Referees' chief Howard Webb held peace talks with Nottingham Forest this week following the club's request for access to referee Anthony Taylor's conversations with VAR Stuart Atwell. Nottingham Forest had criticized Atwell's appointment for their game against Everton and accused him of being a 'Luton fan'. As a result, Webb played the VAR audio of the penalty appeals from the game to Forest in an online meeting. The club's owner, Evangelos Marinakis, and manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, may have also been present at the meeting. Additionally, the club had requested the audio of the penalty appeals to be released publicly [31999cf1] [1c1515f5].
In an opinion piece by James Calvert in the Times of Malta, potential solutions to the current VAR mess in football are discussed. Calvert suggests redirecting the money saved on VAR towards improving the standard of match officials and introducing more on-pitch officials. Alternatively, he proposes a more high-tech approach where sensors and cameras are used to determine offsides, ball out of play, handballs, and tackles. Calvert emphasizes the need to either invest in improving refereeing standards or reduce the human element in favor of technology's decisions [88df28b5].
Calvert also pays tribute to the late Bobby Charlton, highlighting his achievements and character as a footballer [88df28b5].
In another article, Calvert highlights Brazil's 9-0 victory over New Caledonia in the Under-17 World Cup, but points out that it took Brazil 81 attempts to score those nine goals, while England only needed 39 attempts to score 10 goals against the same opponents. This highlights the difference in efficiency and effectiveness between the two teams [88df28b5].
Calvin Wells, a retired Pasadena firefighter and umpire, shares his philosophy on umpiring baseball games and the importance of neutrality. He explains that being neutral means being invisible, defusing conflict, and valuing safety above all else. Wells emphasizes the need for umpires to hold themselves accountable and enforce the rules quietly, without attracting attention. He also highlights the importance of maintaining safety on the field and intervening early to prevent conflicts from escalating. Additionally, Wells discusses the need for umpires to support and hold each other accountable, as well as the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest. He concludes by mentioning the importance of teaching kids that baseball is a game of failure and that things don't always go their way [4725ad48].