FC Red Star
Active Member
Out of curiosity were you actually there for the match when it was made 4 - 4, then protested by Sierra -- leading to all this mess?
Sierra loves to get upset about stuff -- and VUFC are a bunch of annoying feisty kids. If it was made 4 - 4 in the final couple minutes, I'll bet Sierra woulda lost it - but again, I'm curious to know if anyone knows the actual details of what happened in the last 10 minutes of that game.
No, I was not at that game but according to the referee the game ended 4:4 (you can ask the league to see the match report). Sierra then protested because the referee wrongly applied one of the rules of the game. The VMSL Board "deleted" last 10 minutes of the game, annulled the goal Rangers scored, and ordered last 10 minutes of the game to be replayed.
Yes, Sierra had every right to protest the ref's decision and no one denies that. But, the game was apparently not abandoned; Sierra and Rangers finished all 90 minutes. If the game was abandoned when ref made a mistake I'd understand but the game was played in its entirety.
Referees make often atrocious mistakes (they are human after all). What is really such a big difference between ref's mistake to call a penalty shot when indeed an indirect free kick should have been awarded or, let' say, allowing a goal from a clear offside position (yes, please, I know the first one is considered material misinterpretation of the game and the other one ref's opinion but the outcome is the same).
This is amateur soccer, people work, change jobs, schools, they move. For VMSL Board to think that it is OK to replay last 10 minutes more than four months later and at the end of the season is totally ridiculous. Either team, for various reasons, may not be able to field the same roster (and VMSL rule 4.3 specifies that it has to be the SAME roster, etc).
Yes, Sierra would feel cheated if the result 4:4 was registered on Nov.7, 2018 but, hey, how many times Sierra or any other team got screwed up by some other big refs' mistakes? It happens almost every game especially in a division that does not have linesmen. Again, this is amateur soccer so let's not try to apply some of those "special" rules like "replaying a portion of the game".
I am absolutely sure that replaying a portion of the game the next day (let alone four months later) would also be an issue because, again, the teams may not be able to have the same roster. Having said that, all I am saying is that VMSL rule re replaying any portion of the match does not make any sense whatsoever in an amateur league and it should never be applied. That is why Sierra - Rangers game should have been registered 4:4 (the game was completed, all 90 minutes were played) or new 90 minutes rescheduled (no later than a week later) if ref's mistake really ruined the integrity of the game.
Of course, there were similar cases in the past (replaying portion of the game) but it has never happened before that until this year in Division 2 Pool B there is 3-team race for a promotion and one of those 3 teams has 3 games in hand at the end of the season!!! That alone makes the competition unfair.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Rangers and 13th Legion (let's put pride aside) really have no reason to fight for points in those make-up games. It would be completely different story 2 or 3 months ago.
Of course, as I also mentioned, what if Sierra cannot field the same roster? Are they going to lose 3 points? They should according to the rules but would that make any sense? Of course it would not.
To finish, the league screwed up big time. Those things were not a big deal in the past because never before was such a close race for a promotion. Some make up games in the past were cancelled completely because there was really no point to play them. This year they mean something so that is why we have this situation.
I do not care who is promoted and who is relegated. I am just trying to point out illogical decisions by the league that are affecting the competition.