Sports

Video Assistant Referees Raise Concerns Ahead Of W/Cup

Published

5 years ago

June 21, 2017

The Confederations Cup is a warm-up ahead of the World Cup in 2018 and the video assistance Referee (VAR) system is going through its testing stages here in Russia with FIFA President Gianni Infantino said to be insistent about its usage in the main tournament next year.
If any message is to be fed back to Infantino it is that much more work needs to be done to have everyone prepared for the widespread implementation of the VAR system at the top level.
If an improvement is not seen in the calls that are currently being made then bringing it in would do more to spoil the World Cup than any other decision.
What occurred in the game between Cameroon and Chile could only be described as chaos. It gets to the root of the current issue around VARs: on-field referee’s doubting their own decision making capabilities. This would appear to go against IFAB’s philosophy regarding VARs of “minimum interference, maximum benefit”.
The question that VARs seek to answer is not ”was the decision right?”, but rather “was the decision clearly wrong?”. In the case of Eduardo Vargas’ goal at the end of the first half, even after multiple replays – there is simply no justifiable way in which you could say that the original decision to award the goal was clearly wrong.
If referees are going to start demanding replays for every marginal call then we are in for a disaster World Cup.
However, we should not rush to judgement considering that VARs are new for players, coaches and referees alike. Everyone needs time to get used to it. Some are further along the process than others.
VARs were used to great effect in a recent friendly between France and Spain but that was because the team of German officials all had “offline” training before the game. All Bundesliga officials have benefited from that in the year before the VARs roll out in German football.
FIFA has got to make sure that its full list of officials for the World Cup can do similar before forcing it onto the agenda. If the game is not ready then we should overlook its implementation until it is.
“This system needs time to get it right,” said the Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi. “We are still in the testing phase and it is true that feelings can be difficult because we are used to a different situation in our world of football.
“So we have to wait and see. Maybe after some time it will get better. The first half incident created some distress but then also because we are not used to it.
“I would say that such technology can bring us more justice in football but right now it’s still a little difficult for the players. Even if it’s the right decision it still has an impact on their emotions.”

Sports

FG’s Basketball Ban Primitive, Shameful – Kienka

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2022

The Tide

The Director, International Tennis Academy and author of the recently published book, ‘Sports in Nigeria – Going Round In Circles,’ Godwin Kienka, has described Nigeria’s withdrawal from international basketball activities for two years as “very primitive and shameful sports politics.”
Last Thursday, Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), gave the approval following the crisis that rocked the factionalised Nigeria Basketball Federation in over a decade.
Kienka, in a statement said, “The Ministry of Sports hiding behind the Presidency to make that decision makes it even more odious. It just confirms what we have exposed in the book that most of those who run sports in this country do not care about the athletes, the coaches and the promotion and development of sports in the country.
“At a time when the national women’s basketball team qualified for the world championships and the men are on the way to making it a double, how does their participation or non-participation impede a grassroots or local league programme in Nigeria?”
He added, “If the decision was from the Presidency, why did the statement not come from the Presidency?”
Kienka lamented the decision, saying it denied the home-based players, who would have been a part of the two teams, the opportunity of being scouted by agents from across the world.
“We had the same mix-up and confusion in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria before the last Olympics, leading to the ban of several athletes essentially because of utter negligence of drug procedures by the ministry and the federation. It is said that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

Sports

CAFCC Final : Okpara, Ndah Storm Uyo With Pirates

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2022

The Tide

Ahead of tomorrow’s final of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2021/2022, former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Willy Okpara and defender, Olisa Ndah arrived late last night with their South African team Orlando Pirates to Nigeria.
The Soweto-based side who  will face Morocco’s RS Berkane at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo for Africa’s second club football prize, touched down in Port Harcourt about 11:45pm last night before arriving Uyo.
In their third appearance in the Confederation Cup, Pirates are playing the final for the second time, and first since 2015 when they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.
Okpara made his debut for the Nigeria national team in 1996 and was selected for the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad. He was capped five times and after he retired, became a goalkeeping coach for Orlando Pirates.
Meanwhile, RS Berkane  breezed into Uyo earlier yesterday aboard a chartered  Air Maroc flight.
Our correspondent gathered  from aviation sources  yesterday  that on board  the Moroccan national carrier were six crew members along  with   96 strong RS Berkane ‘s contingent including players, officials  and  fans  ahead of tomorrow’s final.
The flight that departed  the Oujda Angads Airport in the Oriental region in Morocco  landed in the Akwa Ibom State capital by 3:55 pm Nigerian time for their decisive tie against  Orlando Pirates..
The Orange Boys as the Moroccan side are called, were Confederation Cup   runners-up (to Zamalek of Egypt) in 2019   and emerged winners in 2020 after beating Egyptian side, Pyramids Egypt  courtesy of a  solitary goal by  Burkinabe  defender ,  Issoufou Dayo at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
In a related development,   Umbro, the CAF technical sponsors, yesterday revealed the official match ball , FIFA Quality Pro, for the eagerly awaited  fixture .
Based on Umbro’s renowned Neo Pro ball model, the official match ball is “FIFA Quality Pro” certified for use at the highest levels of the professional game and utilises the latest in structural and fabrication technology with a unique graphic that draws on the structural elements of the tournament’s trophy.

Sports

F’Eagles Qualify For 2023 Africa U-20 Cup Of Nations

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2022

The Tide

Nigeria’s national under-20 male football team, on Tuesday overpowered Cote d’Ivoire in the first semi-final match to reach the final of the ongoing WAFU B Under-20 Championship in Niamey.
The 2-1 victory not only gave them a ticket to Saturday’s final match but also came a ticket to next year’s Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations scheduled for Egypt.
Midfielder Daniel Daga put Nigeria in front after only five minutes, when he cleverly escaped the attention of the Ivorian defenders to nod in from a well-weighted pullout.
The seven-time African champions then launched onslaughts after onslaughts on the Ivorian goal but failed to add to the tally.
It was rather the Ivorians who equalised just before half-time from an intelligently-taken free-kick at the edge of Nigeria’s penalty box.
Neither team could find another goal to gain upper hand before the end of regulation time inside the Stade General Seyni Kountché in Niamey, and the game went into extra time.
Forward Ibrahim Yahaya got the winner for Nigeria in the 111th minute of play when he tucked in from the penalty kick spot to make it 2-1.
The Tidessports source reports that Nigeria will now square up against neighbours, Benin Republic in Saturday’s final match.