FIFA World Cup 2022 refereeing: VAR, semi-automated offside technology, Stephanie Frappart among what to know

The FIFA World Cup is the big ball. The great international dance. Every four years, it captures all the world’s attention. Including those who don’t normally watch football.

This year, the United States The men’s national team is in the tournament for the first time in eight years, and more American eyes will be watching that aren’t as familiar with the beautiful game but have come to support their fellow Americans.

So, from my first-hand experience officiating at the highest level, here are the five things you need to know from a rules perspective (they’re actually the “Laws of the Game”, but I’ll throw them out there for free ) to appreciate the game and make you look like an expert.

Manipulation

The most misunderstood law of the game for how “discretionary” a call can be. It doesn’t help that for the past year international referees have been advised to strictly apply a law that seems “unfair” in some contexts.

First, look at the diagram below. Shoulders are no longer considered part of the “arm” to handle offenses like before.

Second, not all hand/arm touches are considered a tampering offense. There are situations and contexts that do not call for a penalty, such as when the player has his arm “close” or “close to his body” and does not make it “bigger” or move it to be “out of silhouette”. .” See the diagram below and the greats Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Mikah Richards break down. And remember, for more Paramount+ boys, every game in the Champions League, Europa League and Serie A, you can sign up ‘t at Paramount+ using offer code ALLYEAR to get 50% off the annual plan.

However, if you yet Find yourself debating whether or not a tampering offense has occurred in a bar with friends or family, congratulations, you’re just like any other football fan around the world. Welcome to the soccer community.

Anyway, any goal directly marked by the hand or arm, regardless of whether it is deliberate or not, will be rejected.

Video assistant referee

In the United States, we are familiar with the video technology that helps officials and referees correct game-critical decisions in other major sports such as American football, baseball and basketball. In football, it is still in its infancy, as this is the second men’s World Cup to feature technology. The first was in 2018 a Russia. However, between world cups, the Video Assistant Referee (“VAR” – correctly pronounced by its letters instead of a word), has been part of the most important men’s professional football and in the main tournaments of the FIFA. Officials are very familiar and comfortable with technology and its use.

There is a primary VAR in the video operations room who is assisted by 2-3 assistant VARs and 2-3 video operators. The primary VAR is ultimately responsible for determining whether, in his opinion, a “clear and obvious error” has been made by the field officials after reviewing the video and recommending to the primary center official that he review the his decision if the video monitor near the field (field side), or in some cases the referee can accept the VAR’s verbal recommendation.

What incidents does the VAR control? VAR will only be used for “clear and obvious errors” or “missed serious incidents” in four match-changing situations: goals, penalty decisions, direct red card incidents and mistaken identity.

1. goals Any goal or no goal is automatically reviewed by VAR to determine if there were fouls before the goal, which would disallow the goal, offside before the goal or ball on/off the field that was missed.

2. Sanction decisions. Whether given or not, the VAR reviews potential fouls in terms of entry, offense and location of the foul, whether inside or outside the penalty area.

3. Direct red card. Whether given or not, red card challenges or potential red card challenges are automatically reviewed. A second yellow card that turns into red is not reviewed.

4. mistaken identity A card given to the wrong person can be reviewed and corrected.

Communication with spectators on TV is constantly improving, but what you will see is a graphic indicating when the VAR is in progress and when it is “over” or an official recommendation is being communicated to the main center referee of the field

Semi-automated offside technology

Speaking of graphics, welcome to VAR 2.0, which features “limb tracking technology” that tracks each player’s body part at all times throughout the game and a sensor on the official page. Qatar Adidas World Cup Ball, Al Rihla (yes, the ball is called in soccer at major tournaments), to track the exact moment the ball is kicked. Twelve cameras are dedicated exclusively to tracking up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating the exact position of individuals on the field. This is relevant to help the VAR review adjusted offside calls.

One of the most criticized parts of VAR is plays where an attacker is in an offside position by mere centimeters, disallowing a goal. This new technology further reduces any human error claims on agonizingly close offside calls as the technology automatically alerts the VAR to the offside where the VAR verifies the offside and recommends it to the home team referee on the field

A 3D graphic is then created to demonstrate the offside decision to spectators and fans in the stadium.

Offside

So what exactly is offside in football? It is when the attacking player is in the opposing half and is closer to the goal line than the penultimate opponent (two defenders between the goal line and the attacker) and the ball when the ball is touched or played first once by a teammate and the attacking player becomes involved in play, interferes with an opponent or gains an unfair advantage by being in that offside position.

Simple right?

The two areas that complicate it are some exceptions to the rule regarding deliberate plays vs. deviations from defenders that “reset” when the offside position is determined, and how tight those decisions can be. For deliberate play against offside, that’s another article in itself, but tight calls should be addressed by semi-automated offside technology, which you’re now an expert at and now know why players place exactly their body parts. it matters and when the ball is first played or touched by an attacker’s teammate.

Yellow and red card to team officials

The ability of referees to give yellow and red cards to coaches and other team officials on the team bench is a concept newly introduced to the game of soccer that did not exist in the Laws of the Game at the last World Cup of FIFA.

Quite simply, this clearly communicates to opponents and the world when a coach or team official has crossed the line of respectable behavior. Previously, referees only had the ability to verbally warn coaches and team officials before they could dismiss people from the game (unless the action was at a level that warranted an outright dismissal). This new introduction for referees to manage touchline behavior is very effective as it draws a clear line, similar to that of players, when their actions are no longer acceptable.

So now, everyone who steps on the pitch can see a yellow or red card.

BONUS – Female referees at the Men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time

For the first time at a FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, six female referees will take to the pitch as head and assistant referees. In the world of football, these women have been pioneers and over the last four to eight years have proven to be some of the top officials in the world, regardless of gender. Referees who have participated in FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, Olympic tournaments, FIFA Club World Cups, FIFA Youth World Cups, their confederations’ finals and to the major tournaments, to the highest division and finals of men’s and women’s professional football in their respective countries.

Three main central referees are headed by French referee Stephanie Frappart, the first woman to take charge of a UEFA Champions League match, with the other two, Rwandan referee Salim Mukansanga and Japan referee Yoshimi Yamashita joins in.

Three assistant referees (“ARs”) join them, Brazilian AR Neuza Back de brazil i Mexico’s Karen Diaz Medina and most notably America’s own Katy Nesbitt.

Katy Nesbitt is a trailblazer for all officials in men’s professional sports. In 2020, she became the first woman to referee a championship game in a major North American men’s professional sports league in both the MLS is Back tournament final and the MLS Cup. She carries that distinction in addition to being named the first woman to win MLS Assistant Referee of the Year.

Entering the highly competitive world of international football refereeing, Katy Nesbitt has not only proven that she belongs nationally at professional level, but has transcended the men’s and women’s FIFA international scene and is an aspiring trailblazer for change the perspectives of men and women. Under a Nation a team She is an American who we fully support and support her and her fellow American referees to have a successful FIFA World Cup in a country that does not recognize women as equal counterparts in the society