Jon Moss, the Head of Referees for Football Australia, has clarified that the protocols set by IFAB were the reason Newcastle Jets’ Kota Mizunuma’s yellow card for simulation was not overturned on Sunday, despite VAR identifying an offside in the play leading up to the incident.
In the 83rd minute of the Jets’ 2-1 defeat to Wellington Phoenix, Mizunuma made a dynamic run into the penalty area and appeared to be clipped by defender Isaac Hughes. However, referee Alireza Faghani issued a yellow card for what was deemed a dive, leaving the Japanese winger and many others in disbelief.
While VAR stepped in and confirmed Mizunuma was offside in the build-up, the yellow card remained, leading to confusion among players, fans, and commentators alike.
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“It’s quite an unusual situation,” Moss explained to aleagues.com.au.
“The ball was played over the top and the referee judged that the player had simulated contact, resulting in a caution. The VAR then assessed whether the simulation was valid or if it warranted a penalty and communicated that to the referee.”
“As protocol dictates, VAR must review the preceding play to determine if the player was offside when the ball was played. Upon doing so, it was confirmed that the player was indeed offside — this illustrates the limitations of VAR protocols, as we cannot rescind the yellow card despite knowing it was a mistaken ruling.”
“All VAR can advise to the on-field officials is that it’s an offside. They are unable to offer a judgement on the yellow card, as that would constitute re-refereeing the match, so we carry on with the offside decision.”
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“If the play hadn’t been offside, the referee would have reviewed it on the screen, and it would have been established that there was neither a penalty nor simulation, leading to a penalty award and the yellow card being rescinded.”
“But because the offence transpired before the offside was established, the VAR cannot intervene regarding the yellow card issued.”
After the match, Jets coach Rob Stanton expressed disappointment that the yellow card wasn’t revoked, reflecting on the potential ramifications: ‘What if he picks up another yellow for a trivial offence? That would mean he’s off.’
During the commentary on Paramount+, Andy Harper described the situation where the referee couldn’t overturn the yellow card as ‘illogical’.
In response, Moss stated: “It’s far from ideal, as we want to avoid players being incorrectly cautioned. If it had been a second yellow, we would have ensured the referee reviewed it to avoid the injustice of a player being sent off wrongly.”
“VAR has its limitations. We’re not in support of VAR effectively re-refereeing the match. Stakeholders have emphasised the importance of on-field referees making such decisions.”
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“The only circumstance in which the referee could annul that yellow card would be if they had reviewed it for a penalty incident and made a decision at that time.”
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“In this situation, as there was a clear offside, we simply revert to the offside call and restart with an indirect free kick, consistent with our handling of factual offsides throughout the season.”
“…We are strictly adhering to the IFAB protocol in this instance, which is less than ideal, as the frustration on Sunday stemmed largely from the lack of clarity.”
“The initiatives we’ve implemented in Australia for stadium announcements aim to communicate to fans what is happening. Regrettably, we fell short on this occasion, yet we were constrained by the IFAB regulations regarding our protocols.”
Looking ahead, Moss expressed a desire for referees to utilise Live VAR to inform spectators in the stadium and viewers at home about decisions in complex scenarios, even when the referee hasn’t needed to review the incident themselves.
“Ideally, we would have had the referee assess the incident on the screen to clarify matters,” elaborated the former Premier League referee.
“He would have noted that it wasn’t a penalty and recognised the offside. Subsequently, he would have adjudicated that the yellow card was in error, stating, ‘I made a mistake regarding the simulation and have rescinded that yellow card. It would have been a penalty, but due to the offside in the lead-up, we restart with an indirect free kick.’”
“Because we couldn’t follow that through, it left the spectators questioning why a penalty wasn’t awarded when it appeared evident.”
“This kind of miscommunication hampers our ability to educate fans. Had we clarified, the audience would have understood: ‘Ah, I see.’
“Therefore, VAR could confirm the penalty, but due to the earlier offside, we start play again, and that would likely have been universally accepted.”
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“The educational aspect is paramount. I’ve suggested to the referees that we need to conduct factual field reviews to clarify to the public why decisions are made.”
“You’re not always required to consult the screen to justify your decision. You can simply announce that while a penalty was warranted, an offside occurred beforehand. This explanation would enhance understanding for those watching the game.”
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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