Hey everyone, welcome back to Short Story Sunday. Here’s this week’s short story. Hope you enjoy!

The New Case
When Detective James Acaster strolled into the 95th Precinct on a delightful Thursday morning, everything appeared to be operating as usual. The officers were hurrying around, busy with keeping the city safe as was their primary port of call. The sergeants were going through paperwork at their desks. The Captain was in his office, flicking through files, taking phone calls, the usual. And the detectives were sitting at their desks, likely reviewing cases and preparing themselves to go out on various investigations. At least, that’s what Detective Acaster would be doing today.

The Detective made his way over to his desk and took a seat. His designated space, albeit small, was something he appreciated in this job. He was quite content with the arrangement he had in this precinct. A desk all to himself, a set of drawers built in for storage of various object, sometimes even files and documents. He brought his own laptop of course, that was something that he preferred. On the desk were an assortment of pens and pencils, held together in a wire cup shaped container. There were some files sitting flat in the middle of the desk, probably cases he would be looking into in the coming hours. And whilst the desk was very much bare aside from these things, there was a single framed photograph of four people: a man, a woman, and two young children. The boy in the picture appeared to be around the age of nine or ten, the girl looked to be about five or six. The woman was a brunette, and appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. The man standing next to her also had brown hair, which appeared to be thick and full, and which was pushed back and to the left side of his face, some of it hanging loose. He was a little taller than the woman pictured with him, and looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties, very much similar to the woman next to him. This image seemed to be a family, a husband and wife with their two young children. All four had a grin plastered onto their face, suggesting this moment in their life must have been one of happiness, of pure joy. However, that was solely one moment in their lifetime, one piece of their lives that had now passed them by, and was now purely a memory, only kept alive by the photograph that sat on Acaster’s desk.

After spending just short of an hour sitting at his desk flicking through the case files for an investigation that had only just been opened, Detective Acaster rose from his seat, began making his way over to the coffee machine they’d had installed in the precinct last year. He grabbed one of those disposable cups, the cardboard variety, and placed it in position, then pressed a few buttons, and his coffee began construction. When it came to coffee, the Detective enjoyed a nice latte with a little extra sugar, and a little pinch of salt just to dissolve the slight bitter taste that came with the energising liquid. The Detective grabbed the now filled cardboard cup from the coffee machine, and sprinkled a little salt into the beige liquid. He stirred it with one of those thin cardboard sticks, then took a lid made to fit the cup and placed it securely on top.

He took a few sips on his way back to his desk, about to get back into the never ending files, when he was suddenly interrupted, stopped in his path by one of the officers at the precinct. He wasn’t completely certain of the officer’s name, although he thought it might be Daniels. He decided to find out why he was unable to get back to his desk.
‘Hello officer. Is there a reason you’re preventing me from getting back to work now?’ he questioned.
The officer gave a quick response ‘I apologise Detective, I’m just to inform you that there’s been a body found by the pier. Must’ve washed up onto the shore just now, or at least that seeing as it was only just spotted. Anyway, you’re required down at the pier.’
The Detective sighed, ‘Yeah, alright, thanks officer.’
‘Samuels, Sir’ said the officer.
‘What’s that?’ the Detective asked.
‘Samuels, Officer Danny Samuels at your service’ the officer replied.
‘Oh, yeah, whatever’ the Detective said before moving past Officer Samuels to his desk. So it was Samuels, not Daniels. Well, close enough, at least his first name was Danny. Detective Acaster took his coat from the chair it was sitting on, moved the files from his desk into one of the drawers, and left the precinct, coffee still in hand. He got to his car, a black 2016 Dodge Charger, and opened it. He got in, placed his coat on the passenger seat, put his coffee in one of the cup holders, and sped off.

It was almost eleven by the time Detective James Acaster arrived at the Ocean Bay Wharf. Located on the edge of the city, a coastal beach, Ocean Bay appeared to be a luxurious place, likely attracting tourists of all walks of life from all over the world. The beach was fronted by a number of shopfronts and beachside resorts. There were cafés, seafood stores, a few restaurants, some more classy than others, a few takeaway stores, and some surf shops. And then of course there was the beach itself. In all its glory, this beach was one of the finest you’d ever see, a brilliant masterpiece. The smooth, soft sand stretched for miles, fronting a deep blue ocean that sparkled in the warm sunlight. It was quite wondrous, and very much serene. Waves crested and fell, crashing onto the shore, washing over the sand, and the lifeless body that lay on it. Detective Acaster stood over the body, taking a good look at it and its surroundings. It was a male, relatively tall, jet black hair, eyes closed. He appeared to have been in his mid to late thirties. The Detective put on a pair of gloves and bent down, parting one of the victim’s eyelids to see a now faded blue. The Detective closed the victim’s eye and ran his hand down the victim’s body, counting fifteen stab wounds, some which indicated a knife or some other sharp object or weapon of some sort had cut in length, each of them having bled profusely before the death of this man. Although it was more likely that the man had died from the stab wound he had that went right through his neck and the base of his skull. It appeared that his left foot and his right hand had been cut off, and he was missing two fingers from his left. This was a brutal murder, something that was very much unlike any other the Detective has ever seen. The Detective stood and took a look around the victim. There appeared to be nothing else in the immediate surroundings, although the Detective would ensure that a sweep search of the beach was carried out, and would also place a watch procedure on the shore for any item that happened to wash up with the tide, just in case something did present itself. The Detective spoke to the attending officer in charge and gave him instructions for the search and the watch, and also told him to have the body removed and taken to the Medical Examiner for autopsy.

Having completed his initial investigations here, the Detective walked back to his vehicle, got in, and sat there, perplexed. He wasn’t really sure how this had happened. He was certain he’d made sure that this would never occur. He’d carried out everything just as it was meant to be done. But now here it was. The body was in the open now, and it would soon become public knowledge, probably being featured in news bulletins and papers in the coming days. And here he was, right at the centre of it. Detective James Acaster had just become the Lead Detective on this case, but there was a major conflict of interest. He couldn’t solve this case, because he already knew who the killer was. It was him.

Hope you all enjoyed the story! I’m thinking about continuing this one at some point. Leave a comment and let me know if you’d like to see more of this story. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to another Flashback Friday. Another week has passed us by, and another batch of stories are ready to go. So let’s get right into it.

As has been the usual over the past few weeks, we’ll start with World Cup news. This week has seen the English continue to go crazy, with a historic win in the Round of 16 against Colombia resulting in mayhem in England. England had never won in a penalty shootout in the World Cup ever before, throughout World Cup History. So when England went down a penalty midway through the shootout, the fans were on edge. But then, after a miss, a save from English keeper Jordan Pickford, and a magnificent penalty from midfielder Eric Dier, the English claimed their first World Cup penalty shootout victory, and the fans went crazy. The phrase ‘It’s Coming Home’ has been used excessively in the last few weeks, and it will more than likely continue to be in use over the next week or so. England now face Sweden in the Quarter Finals, a match which the English will hope is won by their team, so that the dream lives on. The World Cup will continue for around a week and a half.

In world news now, and this week in Thailand, a boys soccer team and their coach, numbering thirteen in total, were found alive deep in a cave after having a search that spanned a week. The main issue now is getting them out of the cave as soon as possible. The water levels are decently high in the cave, and in order to get out of it, the boys and their coach will need to dive, which is something that would be considered dangerous and takes a lot of practice to pull off. So it would be very difficult for these boys, and has a lot of danger involved, so it probably wouldn’t be the best option. However, they need to get out of the cave as soon as possible, as the water levels in the cave are going to begin rising soon, and could leave these boys and their coach trapped inside for months. A team of rescuers are at the cave, with some alternative methods of rescue being considered, inclusive of teaching the boys to dive and swim out, which is the most dangerous method, or potentially drilling a shaft into the cave from the forest above it, which would be a safer method of getting them out and soon.

In some more local news now, and Australian Parliament has once again turned into a circus, this time in the Senate with a battle being sparked between Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The outrage began after Senator Leyonhjelm made a comment in the Senate about Senator Hanson-Young which would be considered unparliamentary and very much wrong to say in general. The Senator has since appeared on news panels where he has refused to apologise, and has claimed that Senator Hanson-Young has herself made similar remarks in Parliament. He has also claimed that he made the remark in response to something that Senator Hanson-Young said before him. Senator Hanson-Young has since brought in lawyers and is demanding an apology from Senator Leyonhjelm, and has also said that he should resign over the matter. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have also commented on the situation, each of them stating how Senator Leyonhjelm was out of order in what he said, and that he should apologise for what occurred.

And in entertainment news, the Logies have been and gone once again, this time taking place on the Gold Coast. And after a campaign spanning just over four days, one that began after Tom Gleeson did a Hard Chat with him and pledged to help him win the Gold Logie, Grant Denyer not only won the Logie for Best Presenter, he also took home the coveted Gold Logie. The campaign came to fruition and it actually worked, with Grant Denyer winning the award that Tom Gleeson set out to help him win, after the Denyer4Gold campaign ended up trending and becoming a hit, with more people voting as a result of the humorous one-man campaign. And Denyer recognised Gleeson in his emotion filled acceptance speech, acknowledging his work and thanking him. It just goes to show that even when your show has been axed you can still win a Gold Logie (and the Best Presenter Logie), and it was indeed a fitting send off for Family Feud.

And that’s it for another Flashback Friday. Thanks for reading, keep your eyes peeled for more articles during the week ahead, and Short Story Sunday this weekend, as well as more of World Cup Wednesday, and have a good one.

JJ

Hey everyone, you know what time it is….. It’s World Cup Wednesday! And would you look at that…. It’s actually Wednesday! Wow, what a coincidence. Anyway, everyone’s favourite segment is back for its fifth edition. Wow, we’re up to five? I know what you must be thinking: That’s impossible. Well, you’re not just wrong…. hold up, I think I’m quoting movies again. (Whoever gets that, you’re a legend.) Anyway, the Round of 16 has finished. Yes, that’s right we are now heading into the Quarter Finals of the World Cup. Things are really getting intense now. And a lot has happened in the Round of 16. There has been so much drama, and so many tense moments. So let’s get right into what has been one of the most brilliant Round of 16 rounds we’ve ever seen.

France v Argentina: What a match this was. The opening match of the Round, and wow did it provide top quality entertainment. France managed to put one in from a penalty given to them early on, but the Argentines drew it level, and then went one better in the second half, turning the tables and going 2-1 up. But the French weren’t done yet, and went all out on the Argentines, scoring three more in the second half to take back the lead comfortably with a score line of 4-2. The Argentines fought to hold on to the match, with striker Sergio Aguero putting in a late header to make it 4-3, however, it was too little too late for the Argentines, with the final whistle coming shortly after their final goal of the match, putting France through to the Quarter Finals, and sending Argentina packing, potentially for the last time for star player Lionel Messi.

Uruguay v Portugal: Uruguay fought valiantly in this match, and got the win they do thoroughly deserved. After Luis Suarez took a tremendous free kick which came off Edinson Cavani to put Uruguay 1-0 up just 7 minutes in, Portugal were left floundering, fighting to get back into the match. And their fighting paid off early in the second half, levelling the scores to 1-1. However, their redemption was short lived, when just 7 minutes later, Edinson Cavani scored again to put Uruguay 2-1 up, a lead which they held to the end. Cristiano Ronaldo saw yellow in the match once again towards its end, meaning he wouldn’t have played in the Quarter Finals if Portugal had made it through. However, Portugal were sent packing, and Uruguay now progress to the Quarters, where they will take on France.

Spain v Russia: This game was somewhat ridiculous. Both teams played quite well in defence, however the attacking play for both was underwhelming, with neither team really able to go forward well and score. However, a chance for Spain saw one of the Russians put the ball in the back of his own net, the own goal putting Spain 1-0 in the lead, with Spanish defender and Captain Sergio Ramos taking credit for the goal as his own. But Spain practically put themselves out of the tournament, when in the 40th minute of the match, after Russia took a corner, Spanish defender Gerard Pique conceded a handball in the box, gifting the Russians a penalty, which they ultimately converted. The teams played on deadlocked at 1-1 for the entire second half. They went to extra time, and still couldn’t be separated after half an hour. And so we saw the very first penalty shootout of the tournament, with the Russians prevailing over the Spaniards 4-3 on penalties. The Spaniards were sent home, whilst the host nation progress to the Quarters.

Croatia v Denmark: Surprisingly, this match also went to a penalty shootout. After Denmark scored in the 1st minute of the match, and Croatia levelled with a goal of their own 3 minutes later in the 4th, the two sides couldn’t be separated, and played into extra time. Croatia had a chance with a penalty in the 116th minute, however Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel kept Croatian Captain Luka Modric’s shot out of the goal, resulting in a penalty shootout, in which the Croatians prevailed 3-2, sending Denmark home. Croatia now progress to the Quarter Finals where they will play the host nation, Russia.

Brazil v Mexico: The Mexicans tried so hard to break their Round of 16 curse this year. In the last 6 World Cups, they have made it to the Round of 16 and lost, and they made it a 7th straight loss this year. The two sides couldn’t be separated for much of the game, however, Brazil put one in in the 51st minute, and then followed it up with another in the 88th, putting them through to the Quarter Finals, whilst Mexico were once again sent packing in the Round of 16.

Belgium v Japan: This game was brilliant. Neither team scored in the first half, keeping the scores at 0-0 until early in the second half, when Japan opened the scoring with two goals in the space of four minutes, coming in the 48th and 52nd. And although it was so unlikely, almost impossible, Belgium came back from 2-0 down, with Jan Vertonghen scoring the greatest header you will ever see in your life in the 69th, before Fellaini put another header in the back of the net 5 minutes later in the 74th to bring the scores level at 2-2. Both sides fought to get themselves a winning goal, and it looked very likely that the match would go into extra time. However, the impossible occurred in the dying seconds of the match. After Japan took a corner that went straight into the hands of Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois, the keeper rolled it out straight to Kevin De Bruyne, who ran it up the field and got it to the winger, who put it in the box, and after striker Romelu Lukaku let it roll by him, putting the defenders off, Chadli put it in the back of the net with 14 seconds to go, winning the match for Belgium and putting them through to the Quarter Finals for the first time since 1986. Japan are now out of the tournament, whilst Belgium progress to play Brazil in the Quarters.

Sweden v Switzerland: This one was close, and without a mistake would have potentially gone to extra time and possibly even penalties. Both teams were deadlocked, with chances coming and being wasted at every opportunity. However, Sweden turned it around when a shot from Forsberg was deflected off one of the Swiss players straight into the top corner of the goal, putting Sweden ahead 1-0. They managed to hold the lead for the remainder of the match, with another opportunity coming right in the last minute after one of the Swiss defenders was give a red card and sent off. The game finished 1-0, with the Swiss sent packing and Sweden progressing to the Quarter Finals.

Colombia v England: What a match. There were no goals in the first half, with the two sides staying level at 0-0. But in the second half, England were gifted a penalty in the 57th, which striker Harry Kane converted with ease, putting the English 1-0 up. But Colombia pulled back right in the dying minutes, drawing the game level with a header from a corner coming in the 93rd, two minutes before the match was to end. After a half hour period of extra time in which the two sides stayed level at 1-1, a penalty shootout took place. The odds were against England, having never won a penalty shootout in World Cup History. They had lost around 6 previous World Cup penalty shootouts, but redemption was well and truly on the cards. After a nail biting moment when Colombian keeper David Ospina managed to save a penalty taken by English midfielder Jordan Henderson, the English came from behind, with a miss from the Colombians, a good penalty from the English, keeper Jordan Pickford pulling off a save, and then English midfielder Eric Dier putting his penalty shot right into the back of the net to win the shootout for England, and put them through to the Quarter Finals. Colombia are now eliminated from the tournament, whilst England progress to play Sweden in the Quarters, with the English supporters now very much convinced it’s coming home.

Highlight Of The Round: Three highlights this week. The first was Belgium’s comeback against the Japanese, with the absolutely astonishing header from Jan Vertonghen and the amazing play to pull off a magnificent last minute goal to win the match 3-2. The second highlight was the France Argentina game, with some amazing goals and brilliant play from both sides, particularly France, with two of their four goals coming from 19 year old Kylian Mbappe. It was really a match that provided. And the third highlight: England’s win against the Colombians. A first time win in a penalty shootout for the English making World Cup history for them, and giving them all the potential they need to actually pull through and go all the way. Well done to the English.

Biggest Upsets: Honestly there was only really one big upset this Round, that being the Russians knocking the Spaniards out to progress to the Quarter Finals ahead of them. Although in retrospect it was the Spanish who knocked themselves out of the tournament, with the hand ball from Gerard Pique ultimately costing them the match, and the Cup. The host nation is proving to be a real contender at this point, and who knows what they could do next.

On England: England is performing so well at this World Cup, and its just so great to watch. They are playing some really great football, and are progressing quite well through the tournament. And after their win in the penalty shootout against Colombia, they will be looking to go all the way and take home the Cup. I know the English supporters are all going crazy about their team this year, and ‘It’s Coming Home’ is very much a trending phrase. In all honesty, I’d love to see the English win the World Cup this year, I reckon it would be brilliant. And the scenes in England would be mental. They take on Sweden next in the Quarter Finals, then either Croatia or Russia in the Semis if they beat the Swedes. They could really make it to the Final this year, there is a real chance for them. It’s coming home!

What To Expect From The Quarter Finals: We’re getting down to the pointy end of the tournament now, and each and every one of the remaining teams will be fighting harder than ever before, with each team wanting so badly to progress to the next Round. The Quarters will be interesting, they will be exciting. Each of the four matches will be a close contest. Uruguay take on France, Brazil take on Belgium, Sweden take on England, and host nation Russia take on Croatia. We could see more penalty shootouts, we could see teams winning in extra time. There will be some close calls, and no one team will want to be making a single mistake, especially conceding a penalty. Every goal will count, and each team will do their best to defend any lead they have. The Quarter Finals will be highly entertaining, and only four teams will progress. Enjoy!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to Mystery Monday. Today I have for you an article on the VAR and the Fair Play Rule in the World Cup and football in general. There may be another article on the way today, although I’m not certain if it will be ready today. But it is Mystery Monday after all, and you know what that means: anything could happen. Enjoy!

The VAR and The Fair Play Rule

The World Cup is back again this year, and we are already about halfway through. In fact, were only two weeks away from finding out who our World Cup Champions will be in this year’s tournament. But the noticeable thing that’s come from this particular World Cup is that there have been some changes, and there have also been some certain rules that have come into play for the first time in the tournament’s history. So let’s discuss this.

I’ll start with the rule that has come into effect this year for the first time in World Cup History. The Fair Play Rule was designed as a method of separating teams when it was otherwise impossible to split them in the Group Stage. It is used when two or more teams are tied in points and in goal difference at the end of the Group Stage. The rule is quite basic in its principle: whichever team has the least amount of cards, being yellow and/or red, will progress to the Round of 16, whilst the other team will not. It is a rule that has been around for quite some time, however has never had to have been used before this year’s World Cup tournament. In this case, it was used to separate Senegal and Japan in Group H, to determine which of these two teams would progress to the Round of 16. Both teams had 4 points apiece, and were both sitting on a goal difference of -1. This resulted in the Fair Play Rule coming into play for the first time in the history of the World Cup. Senegal had been given 6 yellow cards throughout their 3 Group Stage matches, whilst Japan had been given only 4, ultimately meaning Japan would progress over Senegal based solely upon this inadequate rule. Going into the Final Round of the Group Stage, Senegal only needed a win or a draw to progress, and could have still progressed with a loss, however only if Japan lost by 1 more goal than they did. Japan needed a win or a draw, depending on the Senegal v Colombia match. Japan went down 1-0 to Poland early in the second half of their match, meaning that Senegal were in prime position to go through, and that Colombia would most likely progress with them. However, Colombia managed to go 1-0 up in the 74th minute of the match, meaning Senegal were once again tied with Japan on goal difference. The Japanese head coach Akira Nishino, upon hearing of this occurring, got word out to his team who were playing at the time, alerting them to the fact that Senegal were down 1-0, and that as long as Japan didn’t concede again, they would go through based on the Fair Play Rule. Japan therefore killed off the game by passing the ball around in their own half, no longer attacking, and Poland seemed content to hang back and play along. And whilst Senegal made some great attacking plays in their match, it wasn’t enough to bring the match level. Therefore, Japan were sent through with Colombia to the Round of 16 as a result of exploiting the Fair Play Rule to its full extent.

Now here’s what makes this reasonably unfair. Each of the final two matches of the Group Stage for each Group are played at the same time. The reason for this is to prevent any form of skulduggery and to prevent the other teams from knowing what result they need to progress. So the sheer fact that Japan were able to go through after the coach found out what was occurring in the other match and changing the team’s tactics as a result of that has demonstrated that there is, realistically, no point in having the two matches played at the same time. They may as well have had the Japan v Poland match played after Senegal v Colombia. The reason being that Japan knew what was going on in the other match and so halted their attack in order to prevent Poland from scoring again. Now Japan were slammed for doing this after the match concluded, and, in all fairness, rightly so. Japan exploited what is one of the most ridiculous rules in football in order to progress to the Round of 16. And whilst some people would say that anyone would do the same if they were in that scenario, that if they were head coach they would have done what Nishino did, and that Senegal would have likely done the same, you wouldn’t know that for certain. Why? Because simply, you aren’t the head coach, you weren’t there, you don’t know what Senegal would have done, and everyone is different in their ways of thinking. So realistically, that argument is very much invalid.

And now to the Fair Play Rule in general. This rule is probably the most unreasonable rule that has been put in place by FIFA, a football governing body that has seen the worst that corruption has to offer. And, to be quite honest, I don’t think the corruption has been completely eradicated from this organisation just yet. The Fair Play Rule is in reality quite the opposite of what it is called. It’s not a fair rule at all, it’s very much unfair and inadequate. In order for this rule to be fair, the standard of refereeing would have to be the exact same across the board. And that is most definitely not the case when it comes to the World Cup. Each referee is different, and some are harsher than others. This would result in some teams being dealt more cards than others, be they yellow or red, due entirely to the referee who is officiating their match. Therefore, if this is the case, which it clearly is, then the Fair Play Rule is rendered completely invalid. And so the fact that a team goes through based on this rule is entirely unfair to their opponent. And so the way in which a tie in points and goal difference is decided must be changed.

So to some suggestions. There are a few ways to decide who progresses in the case of a tie in the Group Stage which are much fairer than the Fair Play Rule. An attack based rule could come into play, in which the team to progress would be decided based upon the goals they have scored, and potentially even the number of shots on target they have had. This would encourage attacking play, and would make the game so much more exciting. And it would prevent teams from just killing off their match early by just passing the ball around in their own half and wasting time to wind down the clock, something which teams have been given yellow cards for before. The other option is to have a play off match between the two teams in question. There is at least a day in between the conclusion of the Group Stage and the commencement of the Round of 16. This is enough time in which to have a play off between the two teams which are tied, and this could be played in the same way as a knockout match, in which one team must win. Extra time and penalties would therefore be in play, and only one team would come out on top, progressing to the Round of 16, whilst the other would bow out of the tournament. This would be much fairer than the Fair Play Rule, and would be a much more just way of determining who progresses. If one thing is for certain, the Fair Play Rule must be eradicated.

Now I want to move on to the second thing, the VAR. The VAR, which stands for Video Assistant Referee, has only recently entered football, being introduced in the A-League in Australia, and now being used in the World Cup. And whilst it has proven to have made some good decisions, changing things that should be changed and pointing out things that need to be pointed out, it is not all good. The VAR is a system that is controlled by referees. Referees sit in a room filled with screens displaying a number of different angles on the pitch, so that decisions can be reviewed from every angle necessary. And whilst the issue may not be within the VAR itself, rather in the referee/s who are in control of the system, the VAR is proving to be a step in the wrong direction. Actually, make that a leap in the wrong direction. It’s not making the game better, it’s not benefiting the game entirely. In fact, it’s actually ruining the game.

The problem with the VAR is partially in what it is doing, and partially in what it’s not doing. For example, in the match between Australia and Peru last week, Peru’s first goal came from an offside position. The player who set up the goal was offside when the ball was passed to him by a player who was close to the middle of the field. Although the ball did touch one of the Australian players before the Peruvian player who was offside got the ball, he was still offside, which makes the goal invalid due to offside. This would have been a perfect time for the VAR to review what had occurred and step in to alert the referee on the field to the offside. However, there was no VAR review at all, and the goal was allowed without question, changing the game entirely. And then, a few days later, in the Senegal v Colombia match, Senegal were given a penalty by the on field referee after one of the Colombian players had made a dangerous tackle on Senegalese striker Sadio Mane in the box. The referee had pointed to the spot and called for a penalty, however, the VAR decided it would be a good time to step in, and told the on field referee that they did not think it was a penalty, and that he should review it and change the decision. And so the referee took a look at the footage, and ultimately changed his decision, denying Senegal a clear-cut penalty which would have changed the game. Therefore once again, the VAR changed the game entirely.

There is one very noticeable thing about the VAR, something that many have already picked up on, but which may have slipped by unnoticed by others. The VAR is very much benefiting and working in favour of European and South American teams, and working against teams from other continents/countries. It may seem like I’m saying this because I’m sceptical of the system and the way in which it is working, and you may think I’m trying to start a conspiracy or something, but let’s be realistic, I’m not. I’m just pointing out the very clear fact that the VAR seems to have been used in favour of the big teams from Europe and South America, teams like Portugal, Spain, Colombia, etc.. And teams from other continents/countries, like African and Asian teams such as Senegal and Australia are losing out to the system. The VAR is doing more damage to the sport than good, and it is obvious that it needs to go. Even when it was used in Australian football, in the A-League, which was the trial football league for the technology, the VAR was doing more harm to the league than good, and it was not actually benefiting it. It is still being used in the A-League, and it will undoubtedly do more damage to the league for as long as it exists within it. And then you can look a the English Premier League (EPL). The VAR system/technology was offered to the EPL and they said no. They made probably the smartest decision you could make when offered technology such as this. They knew it would ruin English football, and they didn’t want that to happen, so they declined it right front the outset. And realistically, the VAR should be eradicated entirely from the world of football.

So to wrap this one up, I just want to make a few final remarks. The Fair Play Rule must be eradicated, there is no doubt about it. The rule is highly unjustified and does not work, will never work, without the refereeing being to precisely the same standard across the board, which is highly unlikely to ever occur. There are better ways to separate teams which are tied at the end of the Group Stage, and a play off would likely be the best option to decide which team progresses to the Round of 16. And the VAR must also be eradicated from the world of football. This technology is doing more harm than good, and is damaging one of the greatest sports in the world, one of the most loved sports in the world. Technology has no place in football, and it never will.

JJ

Hey everyone, guess what’s back again? That’s right, the much loved World Cup Wednesday, which is keeping that name despite going on a wander to other various days of the week, is back for a fourth edition. I think people are really loving this segment, and I’m really glad you are. So, the Final Round of the Group Stage has concluded, and we have our Round of 16, which will begin tonight (Saturday 30th June). As always, I’ll be recapping the Round, and we’ll take a look at some of the controversies, and what to expect from the Round of 16. Let’s jump right in.

Uruguay v Russia: Uruguay dominated this match, and it really showed. A free kick turned goal from Luis Suarez, an own goal from the Russian Denis Cheryshev, and a late goal from Edinson Cavani, as well as a red card for one of the Russians, saw Uruguay safely take the top of Group A, pitting them against Portugal, whilst the Russians are resigned to take on Spain in the Round of 16. 3-0.

Saudi Arabia v Egypt: Two teams that were already eliminated, this game was purely for pride, and the Saudis proved a cut above the Egyptians, despite a skilled goal from star player Mohamed Salah. The Saudis took out the game after scoring late in each half. 2-0, both teams are now out of the Cup.

Spain v Morocco: The Moroccans played so well against the Spaniards, and fully deserved to win the match. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, however Spain should consider themselves lucky, with their second goal coming late in the second half, and being seen as potentially offside at first, however, the goal was given, controversially. Morocco are out and Spain took the top of the Group.

Iran v Portugal: Iran were very unlucky not to win this one. A 1-1 draw, Portugal only just escaped really, and Cristiano Ronaldo was very lucky not to be sent off for a very unsportsmanlike foul he committed in the first half. It was somewhat of a disgrace that he wasn’t sent off after the VAR review of his foul. Portugal finish second in the Group with the Iranians once again eliminated in the Group Stage.

Denmark v France: These teams knew that a draw would see them both through, and I think they were alright with just taking a draw and progressing through in the positions they were already in. France rested a number of their high quality players, and whilst both teams took a few good shots and had a few good chances to score, the scores remained at 0-0 for the entire match, making this match probably one of the duller ones of the Round.

Australia v Peru: Australia knew they needed to win this, and whilst they started strong, they weakened, reverting to their old ways once again. It’s no surprise they lost 2-0 to a South American team considering they still don’t have any decent striking options, and every chance they take seems to just miss the goals. They never seem to learn from past mistakes, and Peru capitalised on that, however their first goal was offside, and it was surprising the VAR didn’t pick it up, but that’s just another reason why technology has no place in football. 2-0 to Peru. Hopefully the Australians make the 2022 Qatar World Cup with a better team and better tactics.

Iceland v Croatia: Iceland needed to win this to progress, however it all went wrong for them. Croatia netted two, but the Icelandic team could only put in a penalty to make the score line 2-1. Iceland are out unfortunately, Croatia progressing through to play Denmark in the Round of 16.

Nigeria v Argentina: Nigeria only needed a draw to progress. And they almost got their fairytale ending here. However, after being deadlocked for a lengthy period of time at 1-1, Argentina pulled off a miracle, with a late winner from Marcos Rojo putting Argentina through to the Round of 16 by the smallest of margins. Argentina will face France in their Round of 16 match.

Mexico v Sweden: After playing 2 great matches, the Mexicans should have really been able to take out the top of the Group. But they weren’t lucky enough to do so, and were very lucky to get through to the Round of 16 after their 3-0 demolition against Sweden. Sweden took top of the Group, and will play Switzerland, whilst the Mexicans took second and will play Brazil in the Round of 16.

South Korea v Germany: Well what can I say about this match. Honestly the only thing I can say is that this was pure gold. This was the match of the Round for sure. The Koreans almost put themselves through to the Round of 16 too, just missing out because Sweden beat Mexico. The Koreans held off the reigning World Champions for the full 90 minutes before they put one in the net from a corner in the 92nd, and then scoring again in the 96th, not even four minutes later. Germany’s keeper, Manuel Neuer, tried to be a midfielder, however it all went wrong. And Germany, for the first time in World Cup History, were knocked out of the World Cup in the Group Stage, finishing bottom of their Group. The South Koreans finished third, and went out with a bang, and I commend them for a job well done.

Switzerland v Costa Rica: This was a close one, with Switzerland opening the scoring midway in the first half, however, Costa Rica were playing much better than they previously had, and scored early in the second half to equalise. Switzerland then managed to put one in the back of the net late in the second half, but then put one in the back of their own net to draw the scores level once again at 2-2. Costa Rica are out, but they leave with at least 1 point. The Swiss progress.

Serbia v Brazil: Brazil managed to dominate this match, and pulled off a 2-0 win, with goals in the 36th and 68th allowing them to finish top of their Group and launching them into the Round of 16 to play Mexico. The Serbs were unfortunate not to progress, having needed a win to edge Switzerland into second place. They now exit the tournament whilst Brazil progress to the next Round.

Japan v Poland: This match was one of the ones that I watched intently, and Poland played a great match to take at least one win home with them, and 3 points to go with it, a fitting exit for them. However, the Japanese, after having played a somewhat strong match making every attempt they could to score, seemed to change their playing style and their tactics towards the end of the match, and their head coach Akira Nishino revealed after the match that he had alerted the players to the fact that Colombia had gone 1-0 up against Senegal, and that a 1-0 loss would see Japan through to the Round of 16 based on the Fair Play rule where the team that has a lower number of cards will progress. He therefore told the Japanese players to just pass the ball around, and lay off the attack. And so they did, and pulled of a 1-0 loss to progress with Colombia. They have been slammed for doing this, a tactic which is designed to waste time, something other players from other teams were booked for. It is something I will discuss a little later on in this article.

Senegal v Colombia: Senegal played such a great match against Colombia, and should have at least been given a 1-1 draw from this match and progressed through to the Round of 16. Senegal were denied a clear-cut penalty early in the match, and it showed again why technology has no place in football. A goal in the 74th put Colombia in front, something which the Japanese heard about 500 miles away. And that one goal ultimately put Colombia and Japan through, with Senegal unable to score despite their thorough efforts. Senegal have my respect for the effort they put into this year’s World Cup, and how well they played. I personally hope to see them again at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and I’m sure many others would agree.

England v Belgium: England took an opportunity in this match to rest 8 of their better players in order to conserve their energies for the following Round. And they didn’t really put in too much effort, losing the match 1-0 to Belgium, however probably being in a better bracket than the Belgians. England are well on their way now, and will have a slightly easier path to the Final and the Cup than Belgium. England play Colombia in the Round of 16, while Belgium play Japan.

Panama v Tunisia: This match was another that all just for pride, and Tunisia proved to be the better team in the end, taking out the match 2-1. Although Panama didn’t give up, and they did make a good attempt to edge the Tunisians. There was a fight that was broken up at one point during the match, and in actual fact, Tunisia scored all three goals, putting two in the opposition’s net and putting one in their own. Both teams are now out of the tournament. And we have our Round of 16.

Highlight Of The Round: The highlight of the Final Round of the Group Stage has to be South Korea’s 2-0 win over Germany, sending them out of the tournament in the Group Stage for the first time in World Cup History, which encompasses 80 years. It also saw the Koreans finish third in their Group, whilst the Germans finished fourth. The Koreans have so much to be proud of going out of the tournament, even though they didn’t make it further. Taking out the reigning Champions with you is an amazing thing to do. Well done to them.

Biggest Upsets: There were a few upsets this Round. Morocco held Spain to a 2-2 draw, and the Iranians did the same to the Portuguese, with a 1-1 draw. The Swedes demolished the Mexicans 3-0 to take top spot in their Group. And the biggest upset of the Round came when South Korea managed to score two late goals against reigning Champions Germany to win 2-0 and go out with a bang, taking the Germans with them. Big week of upsets for sure.

Controversy: There was a fair bit of controversy that was on display in the Final Round of the Group Stage. I’ll start with the Japanese and the Fair Play Rule. The Fair Play Rule is in place so that if two teams finish with the same points, and can’t be separated by goal difference, they will be separated by the number of cards they have picked up. Whilst this is fair enough, there is issue with this rule in that the refereeing needs to be to the same standards across the board, which is not something that can be seen in this World Cup. This therefore makes the Fair Play Rule obsolete and irrelevant, as some referees may be harsher than others, and some teams may cop more yellow or even red cards than others due to different standards of refereeing. Therefore this rule needs to be changed, and while there will be a review of the rule by FIFA after the conclusion of the World Cup, the most likely outcome is that nothing will be done tot change it. The fact the the Japanese team changed their tactics after the head coach got word to them whilst they were playing in the second half that Senegal were down 1-0 to Colombia, whilst they themselves were also down 1-0 to Poland, and told them to just pass the ball in triangles in their own half rather than attacking anymore so that they wouldn’t go down 2-0 just shows how unfair the so called Fair Play Rule is. The head coach, Akira Nishino, knew that Japan would go through based on the Fair Play Rule, and practically exploited that to its full capacity, it’s full extent, in order to pull through and take a spot in the Round of 16. It’s very much a shameful, disgraceful exploitation of a rule which is very much corrupt in its own way, and this will be a focus of an upcoming feature article I have in the works.

The other bit of controversy, in fact the controversial system that just keeps on giving, is the VAR. The VAR really is a highly insufficient system, which should be completely eradicated from football. Sure, it gets some decisions right, and it changes decisions which should be changed, but there’s a large percentage of the time that it interferes in the game, and some times when it either doesn’t pick up on certain things that should be reviewed, or it changes a decision which should not have been changed at all, and was right initially. For example, in Australia v Peru, Peru’s first goal came from an offside position, and the VAR did not even review it, and the goal really did change the game. Then there’s Senegal v Colombia, where Senegal were initially given a penalty midway through the first half, however the VAR decided it would be a good time to intervene and changed the referee’s mind, denying Senegal a clear-cut penalty, one that would have changed the game and likely sent Senegal through to the Round of 16, but which rather saw them unfairly eliminated from the tournament. It’s really a faulty system, and it must be expunged from football immediately. Technology has absolutely no place in football, and I very much hope to see a reversion to referees and linesman, without any VAR or technology. And some of those referees who are controlling the VAR should just go back to refereeing on the ground, not from a technology box.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that Cristiano Ronaldo practically got away with murder this Round thanks to his star power. After committing a really terrible foul in the first half of Portugal’s match against Iran, one they were lucky not to lose, the referee consulted the VAR, as he had not seen the foul himself despite it being quite obvious. Ronaldo practically shoved an Iranian defender to the ground, and was only given a yellow card after the referee watched the foul back on the VAR system. Ronaldo was seen to be smiling and even laughing after being given the yellow card, showing absolutely no sign of remorse. And realistically, the only reason he wasn’t given a straight red, which is what should have occurred, was due to his star power, his international fame. And the referee practically let him get away with it because of what I refer to as ‘star player bias’, which is very much in the range of corruption, something which FIFA is no stranger to.

What To Expect From The Round Of 16: So what should we expect from the Round of 16? Expect every single nation to play the highest quality football they have ever played. It’s knockouts now after all, and no one team wants to be eliminated from the tournament, so none of them will go out easily. Things will be much more interesting, and much more entertaining. Expect more controversy stemming from the VAR. And now there is the potential for extra time and penalties, so you could expect to possible see a game or two go to extra time and maybe even to a penalty shootout, something nobody wants to see happen. And whilst we don’t know anything for certain, there is one thing that is 100% certain: at the end of this World Cup, we will have a new World Cup Champion, Champions of the World.

JJ