24 Jun 2026 09:47:10
So far i have to say I've enjoyed a lot of the World Cup games so called smaller nations getting excellent results making it very enjoyable however the standard of refereeing/linesmen has been quite frankly shocking. Scotland robbed, Ghana robbed last night amongst other bad decisions on free kicks, penalties and red cards christ even several obv corners haven't been given.
After a season when VAR was ridiculous its ironic that had VAR gotten involved in a lot of these the right decisions would likely have been made.
24 Jun 2026 10:09:14
Mass, I actually quite like the fact that they aren't giving free kicks for every slight contact. You can see players throwing themselves to ground as if shot, they don't get it so bounce to feet. I am fed up of the slightest contact from behind causing a player to crumple to ground so hope we adopt it as well. Funny thing, it was what Dessers and Gassama are criticised for doing by our fans, yet we think they are free kicks for others.
I think Scotland pen claims were contact, but felt it was not enough to be a foul. Similar last night, not sure it was enough to be a foul, although there was more contact.
I hope we introduce that here as well, together with counting players down for taking too long over throw ins and goal kicks, etc. Might stop all the time wasting by teams against us.
24 Jun 2026 10:18:22
Great to see football flowing again without the stop / start we have become accustomed to.
Hope it continues into the new domestic season. ?
24 Jun 2026 10:56:19
Oh, I agree about the fluency, it is refreshing to see, but some have been clear fouls. I'm all for letting a game carry on, but there is a line to be drawn.
24 Jun 2026 10:58:16
Agree, been good to see refs ignore lots of the play acting etc and letting game flow. I do think there is a balance, some though, and genuine fouls are being ignored. So it's about getting the balance right.
24 Jun 2026 10:59:49
For me, McGinns was a good shout for a pen. McTominays, I'm 50/50, they should have been down to 10 men too last night. Ghana should have had a pen. England lad wrapped his leg round at knee height.
If that's not given, then it's going to get much much worse. I'm all for fluency & it is good to see refs waving away the dramatics, but a foul is still a foul.
24 Jun 2026 11:30:50
I thought last night's games apart from the Portugal game were dreary.
24 Jun 2026 11:49:50
The Ghana penalty call was as "clear and obvious" as it can be - England defender lunged in, caught the player and wasn't even in the same post code as the ball.
As far as the Scotland game went, we should have had two penalties awarded, both were fouls and should have been picked up by VAR if the incompetent referee missed them.
24 Jun 2026 12:43:27
I was genuinely bamboozled as to why there was no penalty for the Konsa challenge. Originally, I thought they gave the boy running through for offside. ?
Wasn't overly convinced by either of the Scotland claims.
24 Jun 2026 13:19:22
The worst one was the penalty France didn't get for the foul on Mbappe in the Senegal game, the ref didn't give it, VAR told him to go to the screen and he still didn't give it when it was an obvious foul. The explanation that Mbappe initiated the contact was laughable, as was the ref telling McGinn, if he did, that the ball was going out of play.
That's not even in the rules. The ref in the Scotland v Morocco was terrible for both sides. He let fouls go and gave fouls that weren't.