Referee England vs France was “confused”, says expert who knows him well
England vs France could be a new low for Three Lions fans at major tournaments. Sure, Frank Lampard had a fine goal disallowed in 2010 and David Beckham’s red card in 1998 was harsh – but what’s the excuse when there’s a VAR?
Wilton Sampaio’s performance was embroiled in controversy, as the Brazilian official refused to rule out France’s opening goal after a flagrant foul on Bukayo Saka in the run-up, before not conceding a first-half penalty to Harry Kane that would have tied England. level earlier. In the second half he seemed to give 50/50 decisions exclusively to the French.
“The referee thought he was having an absolute nightmare, he was a referee’s joke,” Gary Neville said on ITV after the match. “I’m not saying he was to blame for England’s defeat. People will say it’s excuses, but he was just a bad referee.”
England vs France referee Wilton Sampaio was “confused”
With so little known about Sampaio, European fans were confused by an inconsistent portrayal – but it seems they weren’t alone.
Tim Vickery (opens in new tab)the BBC’s South American football pundit has claimed Twitter that the ref had no idea what a foul was or was not, given the change of scenery from his native Brazil to the world stage.
“It’s a matter of criteria,” said Vickery. “When he’s in Brazil, everything is a foul. He knows this is different and tries to let things go, but in the end he gets confused about what’s a foul and what’s not.”
My take on why the ref was so bad. It’s a matter of criteria. When he is in Brazil, everything is a foul. Knowing this is different, he tries to let things go, but gets confused in his own mind about what is an offense and what is not.December 10, 2022
Based in Brazil, Vickery is said to have watched Sampaio countless times. According to him, even Brazilian television was critical of the on-duty action that many felt hampered an otherwise fantastic fight.
“Brazilian TV is watching it right now,” Vickery added in a reply. “Ex-refs are hesitant to attack their own kind. But he’s bound to have a blast.”
The criticism follows another controversial display by Antonio Mateu Lahoz during the quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands, who was criticized during the match by players such as Sergio Agüero and BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce.
#Referee #England #France #confused #expert
