Red Cards Research Articles

Does the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) mitigate referee bias on professional football?

The purpose of the paper is to check whether the introduction of the VAR system mitigated the referee bias against away teams. The dataset comprises 2279 matches played in the first tier of the Brazilian League from 2016 to 2021. We analyze 6 seasons of the first tier of the Brazilian domestic football league- 3 seasons before and 3 seasons after the introduction of the VAR technology. Potential bias is viewed through the lens of yellow cards, red cards and number of penalties awarded for both home and away clubs. A paired t-test is used to reveal potential statistical differences between pre-VAR and post-VAR periods, followed by Ordinary Least Squares regressions to inspect whether certain referee' categories have changed their behavior after the implementation of this technology. Our empirical findings offer evidence that the referee bias is diminished, but still present.

Evaluation of The Effect of The VAR System on The Matches Played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Women's EURO 2022

Football is one of the most important sports branches in the world that people adopt and show interest in. It has also become an indispensable tool for countries to emphasise their unique cultures and to promote themselves. Based on these points, in football, which has become an industry and a source of commercial income with the passing of time, it has been important to follow the competitions meticulously, to examine every detail, and to minimise the errors to the minimum level. Especially in big organisations, this situation is more prominent. In this regard, the video assistant referee system, which is a product of teamwork, has been developed through digital platforms to assist and support the referee during the match. The aim of this study is to reveal the effect of the VAR system on the matches played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Women's EURO 2022. In the study, 64 matches played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 31 matches played in the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 and 95 matches in total were analysed. VAR decisions in the tournaments were evaluated separately on 11 parameters (accuracy of the goal awarded, accuracy of the goal not awarded, goal cancellation, goal awarded, accuracy of the penalty awarded, accuracy of the penalty not awarded, penalty cancellation, penalty awarded, red card awarded, red card cancelled and other). The data were analysed in SPSS 25.0 package program and descriptive statistics, percentage and frequency values were used in the analysis. According to the results obtained, it was determined that VAR had a direct effect on the 2022 World Cup only in some of the group matches; in the UEFA Women's EURO 2022, in some group matches and in the France Netherlands quarter-final match. As a result, it can be said that although the VAR system faced some reactions when it was first used, it contributed to the accuracy and reliability of the decisions made in the match and the tournament or league was shaped in line with the results that the teams deserved.

Ignorance of Local Needs in Construction of New Houses of the Earthquake Hit Dalit Community in Central Nepal

This article asserts ignorance of local knowledge system, need, social, and cultural settings in construction of earthquake resilient houses in Dalit community. Dalit communities are considered as economically backward ethnic caste group in Nepal. The article is based on the field study carried out in Dhading district of Bagmati Province. The guiding theoretical framework of the study is the anthropology of disaster focusing on resilience through holistic approach to reveal undermining of local contexts in reconstruction of private houses. The methodological approach consists of qualitative research tools supplemented by household census.
 As part of earthquake resilient house construction, the government of Nepal provided cash grant support to the families with severely damaged houses. Such families identified as red card holders. Findings of the study clearly reveal that the cash support is not enough to address the local social and cultural needs of Dalits in construction of houses. There is heterogeneity in Dalit communities in terms of social cultural bonding, social relations, and economic status. The cash support in the lump sum basis under the blanket policy approach regardless of household income, family background, and economic status hardly address the local contexts. Most importantly, the construction process highly concentrated on building of house structures in the prescribed standards of the government focusing on technical engineering rather than accommodation of local settings and needs.

X as a proxy for tackle safety culture? Sentiment analysis of social media posts on red-carded and yellow-carded tackles during the 2019 Rugby World Cup

ObjectivesThis study analysed the overall sentiment of attitudes, opinions, views and emotions expressed in posts on X related to red-carded and yellow-carded tackles during the 2019 Rugby World Cup (RWC).MethodsSentiment...

Video Assistant Referee in soccer: A Scoping Review

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is a technology that is changing the behavior of referees, players, managers, and fans in soccer. This scoping review mapped the studies on the use of VAR in soccer. An electronic database searching was performed in November 2020 using Medline/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies that analyzed field referees or video assistants and addressed professional field soccer were eligible. Studies’ characteristics were extracted and summarized. An initial search found 346 potentially relevant titles; six of them followed all eligibility criteria, providing information on VAR in high-performance men’s soccer competitions held in 18 countries. There was a multiplicity of variables analyzed in the primary studies, mainly quantitative approaches of the VAR effects on game parameters, as follows: Decision-making process (n=4), game time (n=3); goals (n=5); offside (n=4); yellow and red card application (n=3); fouls (n=2); penalties (n=3); and VAR incidents (n=2). In general, primary studies have indicated that VAR can significantly enhance the accuracy of referees' decision-making, as well as having had a positive influence on the game's outcome. However, some negative aspects have been observed, such as a reduction in effective playing time and limited training for referees. Studies on VAR in soccer are still in their initial stages, and research priorities were highlighted to help future research and practice on VAR in soccer. Keywords: Sport, Soccer, Football, Decision Making, "Video-Assisted Techniques and Procedures"

Predictors of Change in the Anemia Status Among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients Following Anti-tuberculosis Treatment in Puducherry, India.

Background Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is commonly associated with reversible peripheral blood abnormalities. The evolution of tuberculosis (TB)-associated anemia with anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) has not been well elucidated. This study aimed to compare the hematological profiles at the start and end of the ATT among new sputum smear-positive (NSP) PTB patients in Puducherry, India. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in the 10 urban primary health centers of Puducherry from 2017 to 2020. All the NSP PTB participants aged ≥18 years registered under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) were contacted within two weeks of the start of the ATT. All eligible participants were enrolled, and they were followed up till the end of ATT (180 days). Hematological profiles and anthropometric measurements were compared at the start and end of the ATT. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictors of changes in the anemia status at the start and end of the ATT. Results Out of 176 NSP PTB participants, 145 were followed up after treatment. Initially, 63% (111/176) patients had anemia, which decreased to 44% (64/145) by the end of treatment. The risk factors for a negative change in hemoglobin levels were female gender, below poverty level, underweight, and reduced iron intake. The adjusted risk ratios (ARRs) were 1.53 (1.24-1.88), 1.18 (1.01-1.38), 1.29 (1.02-1.64), and 1.26 (1.05-1.51),respectively. Conclusion ATT may lead to the resolution of TB-associated anemia. Moreover, female gender, possession of a red ration card, being underweight, and reduced iron intake were identified as risk factors for negative changes in hemoglobin levels during treatment.

Celebrating goals and surrounding the referee – adapting interaction on the pitch in times of social distancing in the English Premier League

ABSTRACT There is a growing research interest in the effects of social distancing measures introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on social interaction, interpersonal relationships, and personal wellbeing. In the soccer arena, too, players, referees, managers, and fans are subject to social distancing measures when engaging in joint activities in times of the pandemic. This paper examines to what extent agents on the soccer pitch have adapted joint communicative acts such as goal celebrations and surrounding the referee as part of social distancing measures. It does so by focusing particularly on interactions between player-player (goal celebrations) and player-referee (issuing of yellow/red cards) in broadcasted Premier League games pre- and post-lockdown during the 2019/20 season by examining and comparing two datasets: games in the last round before the three-month lockdown break (round 29, 10 games, 7–9 March 2020) and the games in the first round after the restart of season 2019/20 with the implemented social distancing rules as prescribed by the Premier League’s Season 2019/20Restart Guide (round 30, 10 games, 19–22 June 2020). Based on an exploratory, qualitative multimodal analysis of a total of 43 goal celebrations and the issuing of 66 yellow cards and one red card in the two datasets, we highlight varying realizations of similar joint communicative acts, thereby demonstrating how agents on the pitch adapt their interaction to social distancing rules. The results show players’ occasional hesitation to gather closely with other players to celebrate a goal and their deviation to more common practices of engaging with others during times of COVID-19, for example fist bumps. Adaptation of interaction can also be observed with regard to player-referee interactions following a booking, most notably concerning surrounding the referee in contested decisions: While players still move towards the referee seemingly crowding the referee, there is, in some scenes, a visible restraint by players to ensure enough distancing between the players and the referee.

Influence of physical fitness on decision-making of soccer referees throughout the match

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between physical fitness and physical performance in competition and the decision-making (successes and errors). A sample of 22 male national-level soccer referees (weight: 72.7 kg; height: 178.0 cm; age: 23.4 years) participated in this study. Physical fitness was assessed through 6 series of 40 m (velocity) and Yo-yo (aerobic) test in annual exam by Soccer Committee, physical performance was performed through the total distance covered in competition (Experiment 1), and decision-making was registered through a simulated Video Assistant Referee system (VAR) with the consensus of 2 national referees evaluating only warnings (yellow cards), expulsions (red cards), established penalties and obvious goal actions (called and no called) (Experiments 2 and 3). Results showed that physical fitness test was related with total distance (rho = 0.63, p < .01) and success rate percentage (rho = 0.74, p < .05) registered during competition. The success rate percentage, in the first half, was observed 44% successes, and in the second half, 59% successes. The number of events called was related with the physical fitness test score (R2 = 0.71, p = .035; R2 = 0.64, p = .056, respectively). As conclusion, the main finding of this study has provided insight into decision-making behavior in real competitive matches and the physical fitness was the predictor of the successful decision-making being able to determine the permanency, promotion or decrease of category.

Identifying serious bacterial illness in children: is it time to show the red card to NICE's red flags?

Identifying serious bacterial illness in children: is it time to show the red card to NICE's red flags?

Paradoxical effects of feeding status on food consumption and learning performance in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Associative learning is often studied using food reward as the unconditioned stimulus (US). With warm-blooded species, to get the subject more motivated the solution has been to feed less, making the subject hungrier. Here we show the opposite with zebrafish. We randomly assigned zebrafish to two groups: a once-a-day-fed and a five-times-a-day-fed group, with the same amount of food fed per occasion for fish of both groups, a feeding regimen that lasted for three months. Subsequently, we trained fish by pairing food (US) with a red cue card (the conditioned stimulus, CS), which were placed together in one arm of a plus-maze across eight training sessions. We also ran unpaired training, in which the CS and US were presented in different arms. We found the previously once-a-day-fed zebrafish to consume less food throughout habituation and training sessions compared to the previously five-times-a-day-fed ones. Furthermore, five-times-a-day-fed fish in the paired group swam significantly closer to the CS during a post-training probe trial compared to the five-times-a-day-fed unpaired fish, a paired training effect that was absent in once-a-day-fed fish. Groups did not differ in health or general activity. In sum, elevated chronic feeding improved food consumption and enhanced learning and memory performance without affecting activity levels in adult zebrafish.

Cause-Effect: The Relationship between Role and Experience with Psychological and Physical Responses in the Competition Context in Soccer Referees.

This study analyzed the effects of psychological responses (impulsivity, self-esteem, self-confidence, and anxiety) in baseline and pre-competitive contexts of national soccer referees (SRs), their control of the game (yellow and red cards), and physical performance (PP) according to the role (assistant or main referee), and experience in the category. Twenty-seven national SRs from Spain participated in this study. Baseline and pre-competitive psychological data were collected through the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2 test), Urgency, Premeditation (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency, Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P test), and Rosenberg tests. Furthermore, WIMU PRO™ inertial devices were used to monitor PP. The results indicated that a lack of perseverance and self-esteem were higher in the main SRs and somatic anxiety in assistant SRs. Experience of SRs was related to anxiety, self-confidence, self-esteem, impulsivity dimensions, and PP metrics (p < 0.05). Finally, red cards were related to positive and negative urgency (r = 0.38 and r = 0.35, p < 0.05, respectively). In conclusion, the main SRs and SRs with more experience had better psychological characteristics and PP in a competitive context. However, yellow and red cards were not associated with these factors, although red cards were related with urgency. Based on these data, specific training programs could be incorporated to enhance emotional control in SRs with less experience to achieve greater performance and professional development.

The Use of Green, Yellow and Red Question Cards Strategy to Improve Students’ Reading Ability at the Second Grade Students of SMK National Makassar

The Use of Green, Yellow and Red Question Cards Strategy to Improve Students’ Reading Ability at the Second Grade Students of SMK National Makassar

How the 12th Man Influences Football Matches: The Role of Fans and Referees in Home Advantage Phenomenon.

Home advantage and referee bias are two sport factors that have been widely studied in the football (i.e., soccer) context. However, the mediating effect of spectators on these factors is not well understood, especially in the Turkish Super League. We examined (a) how variables of home advantage, referee bias, and spectator presence interacted to affect the outcome of past football matches; (b) how these variables have changed over time in the Turkish Super League; (c) and whether home advantage and referee bias differ in matches with spectators and ghost matches (without spectators). We analyzed regular season matches played in the Turkish Super League between the 2014-2015 and 2021-2022 seasons. We found that home teams had a significant advantage over away teams in matches with spectators (p < .001) and in ghost matches (p < .05 and p < .001), with small to medium effect sizes (d = .09 and .34, respectively). Regarding referee bias, away teams received more yellow cards and fewer penalties than home teams in matches with spectators (p < .001; d = -.10), and away teams received fewer yellow cards than home teams in ghost matches (p > .05; d = .05). There was no statistically significant difference between home and away teams on number of red cards in either type of match (p > .05). Thus, our data reveal that home teams have an edge over away teams with and without spectators, but this advantage is reduced during ghost matches (without spectators). We also revealed weak evidence of referee bias in favor of home teams, but only for some variables and only when spectators were present.

Influence of Game Indicators on the Ranking of Teams in the Spanish Soccer League

Soccer is dominated by game indicators that can influence the performance of teams and their players. Therefore, this study analyzed the influence of game indicators on the partial and final ranking of Spanish LaLiga teams, independently for the pre-COVID-19, COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 periods. In addition, the statistical differences between the pandemic periods were identified. A total of 2660 Spanish LaLiga matches played over seven seasons (from the 2014–2015 to the 2020–2021 season) were analyzed. The game indicators analyzed were the yellow cards, red cards, ball possession, total shots, shots on goal, shots off goal, free kicks, corners, offsides, goalkeeper saves, fouls committed, attacks, dangerous attacks, total passes, and tackles. Data were collected from the official Spanish LaLiga website, and recorded on a post hoc observation sheet. The intra-observer concordance was almost perfect (Cohen’s kappa values &gt; 0.83). In each pandemic period, the findings indicated that the statistically significant game indicators had a greater influence on the final ranking, with an intermediate and large effect (η2 ≥ 0.060), than on the partial ranking (little or no effect). In this regard, the LaLiga teams ranked in a European competition position (final ranking) reported a higher ball possession (p &lt; 0.001) and total passes (p &lt; 0.001). A higher ball possession allowed them to take more shots (offensive actions), and therefore to have a better chance of winning. Similarly, these game indicators were higher post-COVID-19, compared to pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19. This is interesting information for the preparation and management of matches.

Variables associated with the performance of a male European professional rugby team. Analysis of the regular season

The main objective of this study was to identify the relationship between performance parameters and the probability that a team will win or lose during regular season games. A retrospective observational study of a professional rugby team with thirty players and sixteen regular season games was conducted. Analyzes included the following metrics: open play carries, winline success, gainline failure, good pass, average pass, bad pass, good kick, average kick, bad kick, effective ruck, ruck ineffective, dominant tackle, neutral tackle, passive tackle, assisted tackle, missed tackle, defender in position, good offload, kick fielded, kick fielded unsuccessful, loose ball, interception, turnover made, line break, yellow card , red card, penalty awarded, try scored, injury, player out, player on, successful kick at goal, missed kick at goal, lineout, lineout won, scrum, scrum won, return to play, ruck speed and tackle completion. No single parameter could be directly related to profit or loss. However, four parameters when pooled could be associated with winning during the analyzed season (r = 0.897, r2 = 0.805, adjusted r = 0.635, p &lt; 0.05): win-line success (p &lt; 0.002), effective ruck (p&lt;0.009), dominant tackle (p&lt;0.018) and assisted tackle (p&lt;0.029). In this specific context, coaches and professionals should pay more attention to these specific actions to improve team performance. Keywords: performance, breakdown, gain, ruck, tackle

A Study of Home Audiences Affects the Team’s Performance

Home field advantage and referee bias are common in football matches, and many relevant studies suggest that audience is an important factor affecting these two phenomena. This paper selects Arsenal's first eight rounds of premier League matches in their home field in 2020-2021 as the research object, and uses mathematical statistics method to analyze the influence of live audience on the home advantage of Premier League matches by taking the audience as the dependent variable and the four indicators of home advantage (points, goals, shooting, red card and yellow card, foul times and possession rate) as the independent variable. The results show that the home court advantage of games without spectators is lower than that of games with spectators. In the games without spectators, there was no significant difference between home and away games in the five indicators reflecting the sum of home advantage. Therefore, the loss of audience reduces home field advantage.

Du carton rouge au but en or : retour sur l’histoire des « Ladies » du ballon rond (1894-2022)

Largement soutenu par la mise en place de politiques volontaristes, le football des femmes gagne en reconnaissance dans de nombreux pays européens. En Angleterre, tout particulièrement. Il faut dire que ce pays affiche un taux de féminisation (24,6 %) qui reste largement supérieur à d’autres nations. Comment peut-on expliquer cet écart ? En ayant recours à la socio-histoire et à la comparaison, nous mettons en évidence dans cet article les freins et les leviers ayant joué un rôle sur le processus historique d’institutionnalisation du football des ladies. Analysé sous cet angle, l’avènement contemporain de la pratique renvoie finalement aux mécanismes d’un global game, dont le développement international aujourd’hui interroge.

The influence of technical performance indicators on the results of the Chinese Football Super League at different stages of the season-based on evidence from the 2010–2019 seasons

This study explored the different influences of technical indicators on match results in different stages of football league play. Sample data from 2400 Chinese Super League matches during 2010–2019 were divided into three season stages according to round sequence: the early stage (1–10 rounds), the middle stage (11–20 rounds), and the late stage (21–30 rounds). A two-way, fixed-effect ordered logit model was then constructed and used, together with Fisher’s combination test, to compare regression results. The study results showed that: (1) when controlling for other variables, as the league progresses, an increase in goals will gradually increase the possibility of better match results, and this increase shows significant differences between the early and late stages ( p &lt; 0.05). The possibility of better match results by an extra goal is 0.075 times higher in the late stage than the early stage. (2) While maintaining all control variables, as the season progresses, the increase in red card penalties will gradually multiply the probability of worse match outcomes, and this increase is also significantly different between the early and middle stages and between the early and late stages ( p &lt; 0.05). The possibility of worse match outcomes due to the presence of an extra red card is 0.377 times higher in the middle stage and 0.476 times higher in the late stage than the early stage.

THE NEXUS BETWEEN URBANIZATION, LIVESTOCK, AND DEFORESTATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: EVIDENCE FROM PMG AND PANEL-CAUSALITY

Southeast Asia is one of the regions that has received a red report card related to forest management. This article intends to investigate the relationship between urbanization, livestock, and deforestation in Southeast Asia, as well as elaborate on STRIPAT's concept. This study uses panel data of 9 countries and 28 periods, obtained from the statistical publication of WDI, World Bank. This article applies the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimation and performs unit root, co-integration, and causality tests. The estimation results show that urbanization, GDP per capita, and livestock positively and significantly impact deforestation. The increase in the level of urbanization, GDP per capita, and livestock production will be followed by a decrease in forest cover area. In contrast, population density is not the driver of deforestation. In addition, this paper confirms bidirectional causality between urbanization and deforestation rates, as well as a unidirectional causality from income per capita to deforestation and from population density to deforestation. National development plans, urban development, and livestock expansion must be integrated with forest management to reduce deforestation rates

In Hoc Signo Vinces—an Exploratory Study on the Impact of Religion on Violence in Sport

Does religion continue to spur violence even in contemporary times? This work aims to shed some light on the relationship between belonging to a given religion and violent behavior. Whereas religions often preach love and caring for others (meaning that among believers, a decrease in the level of violence may be registered), at the same time, it could be argued that a religious sense of belonging shapes self-identity and that in challenging situations this increases violence, especially towards foreigners. To test this hypothesis, we gathered data about yellow and red cards from the FIFA World Cup, obtaining a dataset of quasi-experimental data on violence, which we integrated with the Religious Characteristics of States Dataset Project. Via a quantitative analysis that employs different estimators, our results show that the more Christians there are in a country, the more violent its national team will be, whereas the more Buddhists there are, the less violent the team will be. No significant relationship is found with regard to Jews or Muslims. Finally, when investigating Christian confessions, Eastern Christians appear to show the most violent behavior.