#player-referees

#player-referees

Nearly everyone is losing money, a club executive is quoted as saying, presumably while dressed in a suit made entirely from gold leaf, bitcoin shavings and vintage parmesan cheese.

"Kids show up to school when they feel connected to adults, peers and are engaged in something meaningful," said Hedy Chang, chief executive of Attendance Works.

"Madrid has played badly but has also suffered the consequences of a shameful refereeing. We're lucky to have many replays, and in every one you can see that the play is a clear penalty. A double penalty, even, because Victor Reis also tripped him with his leg."

The big talking point was the two penalties. It's clear as day. I don't know what more you want him to do - pick the ball up with two hands, are you going to give a penalty then or not?

A four-match ban and fine of 50,000 Egyptian pounds (700) for assaulting the referee by pushing or pulling [use of the hand without violence], said a league statement on El-Shenawy's punishment.

FC Barcelona announces that, today, the Club's legal department has filed a formal complaint with UEFA regarding the events that occurred in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid.

I don't care about these things, it's this business, there's a lot of noise between us, but that's what I tell the team, we have to focus on ourselves and not on what Real Madrid does, we are in a good position and we have to win every game and only think about ourselves.

The ongoing discussions regarding future structural changes to the game, such as the introduction of new tournaments (eg. Fifa Club World Cup), further intensify this challenge. These changes have the potential to significantly reduce the downtime available to elite players, affecting their recovery and overall well-being.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has told Sky News that footballers who cover their mouths in confrontations with rivals should be sent off on the presumption they are being offensive.

Corners and second yellow cards will be added to the scope of the video assistant referee (VAR) for this summer's World Cup. Other rule changes for the 2026 World Cup will include new rules in place to cut down on time wasting by teams to ensure games flow more quickly. This will be achieved by countdowns on goal kicks, throw-ins, and substitutions, which have so often been taken slowly by teams if they're protecting a narrow lead late in games.

One poor decision is forgivable, two is careless, but there were a hat-trick of howlers, with Tammy Abraham clearly offside for Aston Villa's opener. Lucas Digne needed his own dedicated review booth, escaping with a yellow card for an agricultural tackle on Jacob Murphy and avoiding a penalty for handball. Officials ruled that Digne handled the ball outside the penalty area, an impressive feat given that he both took off and landed inside the box as he jumped to block a cross.

Image source, Getty Images Football's lawmakers will consider widening the remit for red cards when a goalscoring opportunity is denied at a meeting on Tuesday. However, Arsene Wenger's "daylight" offside proposal is set to be kicked into touch in favour of a different idea which is fairer for defences. Goalkeeper tactical timeouts, time-wasting and video assistant referee (VAR) tweaks are among other items on the agenda.