Basically, this 43e goal of Antoine Griezmann’s international career would have changed nothing in the sense of a match as much sacrificed as missed, nothing changed for the Blues already qualified before the kick-off for the rest of this 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, he managed to animate the discussions and the evening this Wednesday, November 30 at the stadium of the City of Education, in Al Rayyan. Above all, he caused yet another controversy concerning the use of video arbitration assistance (VAR), failing to prevent a defeat of the Blues against Tunisia (0-1) during this last match of group D.
“Referees make choices, you have to accept. We were quite nice because we were already qualified, we didn’t get too upset, “ observed the frustrated but not too annoyed striker after the encounter. ” Kindly “but not decided either to give up asserting his right. On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, the French Football Federation thus wrote a complaint for a goal “wrongly refused”. The object does not concern the substance of the action and the fact that “Grizou” was able or not to take advantage of his passive offside position at the start of the action before receiving a deflected ball (deliberately or after a save) by the Tunisian defender, Montassar Talbi.
In fact, there are almost so many interpretations than referees. That of the meeting, the New Zealander Matthew Conger, judged that yes, Griezmann was well offside, but only in a second time. In a first, he had granted the goal, given the Tunisians time to make the commitment then whistled the end of the match before being challenged by the video assistance and invalidating the goal.
This subtlety had not escaped Didier Deschamps. “I went to see the referee, I didn’t feel very comfortable with him. (…) I am awaiting a response on the settlement. The referee whistled the kick-off and the end of the match. Does he have the right to come back? I discussed with him. I asked him. I’m waiting for a response.” advanced the coach at a press conference.
According to an arbitration source interviewed by AFP, this situation does not appear in the VAR protocol. “Once the kick-off has been given, then it is impossible to return to the offside situation”, she explains. According to the video assistance protocol consulted by the agency “if play is resumed after being stopped, the referee cannot carry out an analysis [avec l’appui de la vidéo], except in the case of mistaken identity or in the case of an excludable offense such as violent behavior, spitting, biting, and/or hurtful, rude or offensive words or acts. »
You have 36.66% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.