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Players lack trust in VAR

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg fears current officials will be driven away from the game because players lack trust in VAR.

The use of VAR has been a source of contention ever since it was introduced in England in 2019-20, which was after Clattenburg left the English top flight.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: "The problem you've got now is that the players now don't trust the system.

"I think sometimes referees don't make a decision on the field because they know the technology should put the decision correct.

"But then you've got the argument, is VAR putting the decisions correct most weeks? Yes, it does sometimes, sometimes it doesn't.

"So what it's doing is that it creates a tension between the players. And the players are so highly strung because it's a results-driven sport that they then vent the anger and dissent on the referee."

Ground-breaking moment

Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee in Premier League history when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley on December 23.

Welch has been an official since 2010 and became the first woman to referee a Football League match when she was appointed to the League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale in 2021.

She was also the first female to referee in the Championship and the FA Cup third round.

The 40-year-old has officiated in high-profile Women's Super League matches and also took charge of fixtures at this year's Women's World Cup.

Ballboy to goalscorer

Youngster Micah Hamilton enjoyed every moment of his Manchester City debut after scoring in their win over Crvena zvezda.

Hamilton, 20, netted after 19 minutes in the 3-2 victory in Serbia, becoming the youngest player to strike on his Champions League debut since Marcus Rashford.

After the dream goal, footage from 2017 emerged on social media of Guardiola speaking to a then 13-year-old Hamilton, who was a ballboy during a game against Crystal Palace.

Hamilton said: "The manager has given us the opportunity in training and in the game. Playing with the best players, you always improve.

"He put me on the right wing, something different for me. I'd not really played there. 

"I saw it as a challenge and I took it and I enjoyed every moment."

Turkish referee speaks

Turkish Super Lig referee Halil Umut Meler has spoken out for the first time since being punched in the face by Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca.

Meler has been released from hospital three days after suffering an eye fracture in the attack during a game against Rizespor, which sparked a mass brawl on the field.

The referee has now confirmed there is no problem with his health and that he is in contact with UEFA regarding the incident.

The 37-year-old said: "There is no problem with my health. They called me from UEFA. 

"There is no situation at the moment, everything is possible. I just want to go home and rest."

Klopp perplexed

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he has never seen the type of injury that has sidelined midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.

The Argentina international suffered a cut knee against Sheffield United earlier this month, keeping out of last Saturday's win at Crystal Palace and tonight's trip to Union Saint-Gilloise.

He is also set to be a doubt for Sunday's showdown against rivals Manchester United.

Speaking on the injury, Klopp said: "It's a bit more tricky than we thought at the first moment.

"The other boy stepped on his knee and the stud pretty much went through the muscle to the bone.

"Now, we have to wait until the bone is healed and until Macca can deal with the pain, because it is pretty painful.

"I never had this injury for one of my players before but now we have it."

All about winning

Birmingham boss Wayne Rooney admitted the result was more important than the performance after a crucial 1-0 win over Cardiff.

Juninho Bacuna's effort on the stroke of half-time earned Rooney just his second win in 10 games as Blues boss and ended a run of eight-straight away defeats. 

After the "gritty" victory, the former England captain said: "I'm delighted with the win. 

"The performance was good but after the run we've been on, it was all about winning.

"We dealt with Cardiff pretty well. Their set-piece is one of the best in the league and we struggled a bit with that, but in general I thought we limited them, especially in the second half.

"The performance was nothing special but we controlled things, showed plenty of grit and showed real composure for the goal.

"I was pleased with the desire to win. 

"The only disappointment was that we created a few chances in the second half to break but we didn't take care with the final pass. That has been a theme."