Disputed penalties hotly debated as FA rules introduced
On June 28, the CFA officially released the trial version of the CFA 2024 Professional League Referee Elevation Rules. Many people expected that this "magic spell" would effectively reduce the number of controversial penalties and make the referees more "restrained". However, the 17th round of the Chinese Super League match between Port and Zhejiang at home was once again disappointing.
In the 57th minute of the match, Zhejiang launched a counterattack from the right side of the field, and Owusu broke through to the penalty area and fell to the ground under the tight defense of Fu Huan. The referee initially blew a penalty kick decisively, but then VAR intervened and the referee changed his decision to cancel the penalty kick.
The controversy over the play centered on two main areas:
Controversy 1: Whether it was right to cancel the penalty kick. Slow-motion camera shows that Fu Huan chased the defense with both hands, both pulling and pushing, a clear foul. If the penalty was awarded, Zhejiang could have scored, making the score 2-1 and Zhejiang ahead. The more far-reaching effect is that if the penalty had been awarded, Wu Lei might not have scored his second goal 10 minutes later, and Harbour's 3-1 lead might not have happened.
Controversy 2: Same controversial ball, different penalties. In the 22nd round of last season, a similar situation occurred in Port's home match against Zhejiang. Liu Haofan pushed down Wu Lei, the referee initially awarded a penalty kick and upheld the original decision after communicating with the video referee. Oscar hit the penalty to make the score 2-1 in favor of Port. But the final result was 3-4 and Port lost.
History seems to be repeating itself. Two seasons, two teams, the same right attack, the same left defense, the same controversial penalty box calls, the same penalties into the back of the net, and the same score.
If there is a difference, Fu Huan's push on Owusu was a little smaller than Liu Haofan's push on Wu Lei. But the slow-motion footage clearly shows that as Owusu entered the box, Fu Huan got on top of him, pulling his left chest shirt with his left hand and his left shoulder with his right hand. When Owusu changed direction to cross, Fu Huan pushed him hard with his right hand, causing him to fall to the ground.
The same action, if the defending team is Zhejiang, will be ruled as a penalty kick for Port; on the contrary, if the defending team is Port, Zhejiang will not take a penalty kick. The final penalty can only benefit Port, while Zhejiang can only be dumbfounded.
The term "port benefit" originated in the era of Chen Xuyuan and was often mentioned by fans or the media. Now, in the context of Chen Xuyuan's life sentence and the FA's introduction of the referee promotion and relegation system, this scene is repeated.
On June 28, the day the referee elevation system was released, the market was abuzz with discussion. Some people think the system is good and the key lies in the implementation. Some fans also cited a famous international referee as an example of a referee whose ability is beyond doubt, but who has frequently been the focus of the league, with numerous misjudgments and miscarriages of justice. How can they just blame the fans for blasting them? Is it all the fault of the "invisible"?
Many times, the policy is good, afraid of crooked mouth monk read a crooked scripture. Countless facts have proved that this situation is no exception in Chinese soccer. Including the previous referee review system, it is a very good management measure and method. However, it is obvious that it is a wrong judgment and wrong judgment, but the judges and experts just found that there is no goal line technology and VAR,,, "it is almost impossible to arrive in time to be able to accurately judge whether the ball crosses the goal line" and other reasons, the referees excused.
Even after the introduction of the extremely stringent promotion and relegation system, some referees still risked being deducted points in the assessment and awarded a "gourd case", which is really mind-boggling. Or was someone crazy before the system was implemented?
It is still true that without strict enforcement, even the best system is a white tower.
