[Crimson Dynamo]

[bots]

Originally Posted by Crimson Dynamo

this is exactly why football is magical

[Crimson Dynamo]

[James]

That's about the first time in ten years that a goalkeeper coming up for a set piece has actually scored.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by James

That's about the first time in ten years that a goalkeeper coming up for a set piece has actually scored.

5 years ago

Youtube video

[Zizu]

Sooooo


Aston Villa v RB Salzburg


Or

Nottingham Forest v Ferencvaros.


Which is likely to have the best football on view do you guys reckon ??


I’m thinking football like Barca or PSG …

[Swan]

Originally Posted by Zizu

Swan will enjoy this fascinating clip

https://youtube.com/shorts/kJeATVs0J...ClFuVvYbPMKLD0

Cech is a very intelligent guy, i think he can speak something like 8 different languages too.

[Swan]

Originally Posted by Zizu

Sooooo


Aston Villa v RB Salzburg


Or

Nottingham Forest v Ferencvaros.


Which is likely to have the best football on view do you guys reckon ??


I’m thinking football like Barca or PSG …

Villa have already qualified in the top 8, so im fully expecting them to play their 2nd team tonight.

[Zizu]

Originally Posted by Swan

Villa have already qualified in the top 8, so im fully expecting them to play their 2nd team tonight.

Good thinking .,

So the Forest game should be better then ?

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Crimson Dynamo

lads you might want to keep an eye on this fixture at the weekend

My favourite match in France.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by bots

maybe the ball boys/girls are slower at newcastle?

They've had one too many Kebabs?

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by bots

this is exactly why football is magical

It's a lot more rare nowadays imo.

But granted, that video has been one of the best things that I have seen this season.

[Zizu]

Crazy to think that a CF / striker Strand-Larsen who has scored just ONE single goal all season is the centre of s bidding war between Forest and Leeds United !!

Expected to sell for Ł45 million plus

[Mystic Mock]

It's been awhile since I've seen Emma Saunders on TV.

She kinda helps the fact that the game tonight was very one-sided.

[Crimson Dynamo]

[Crimson Dynamo]

[bots]

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for controversial comments he made about British football supporters which were criticised by fan groups.

At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month, Infantino said it was "really special" no British nationals were arrested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Amid concerns over the cost to attend matches at this summer's 2026 World Cup, the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) responded by saying the Swiss-Italian should "concentrate on making cheap tickets" as opposed to "making cheap jokes about our fans".

In an interview with Sky News, external, Infantino said his comments were "meant to be more of a light-hearted remark" to highlight how the Qatar tournament "was a celebration" and "a peaceful event".

As he said sorry to fans from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the first instance, the 55-year-old said it was "not my intention" to cause offence to them.

Infantino added he was a "huge fan of English football" and had been wrong to say English people "just go and riot around the world" at football matches as fans, referring to them as "criminals" instead.

[bots]

The BBC at their best ....

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Crimson Dynamo

Tbf, I do largely agree with him.

The Officials are so bad nowadays, just look at the Southampton equaliser against us at St. Andrews as the prime example of the Referee standards dropping off a cliff in this country.

Youtube video

4:01 mark for when the incident happens.

Now I do know the obvious defence that will be at play here, which is that the Blues defence should've done better, which is 100% true.

However it is also true that Refereeing standards have dropped, and that he should be trying to position himself away from where the action is at all times, and something that every decent Referee is able to do every single week for decades of their career. And in this particular case it did end up giving Southampton a point that they wouldn't have earned, and might be the difference in helping them nick 6th place at the end of the season.

Basically both points can be true when it comes to that game, and I do feel that if this was a Sport like say... Rugby, I feel like people would be agreeing with that, but because it's Football having such amateur officiating some people decide to get defensive over the problems that the officiating standard currently is at.

Imo we should never be seeing a Referee in the second tier of English Football impeding players which then leads to an altered result, I will always stand by that and that's if it even benefits Blues in the future, because first and foremost I'm a Football fan and I want what's best for the game.

Basically Ian Holloway has my pity, because the wider Football audience doesn't like to hear dissent about the incompetent idiots that currently run the Sport.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by bots

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for controversial comments he made about British football supporters which were criticised by fan groups.

At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month, Infantino said it was "really special" no British nationals were arrested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Amid concerns over the cost to attend matches at this summer's 2026 World Cup, the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) responded by saying the Swiss-Italian should "concentrate on making cheap tickets" as opposed to "making cheap jokes about our fans".

In an interview with Sky News, external, Infantino said his comments were "meant to be more of a light-hearted remark" to highlight how the Qatar tournament "was a celebration" and "a peaceful event".

As he said sorry to fans from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the first instance, the 55-year-old said it was "not my intention" to cause offence to them.

Infantino added he was a "huge fan of English football" and had been wrong to say English people "just go and riot around the world" at football matches as fans, referring to them as "criminals" instead.

The guy is probably still crying that he isn't ginger anymore.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by bots

The BBC at their best ....

Attachment 6254

Tbh, even Starmer would be in control against Burnley.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Henry Winter writes:

“Football is a sport, not a laboratory experiment. If the stewards of the game continue to prioritize technical perfection over the spirit of the law, they risk alienating the very people who make the game what it is: the fans. It is time to bring the “Beautiful Game” back to its roots.”

This “urgent call for reform” email to IFAB will strike a chord with many fans. Broadcaster Dave Johnson voices the views of supporters' "growing frustration - and frankly, disillusionment” – with the current application of VAR in offside decisions. “While the pursuit of accuracy is noble, the current “microscopic” approach has reached a breaking point that threatens the entertainment value and emotional integrity of the sport”.

“Football is a game of flow and spontaneous joy. Currently, that joy is being strangled by lengthy delays that often exceed three or four minutes, only to result in goals being overturned by the width of a shirt seam or a “toenail”.

“The recent controversy involving Fulham and Manchester United, where a goal was disallowed because a player’s elbow was deemed offside, serves as a perfect indictment of the current system. When the “clear and obvious” error mandate is ignored in favour of sub-pixelgeometry, the game moves away from fairness and into the realm of pedantry”.

Johnson outlines “key areas of concern”. 1. Spirit of the Law: “The offside rule was designed to prevent goal-hanging, not to penalise an attacker for having a larger shoe size than a defender”. 2. Fan experience: “Supporters in stadiums are left in a vacuum of silence, unable to celebrate goals, waiting for a verdict that often feels disconnected from the physical reality of the play”. 3. Margin of Error: “Current frame rates and the manual placement of lines do not account for the biological reality of movement, making “millimeter-perfect” decisions scientifically questionable”.

He seeks “fundamental changes to how offside is officiated”. 1. "the serious consideration of Arsčne Wenger’s proposal. By requiring a clear gap of “daylight” between the attacker and defender, the advantage is returned to the attacking side, encouraging goals and reducing microscopic disputes”.

2. “Margin of Error” buffer: “Implementing a 5-10cm “tolerance zone” where the on-field decision stands unless the infraction is undeniable”. 3 Time limit on reviews: “If a decision cannot be reached within 60 seconds, the original on-field call should be upheld. This ensures that only “clear and obvious” errors are corrected”.

Johnson concludes his email by looking forward to “seeing these issues addressed in upcoming technical sub-committee meetings”. Good luck.