Debatable Decisions – Week 36

Week 36 sees us welcome a second guest judge, Callum Maclean who steps in to cover Ant, whose PC is still knackered, you can follow Callum on Twitter @callummaclean91. It was a quiet week, in terms of incorrect decisions, with the majority of the decisions we covered involving handballs in the penalty area. Three in one game didn’t help, but there’s always a certain Mr Alan Hutton who likes to make life easy for us. Enjoy.

Wigan – Newcastle

Alcaraz Handball When On A Yellow

Simon M – I don’t think anyone can argue about this one, it’s as deliberate a handball as your ever likely to see (perhaps with the exception of Mr Hutton further down the page). Not sure how he avoided a second yellow, a very poor piece of refereeing.

Ben – I think this looks like a deliberate handball. He initially seems to take his hand away from the ball then stops so he can control it. A tough decision to make in real-time though.

Mike – It’s rare that we see outright deliberate handballs, but this one surely has to go down as one.

Simon F – It looks to me that Alcaraz moves his arm towards the ball in a deliberate attempt to stop it, and should therefore have picked up a second yellow card.

Callum – Doesn’t matter whether Alcaraz is on a yellow or not, that’s a booking. He’s gone to slap the ball, ‘hand-tennis’ style. Alcaraz should be receiving a yellow card for that.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Sunderland – Bolton

Bolton Goal Ruled Out For Davies Offside

Simon M – Davies is miles onside, so it goes down as a terrible piece of officiating. The only thing I find myself questioning is if Bolton would have scored had the play not stopped. I’m going to count it as a goal because it ended up in the back of the net, but Sunderland didn’t even try to defend it once they saw the flag.

Ben – A horrifying decision from the linesman. I have no idea where he sees an offside here. We’ve seen a lot of errors this season but this is probably one of the worst.

Mike – This is very wrong. Davies is a mile onside. I’m unsure whether it would have been so easy to tap in if play had have continued. Everybody does stop, but at the same time, I wonder if they would have got back in time so perhaps Bolton would have scored. Either way, it’s not offside.

Simon F – Having freeze-framed this on the moment of the pass, it’s not even close.The referee’s assistant is perfectly positioned with a clear line of sight and yet still manages to raise his flag against a Bolton player who is a good two yards onside. Woeful officiating.

Callum – The linesman has had a Weston (Super Mare) there. I’m not sure what he’s looking at, or whether the sun is in his eyes, but Davies is onside, and the goal should stand. Saying that, the defence may have come back to life had they been playing on.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Everton – Fulham

Penalty Awarded For Handball Against Pogrebnyak

Simon M – First up, if you’re going to start giving penalties because a player puts his hand up to protect his face from being on the receiving end of a thunderbolt free kick, then surely you should be giving them if it strikes a players hand when he’s protecting the family jewels? However, I think the arm goes up over the head and catches the ball and it isn’t just a case of him covering his face. I think the referee got this one right.

Ben – It looks like a deliberate handball but there was no advantage to be had and I simply think it was a reaction to stop the ball hitting his face. A penalty? Harsh.

Mike – It looks to me as if Pogrebyak moves arm towards the ball, probably to shield his face. But it is still deliberate handball in that case.

Simon F – Pogrebnyak raises his arms to shield his face, but I can’t accept that as a justifiable reason for handball. The referee made the right call in awarding the penalty.

Callum – I’m not sure about the rules here, but if you give a penalty away by making sure you don’t get a broken nose, then fair enough. The ball’s been kicked at his face, and he’s raised his arms, but no higher than his head. Tough one, but a penalty is probably correct.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Stoke – Arsenal

Possible Shawcross Handball In Area

Simon M – It’s struck with a lot of force and Shawcross is moving at speed to cover the shot, but his arms are out and flailing about so I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a free kick given. Not a penalty, though.

Ben – Yet another handball which looks worthy of at least being called as one – this time Shawcross is guilty but I think he was just outside of the penalty area.

Mike – It’s outside the area, so it shouldn’t be a penalty. Although it strikes Shawcross’s arm, I think he’s just close enough and making enough of an effort to turn away that handball would have been harsh.

Simon F – A definite handball by Shawcross but he is just outside the penalty area, so it should only have been a free kick rather than penalty.

Callum – It’s a handball, definitely. Inside the area, don’t think so. Free-kick, and booking.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision (Free Kick)

Benayoun Penalty Shout

Simon M – In real time this looked like a push and my immediate reaction was that Arsenal had got done over, yet again. The replays tell a different story. There’s minimal contact, if any and while the other judges might think it was a stumble I actually think this was a dive.

Ben – This one looks like a stumble more than anything, I don’t think Whelan was guilty of a foul.

Mike – I’m not convinced there’s any foul here. It looks more like a stumble to me.

Simon F – There is the briefest contact from the Stoke player on Benayoun, but I don’t believe it was enough to impede him and therefore no penalty should have been awarded.

Callum – Minimal contact. Had he been wearing a Chelsea shirt however, it’d definitely be a penalty.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

West Brom – Aston Villa

Possible Brunt Handball In Area

Simon M – This one’s really difficult to call. Brunt is starting to make a run and the ball bounces awkwardly, I’m not sure he knew anything about it until it struck his hand.

Ben – Yet another handball, and one which shows how hard they must be to judge for the referee. However, the way that Brunt leaves his arm out suggests to me that this could easily have been a penalty.

Mike – Perhaps it sounds harsh, but the word “stupidity” comes to mind here. Brunt can’t claim that he had no time to avoid this. The cross somes in from a long way away. What are his arms doing out like that? Technically it’s not deliberate handball, but we know that referees are expected to award them for “unnatural” positions. For this reason, I think it should be a penalty.

Simon F – The commentator says this would have been “very harsh”, but in my opinion he’s talking nonsense. The ball has travelled a long way and Brunt’s arms are stretched out well away from his body. A definite penalty in my book.

Callum – Don’t think Brunt knows what’s going on there, no penalty.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Possible Hutton Handball In Area

Simon M – Luis Suarez eat your heart out. I’m not going to lambast Hutton for doing this, just like I didn’t lambast Suarez, it’s instinctive and they’re making a spare of the moment decision in order to help their team, whether it’s the right decision or not isn’t up for debate. It’s a definite penalty and a red card, how the officials missed it I don’t think any of us will ever know.

Ben – If some of the others were hard – this should have been an easy one. Hutton cheats here, it’s fairly simple. The ball is heading towards goal and he stops it – at any cost. Unfortunately, he gets away with it.

Mike – An excellent reflex save from Alan Hutton.

Simon F – This couldn’t have been a more clear penalty had Hutton caught the ball. He nudges the ball over the crossbar with his arm and should have conceded a spot kick.

Callum – What a save! Shay Given would have been proud of it. Penalty, and red card, no doubt about it.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision x 2

Possible Olsson Handball In Area

Simon M – He’s hurling himself along the ground to block a close range shot, what’s he supposed to do, slide along the ground with both arms by his side? This would have been harsh.

Ben – While this did hit the arm, I can’t imagine that it was deliberate. As for the arm being in an unnatural position, I think it’s just caused by the nature and desperation of the block.

Mike – With his arm out like that, he has to expect a penalty against him.

Simon F – The defender leaves his arm trailing behind himself and was lucky to get away without conceding a penalty.

Callum – Again, I don’t think he knows what’s going on there, but his arm is miles out for some reason. Penalty.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Chelsea – QPR

Lampard Possibly Offside For Sturridge Goal

Simon M – Interfering with play is a tricky one to call and it’s caused a lot of debate in recent years. For me it means influencing the passage of play and whilst Lampard might not be blocking the goalkeeper’s line of vision, he is in the goalkeeper’s line of vision and the ball passes him by a matter of inches. Did Kenny alter his attempted save in anticipation of Lampard getting a touch? It’s guess work, but I think his position is prominent enough, in this passage of play, to be considered interfering.

Ben – One of the harder offside decisions you’ll see as I think it comes down to your own personal interpretation of the offside rule. I think this is what the rule of being passively offside was brought in for. As long as Lampard isn’t obstructing the goalkeepers view – and he isn’t – then I think the goal stands.

Mike – This one is hard to call. I don’t think the goalkeeper could save this even if he and Sturridge were the only people on the pitch. But I do think Lampard is close enough to the ball’s path that he can’t be said not to be interfering with play, as the expression goes. It depends which you weight as more important – Lampard’s position or the ‘keeper’s ability to save it. I would go for the former and say no goal.

Simon F – As the laws of the game state, it is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position, and I don’t believe Lampard is either gaining an advantage or interfering with an opponent by being there, so the goal was rightly allowed to stand.

Callum – I’m not a fan of this ‘interfering with play’ rule, either the player touches the ball or they don’t. However, it looks like Lampard’s in Paddy Kenny’s way, but the ‘keeper already knows what way the ball is going. Not offside.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Spurs – Blackburn

Free Kick Awarded That Led To Spurs Goal

Simon M – I think he’s clipped and at the speed Lennon is usually travelling the slightest clip would send him down.

Ben – While I think there definitely was a case of ‘playing for it’, I also think there is contact, and enough of it to send the Spurs player down.

Mike – It happens so quickly, it’s hard to tell if there’s contact. If there is, it’s minimal and I’m not sure it’s enough.

Simon F – Although Lennon went down theatrically, his ankle was clipped and when moving at that pace, it was enough to put him off balance. A free kick was the right decision.

Callum – He’s clipped Lennon there. Free-kick rightly awarded.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Man City – Man Utd

De Jong Tackle On Welbeck (Yellow Given)

Simon M – It’s a foul, but I think it’s made to look worse by the fact that the legs get tangled and as such Welbeck goes over harder and faster than he would have done otherwise. Anything other than a yellow would have been difficult to justify.

Ben – Yellow was my initial reaction when I first saw this and although it’s borderline I still think that it was the right call. It’s not a bad tackle but it brought Welbeck down when the City players were scrambling back. For that reason, I think it’s the right call.

Mike – It’s not a pretty tackle but we see worse and still say a yellow is enough. In this case, a yellow is definitely enough.

Simon F – This is a clumsy challenge from De Jong, he never seems likely to win the race with Welbeck and brings him down. A yellow card was the right decision.

Callum – If you hadn’t seen the tackle you’d think judging by his reaction, that Sir Alex Ferguson believes that De Jong has not only tackled him, but he’s then decided to stamp on his head, before pulling out a knife a chopping off one of Welbeck’s limbs. No malice in the tackle, just a bit clumsy, Welbeck being very clever to stick his leg in front of the ball. Think a red would have been harsh.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

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You can follow all five judges on Twitter; Simon M – @Deb_Decisions, Ben – @0Neji, Ant – @Acidburn81, Mike – @Mike7077 and Simon F – @SFurnivall.

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