Originally Published February 11th 2024 for For Green Fields clients
We will be addressing VAR and why the PGMOL is not fit for purpose in a future Chapter in Book Two but there is one matter worthy of current discussion - the tilting of structure against integrity.
England cricket captain Ben Stokes claims Hawk-Eye "got it wrong" when Zac Crawley was given out LBW in the Second Test in India which England duly lost.
Obviously there is an element of the "whingeing Pom" to Stokes's view but there are more major points here.
First and foremost, should it not be the case that the software underpinning Hawk-Eye is externally monitored? This process needs policing as the "invisible hand" is determining ball tracking without any public disclosure of whether the software is being correctly applied.
Although, undoubtedly, there are many occasions where it is, in key matches at key times with such a small grouping of officials and such huge betting volumes (particularly in South Asia and diaspora), we believe that this is not executed with integrity.
Secondly, the Pakistan coach Mohammad Hafeez believes technology deficiencies determined the outcome of the Boxing Day Test Match in Australia.
Hafeez questioned the on-field umpiring in the game and, more importantly (as many top class international umpires have inappropriately close relationships with those that they shouldn't) highlighted the considerable manipulations regarding umpire's call on ball-tracking LBW decisions.
Hafeez: "The ball hitting the stump is always out. Why it's umpire's call, I never understand that."
And this is the core issue...
... the on-field umpire is shown to have made a mistake and yet his erroneous decision stands.
This happens very frequently in football too where the "not enough evidence to overturn the referee decision" is an arbitrary construct with no robust threshold of application.
A similar issue exists with the reverse reality where a VAR official undermines the referee without there being enough evidence to do so.
In the forthcoming VAR Chapter in Book Two, we suggest a solution to these issues allowing integrity rather than crime to determine the match outcomes.
Additionally...
In the meantime, thank goodness Qatar got three penalties in the Final of the Asia Trophy in an incredibly biased performance from Chinese referee Ma Ning.
We could go on about dark pool and underground insider trading in SE Asia but we'll save that delicacy for another menu.
Furthermore...
Allowing the points deductions and related punishments to be arbitrarily decided by mafia processes prevents ALL outsiders from trading ante-post on the outcomes of the EPL title and relegation markets.
The degree of punishment completely destroys any validity in these markets aside from the insiders who are determining how and when these arbitrary actions will be perpetrated.
A golden goose is being hung drawn and quartered by Colquhoun's operatives.
© 2024 Football is Fixed
