So Near Yet So VAR

with Mark Clattenburg and Bobby Madden

No corporate FA filters. No dodging the hard questions. Every single week, we are giving you a direct, honest breakdown of the biggest refereeing and VAR decisions across English and Scottish football inside 30 minutes. Episodes drop Sunday evenings at 2200.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    HAVERTZ DENIED A CLEAR PENALTY?! #footballpodcast #sonearyetsovar #refereecontroversy #vardebate

    🚨 PENRICE WINS A CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY! HAVERTZ DENIED ONE?! | So Near, Yet So VARFormer FIFA-accredited referees Mark Clattenburg and Bobby Madden are back to analyse another weekend of controversial VAR decisions, penalty incidents, red cards and refereeing talking points from the English Premier League and Scottish Premiership.⚖️ THIS WEEK'S BIGGEST TALKING POINTS:🔵 ST MIRREN 0-2 RANGERS: JAMES PENRICE WINS A SOFT PENALTY?Rangers are awarded a controversial first-half penalty after James Penrice goes down under minimal contact from St Mirren's Samuel Ramos. Referee Nick Walsh points to the spot and VAR Greg Aitken allows the decision to stand. Was it a clear penalty, or did Penrice make the most of the contact? Bobby Madden and Mark Clattenburg give their verdicts.🔴 ARSENAL vs HULL: KAI HAVERTZ DENIED A CLEAR PENALTY?!The major talking point of the weekend! Hull defender Nobel Mendy pulls Kai Havertz's shirt inside the penalty area, but after a VAR review, referee Farai Hallam overturns the penalty decision and awards Hull a free-kick for offside. Was this a major misunderstanding of the offside law? Can a player be penalised for offside before committing an active offside offence? And did Arsenal get a penalty decision completely wrong? Arsenal eventually win 1-0 through Martin Ødegaard.⚪ LEEDS vs TOTTENHAM: SHOULD JAYDEN BOGLE HAVE SEEN RED?Jayden Bogle catches Mathys Tel around the Achilles with his studs, but VAR Tony Harrington backs the on-field decision. Tottenham are reportedly seeking answers over the incident. We also examine Mateus Fernandes' early handball appeal.🔵 SUNDERLAND vs CHELSEA: TWO CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY DECISIONSCole Palmer goes down after contact from Luke O'Nien, but no penalty is awarded, with VAR judging the contact to be outside the box. At the other end, Brian Brobbey wins a penalty against Levi Colwill. Were both decisions correct?🔵 EVERTON vs COVENTRY: TARKOWSKI HAIR-PULL CONTROVERSYJames Tarkowski appears to pull Caleb Yirenkyi's hair inside the penalty area, but Coventry are not awarded a penalty. Why did VAR stay out of it?🔴 BRIGHTON vs BRENTFORD: IGOR THIAGO SENT OFFMichael Oliver upgrades Thiago's yellow card to a straight red after VAR review for catching Andrés in the face. Was the dismissal justified?🍀 CELTIC vs KILMARNOCK: GOAL OVERTURNED BY VARKasper Høgh's goal is ruled out following a pitchside review for a foul by Mika Baur on Greg Kiltie. Was it a soft decision? We also look at Baur's disallowed goal for offside.🎙️ EXPERT ANALYSIS FROM MARK CLATTENBURG & BOBBY MADDENFrom controversial penalties and shirt pulls to offside interpretations, handballs and red cards, our former FIFA-accredited referees explain the Laws of the Game and give their expert verdicts.Timestamp:00:00:00 - 00:01:02 Intro00:01:02 - 00:06:32 Havertz Penalty Debate00:06:32 - 00:09:05 Fernandes Handball00:09:05 - 00:12:24 Bogle challenge on Tel00:12:24 - 00:17:08 James Tarkowski handful of hair00:17:08 - 00:19:34 Thiago sees RED00:19:34 - 00:22:19 Cole Palmer denied a pen00:22:19 - 00:27:22 Are English Refs relying TOO MUCH on VAR?00:27:22 - 00:33:22 Brobbey's controversial penalty00:33:22 - 00:34:57 Raith v Dunfermline: Pars miss out on a Penalty: Neil Lennon's reaction00:34:57 - 00:38:38 Best and worst stadiums to referee at00:38:38 - 00:40:32 Bobby's trip to Saudi00:40:32 - 00:46:42 Does Penrice con the ref?00:46:42 - 00:47:57 Høgh's disallowed goal00:47:57 - 00:49:28 Tshibola handball. Penalty to Celtic00:49:28 - 00:50:18 Outro💬 JOIN THE DEBATE!Was Kai Havertz robbed of a penalty? Did James Penrice win a soft spot-kick? Which refereeing decision was the biggest mistake of the weekend?Leave your verdict in the comments!👍 LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications for more expert VAR analysis, Premier League refereeing controversies and Scottish football decision reviews.So Near, Yet So VAR – the decisions, the debate and the expert verdict.

  2. Nov 2

    PENRICE ESCAPES RED! 🟥 🤯 ISAK DENIED A PENALTY?! | Clattenburg & Madden #var #refereecontroversy

    From a potential penalty for Liverpool’s Alexander Isak to a shocking high kick at Hampden, we ask: Are referees and VAR getting the big decisions right?Welcome back to So Near Yet So VAR, the football show where controversial refereeing decisions are put under the microscope!This week, former FIFA-accredited referees Mark Clattenburg and Bobby Madden break down the biggest VAR controversies, red cards, penalty claims and missed decisions from a dramatic weekend of football across the Scottish Premiership and the English Premier League.🔴 THIS WEEK’S BIGGEST TALKING POINTS:🥋 RANGERS vs ABERDEEN: JAMES PENRICE’S KUNG FU KICK!Madness at Hampden as Rangers’ James Penrice launches a high, rib-level kick into Aberdeen midfielder Afeez Aremu — but escapes without even a yellow card, and VAR does not intervene. Should Penrice have been sent off? We also examine two controversial handball incidents involving Rangers’ Dujon Sterling and Aberdeen’s Ayoub Mouloua.🤯 LIVERPOOL DENIED A PENALTY? ISAK VS TIMBERLiverpool’s Alexander Isak appears to be pulled back by Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber, but no penalty is awarded and VAR does not intervene. Does this decision punish players who stay on their feet and avoid theatrics, while rewarding those who make a bigger fuss?🟥 LISANDRO MARTÍNEZ’S ELBOW ON WESLEY FOFANAManchester United are reduced to ten men after Lisandro Martínez receives a second yellow card for an off-the-ball elbow on Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana. Was the dismissal justified, and what does it mean for United and manager Michael Carrick?✋ COVENTRY CITY vs SUNDERLAND: HANDBALL PENALTY DEBATECoventry defender Ethan Pinnock is penalised for handball inside the box. Was the decision correct, or was this another controversial penalty call?🟥 CRYSTAL PALACE’S EARLY RED CARD AGAINST TOTTENHAMJean-Philippe Mateta is initially shown yellow for a late, studs-up challenge on Micky van de Ven, catching the Tottenham defender around the heel and Achilles. VAR recommends a review, and referee Michael Oliver upgrades the card to red. Was the intervention right?🤚 MANCHESTER CITY vs BRIGHTON: PENALTY DENIED!Manchester City lose 1–0 at home to Brighton, but the handball decision involving Luka Vušković sparks debate. Referee Farai Hallam reviews the incident at the monitor and sticks with his original decision. Should City have had a penalty?🟨 MOTHERWELL vs ST MIRREN: VAR SPOTS THE HANDBALLA handball involving St Mirren’s Henry Fieldson requires VAR intervention as Motherwell claim a 1–0 victory. Did the officials get the final decision right?🟥 KILMARNOCK vs ST JOHNSTONE: GOALKEEPER SENT OFFSt Johnstone goalkeeper Toby Steward is dismissed in the 13th minute after rushing outside his penalty area and handling the ball while dealing with a long pass towards Joe Hugill. Was the red card inevitable?⚖️ EXPERT ANALYSIS FROM MARK CLATTENBURG & BOBBY MADDENOur former FIFA-accredited referees examine the laws of the game, explain the key incidents and give their verdicts on the decisions everyone is talking about.💬 JOIN THE DEBATE!Which decision was the biggest refereeing mistake of the weekend? Should James Penrice have seen red? Was Alexander Isak denied a clear penalty? Tell us what you think in the comments.👍 Like the video, subscribe to So Near Yet So VAR, and turn on notifications for more expert analysis of VAR controversies, red cards, penalty decisions and refereeing across Scottish and English football.👉 Follow the show, find our socials, and watch video clips here: https://linktr.ee/SoNearYetSoVAR#SoNearYetSoVAR #VAR #JamesPenrice #Rangers #Liverpool #AlexanderIsak #PremierLeague #ScottishFootball #MarkClattenburg #BobbyMadden

  3. Oct 26

    Diop GETS AWAY WITH ONE? | Palmer & Rogers LOSE THE PLOT | Rangers' Raskin benefits from RED CARD

    Should Chelsea have finished with NINE men against Tottenham? Was Issa Diop lucky to escape a red card? And did Kai Fotheringham's challenge on Rangers' Nicolas Raskin really merit a straight RED card? 👀⚽Welcome back to So Near, Yet So VAR, the show where we break down the biggest VAR controversies, refereeing decisions, red cards, penalty incidents and offside calls from across the football world!This week, we're analysing some huge talking points, questioning the officials' decisions, and asking the question every football fan wants answered: Did the referee and VAR get it right?🔴 ISSA DIOP ESCAPES A RED CARD! IPSWICH TOWN vs NOTTINGHAM FORESTThe biggest talking point of the week! Ipswich Town defender Issa Diop received just a yellow card after fouling James McAtee during a 1–1 draw with Nottingham Forest. But should Diop have been sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO)?Was the referee correct to show yellow, or was this a major refereeing error? We examine the incident and debate whether VAR should have intervened.🔵 SHOULD CHELSEA HAVE BEEN DOWN TO NINE MEN AGAINST TOTTENHAM?Cole Palmer found himself at the centre of controversy during Chelsea's clash with Tottenham. Palmer received a yellow card in the 71st minute following a clash with Mateus Fernandes, with questions raised over whether the incident warranted a red card.Then, in the 80th minute, Palmer was sent off following a late challenge involving Conor Gallagher.Should Palmer have seen red for the earlier incident? Did the referee miss a potential sending-off offence? And could Chelsea have been reduced to nine men? We break down both incidents and examine the decisions.🔵 RANGERS vs ST JOHNSTONE: VAR RED CARD DRAMA!St Johnstone's Kai Fotheringham was shown a red card following a VAR review after his studs collided with Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin's leg.Was the dismissal the correct decision? Did the referee make the right call after reviewing the incident, or was the punishment too harsh? We discuss the challenge and the role VAR played in the sending-off.🟠 DUNDEE UNITED'S DISALLOWED GOAL: DID VAR GET IT WRONG?Dundee United beat Aberdeen 3–2 at Tannadice, but Zac Sapsford's controversial goal being ruled out for offside sparked plenty of debate.Following a VAR review, teammate Daniel Bennie was judged to have interfered with play from an offside position. The decision drew criticism, with questions raised over whether the intervention was justified.Was this the correct application of the offside law? Did Bennie genuinely interfere with an opponent, or was this another example of VAR getting involved when it shouldn't?We examine the decision and discuss why this controversial offside call has left so many fans confused.🌧️ WATERLOGGED PITCHES, POSTPONEMENTS & FOOTBALL COMEDY!It's been a nightmare for football across the country, with numerous matches postponed because of waterlogged pitches.But while some games were called off, others went ahead in conditions that made football almost impossible! With the ball landing in puddles and struggling to travel any distance, some matches provided extraordinary scenes.And who benefited from the boggy conditions? Partick Thistle, who thrashed Stenhousemuir 3–0 on a waterlogged Firhill pitch!Should these matches have been played, or should player safety and the quality of the game come first?💬 JOIN THE DEBATE!We want to hear YOUR verdict! Drop your opinions in the comments below!👍 Make sure to LIKE the video, SUBSCRIBE to So Near, Yet So VAR, and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode!👉 Follow the show, find our socials, and watch video clips here: https://linktr.ee/SoNearYetSoVAR#VAR #Football #Referee #PremierLeague #IpswichTown #NottinghamForest #Chelsea #Tottenham #RangersFC #DundeeUnited #ScottishFootball #RedCard #FootballControversy #VARControversy #SoNearYetSoVAR

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No corporate FA filters. No dodging the hard questions. Every single week, we are giving you a direct, honest breakdown of the biggest refereeing and VAR decisions across English and Scottish football inside 30 minutes. Episodes drop Sunday evenings at 2200.

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