision in the West Ham-Arsenal game remained a hot topic of debate on Monday, given its impact.
It not only brought Arsenal closer to the title, but also brought West Ham closer to relegation from the high-paying Premier League.
With two games left, West Ham sit third from the bottom, or the last relegation spot in the 20-team league.
The BBC reported on Monday that the Hammers will be contacting the English Soccer Referees Association to express their concerns over the decision and seek further explanation. There was no official comment from the club, but the players and coach Nuno Espirito Santo were left unhappy after the match.
Nuno said match officials were confused.
“Even the referees don’t know what’s a foul and what’s not a foul. That creates questions,” he said.
“If you look at every corner of the Premier League, similar things are happening on every pitch, not just today. I’m talking about a lack of consistency.”
Arteta praised the match officials – on-field referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Darren England, both of whom will not be playing at the World Cup – for having the “clarity to make the right decisions” under such pressure.
“Because you’re talking about moments that defined the history and course of two huge clubs who are fighting to the death to achieve their goals,” he said.
Darren Cann, a former Premier League assistant referee who refereed the 2010 World Cup final, told the BBC that England “went into bat and made the right decision. This is the biggest VAR call in Premier League history.”
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