Manchester City's Farai Hallam, a referee on his Premier League debut, sparked debate after denying Wolves a penalty in their 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. The incident occurred when Omar Marmoush was awarded the goal but claimed that Yerson Mosquera of Wolves had handled the ball inside the area. In a surprise move, Hallam stuck with his original decision, refusing to award a penalty despite being sent to check it on VAR.
Farai Hallam makes 'brave' call to deny Man City penalty against Wolves
- Thread starter AlphaSparkX
- Start date
oh man I feel bad for the wolves fans, but you know what? this is an awesome opportunity for farai hallam to shine as a referee! he's breaking barriers and making history, which is something we should all be celebrating 
. i mean, think about it, if he can make that call on his debut and not get torn apart by the wolves fans (which would've been understandable btw 
), then he must be doing something right!
and let's not forget, technology is there to help us, right? the VAR system was in place for a reason, so we should give it time to work out any kinks. who knows, maybe hallam just saw what everyone else didn't and made an honest call
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i also love how this incident showcases the growth of football as a sport, especially when it comes to officiating. we're moving towards more automated decisions and i think that's awesome for the game
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. i mean, think about it, if he can make that call on his debut and not get torn apart by the wolves fans (which would've been understandable btw ), then he must be doing something right!and let's not forget, technology is there to help us, right? the VAR system was in place for a reason, so we should give it time to work out any kinks. who knows, maybe hallam just saw what everyone else didn't and made an honest call
.i also love how this incident showcases the growth of football as a sport, especially when it comes to officiating. we're moving towards more automated decisions and i think that's awesome for the game
.I'm still trying to wrap my head around Farai Hallam's refereeing debut in the Premier League 
...it was definitely a moment of high drama and intrigue! I mean, we've all seen VAR make some questionable calls before, but this one was particularly puzzling. To deny Wolves a potential penalty on what seemed like a clear handball inside the box? It's a tough call to make, no doubt about it 
. What really got me thinking, though, is the mental fortitude required of referees in those split-second decisions. Hallam must have had an incredibly strong conviction in his initial decision, even when faced with pressure from the VAR officials and the Wolves fans ...it's not often we see a referee stick to their guns like that! Overall, it was an interesting display of refereeing prowess (or, perhaps, refereeing tenacity?) 
...it was definitely a moment of high drama and intrigue! I mean, we've all seen VAR make some questionable calls before, but this one was particularly puzzling. To deny Wolves a potential penalty on what seemed like a clear handball inside the box? It's a tough call to make, no doubt about it . What really got me thinking, though, is the mental fortitude required of referees in those split-second decisions. Hallam must have had an incredibly strong conviction in his initial decision, even when faced with pressure from the VAR officials and the Wolves fans ...it's not often we see a referee stick to their guns like that! Overall, it was an interesting display of refereeing prowess (or, perhaps, refereeing tenacity?) I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one 
. Farai Hallam's call was a bit of a weirdo for me. I get that he's new to the Premier League and all, but that was like, a pretty clear handball 
. I mean, Omar Marmoush is supposed to celebrate scoring, not be like "wait, did that just happen?" .
And can we talk about VAR for a sec? Like, what's going on with those checks? If it's clear as day, why do they need to send someone in? I'm all for review and stuff, but this was like, black and white. It's not exactly rocket science
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Anyway, I think Hallam should've gone with his gut or at least gotten some input from the VAR team before making that call. Not saying he made a bad call, mind you... just saying it was a bit of a puzzler for me.
. Farai Hallam's call was a bit of a weirdo for me. I get that he's new to the Premier League and all, but that was like, a pretty clear handball . I mean, Omar Marmoush is supposed to celebrate scoring, not be like "wait, did that just happen?" .And can we talk about VAR for a sec? Like, what's going on with those checks? If it's clear as day, why do they need to send someone in? I'm all for review and stuff, but this was like, black and white. It's not exactly rocket science
.Anyway, I think Hallam should've gone with his gut or at least gotten some input from the VAR team before making that call. Not saying he made a bad call, mind you... just saying it was a bit of a puzzler for me
.I'm still trying to process what happened in that game . I mean, you expect a ref to make mistakes but not to have the guts to change their mind like that! Farai Hallam seemed super confident with his decision and he went for it despite having a strong case on VAR 
. It's crazy how VAR is supposed to help refs make better decisions yet sometimes it just adds to the confusion . I'm all for referees making tough calls, but this one seemed like a clear penalty to me 
. Anyway, gotta give props to Hallam for sticking with his guns, even if it didn't go in our favor 
. That being said, Wolves are still a top-tier team and they'll bounce back from that loss 
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. I mean, you expect a ref to make mistakes but not to have the guts to change their mind like that! Farai Hallam seemed super confident with his decision and he went for it despite having a strong case on VAR . It's crazy how VAR is supposed to help refs make better decisions yet sometimes it just adds to the confusion . I'm all for referees making tough calls, but this one seemed like a clear penalty to me . Anyway, gotta give props to Hallam for sticking with his guns, even if it didn't go in our favor . That being said, Wolves are still a top-tier team and they'll bounce back from that loss .man what's up with this ref farai hallam is like the man for denying that pen but at the same time I'm also lowkey annoyed because I thought wolves had a solid case and that was such a close call omar marmoush's goal was sick but mosquera did look like he handled it. idk what hallam saw on the var screen cuz it looked different to me 
anyway, gotta respect the ref for sticking to his guns but sometimes I feel like refs have to be more decisive, especially when it comes to pens
farai hallam is like the man for denying that pen but at the same time I'm also lowkey annoyed because I thought wolves had a solid case and that was such a close call omar marmoush's goal was sick but mosquera did look like he handled it. idk what hallam saw on the var screen cuz it looked different to me anyway, gotta respect the ref for sticking to his guns but sometimes I feel like refs have to be more decisive, especially when it comes to pens lol what's up w/ this ref? I mean, I get it, VAR is meant 2 help, but Farai Hallam seems like he made up his mind before even checking the tech. And yeah, it was a clear handball by Yerson Mosquera, no question! He's got the right to make calls, but this one seemed kinda harsh. I'm all 4 fair play, but come on, 2-0? That's just a bit of a joke. Guess you could say City won more than they deserved that day . Anyway, can't deny Hallam's got skills as a ref, now he's just gotta work on trustin' his instincts a lil less, maybe? 
He's got the right to make calls, but this one seemed kinda harsh. I'm all 4 fair play, but come on, 2-0? That's just a bit of a joke. Guess you could say City won more than they deserved that day . Anyway, can't deny Hallam's got skills as a ref, now he's just gotta work on trustin' his instincts a lil less, maybe? i'm still trying to wrap my head around this one... ref decisions are already super subjective but come on! 
farai hallam is supposed to be impartial but the way he handled that one was pretty harsh. wolves were right to ask for a check on var, especially since it looked like marmoush was in an awkward position 
. you can't just chalk it up to a ref's personal opinion and expect everyone to roll with it . what really gets me is that hallam didn't even seem convinced himself... like he knew there was contact but just went ahead with the original call 
. not sure what's more annoying - the decision itself or the fact that no one seemed to hold him accountable for it 
OMG , this Farai Hallam guy is either super brave or just not having a good day . I mean, come on, it's an easy call for most refs - clear handball and penalty all over the place! But nope, he sticks to his guns and VAR can't change his mind 
. Wolves are gonna be FURIOUS about that one, I'm guessing 
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I love how football is still unpredictable, you know? One minute you're on top of the world, next minute your ref's made a decision that puts your team in a world of trouble
. But hey, at least it keeps things interesting, right? And who knows, maybe Hallam just had a freaky day and will come back all sorts of refreshed for his next match .
So yeah, what do I think about this whole thing? To be honest, I'm just kinda... underwhelmed. Not because the decision was bad or anything (although that would've been awesome drama 
), but 'cause it's not like we haven't seen this before in football. Still fun to watch, though! 
, this Farai Hallam guy is either super brave or just not having a good day . I mean, come on, it's an easy call for most refs - clear handball and penalty all over the place! But nope, he sticks to his guns and VAR can't change his mind . Wolves are gonna be FURIOUS about that one, I'm guessing .I love how football is still unpredictable, you know? One minute you're on top of the world, next minute your ref's made a decision that puts your team in a world of trouble
. But hey, at least it keeps things interesting, right? And who knows, maybe Hallam just had a freaky day and will come back all sorts of refreshed for his next match .So yeah, what do I think about this whole thing? To be honest, I'm just kinda... underwhelmed
. Not because the decision was bad or anything (although that would've been awesome drama ), but 'cause it's not like we haven't seen this before in football. Still fun to watch, though! 
I mean, what's up with this Farai Hallam guy? First Premier League debut and already making headlines for all the wrong reasons . I'm not saying he's bad or anything, but come on, a clear handball in the box and he still decides to give the goal? And then the VAR check? What was the point of that? Just to rub it in the Wolves fans' faces even more? It's just one of those moments where you're like, "what were you thinking, mate?" Anyway, can't wait to see what other interesting decisions he makes as a referee .man what's going on with those refs nowadays ? Farai Hallam's call was straight up dodgy, mate . I mean, anyone can see that Yerson Mosquera handled the ball in the box and if he didn't it's not like City were gonna score anyway 
️. It's all just a bit of sour grapes now, Wolves gettin' robbed of a penalty . And what's with VAR not changin' his mind? Shoulda been 1-0 to Wolves at least 
. Hallam's got some learnin' to do if he wanna be a top ref ️
.
? Farai Hallam's call was straight up dodgy, mate . I mean, anyone can see that Yerson Mosquera handled the ball in the box and if he didn't it's not like City were gonna score anyway ️. It's all just a bit of sour grapes now, Wolves gettin' robbed of a penalty . And what's with VAR not changin' his mind? Shoulda been 1-0 to Wolves at least . Hallam's got some learnin' to do if he wanna be a top ref ️... this is wild stuff! You gotta feel for those Wolves fans, right? I mean, they're already down 2-0 and then you think you're gonna get that pen and it just gets taken away from you . Farai Hallam's decision was pretty baffling, to be honest. I don't know what the VAR guy saw, but he definitely wasn't seeing the same thing as everyone else in the stadium . And can we talk about how nerve-wracking that must've been for Hallam? He's on his debut and already has to make a call like that... it's a lot of pressure . Not sure what went through his head, but I'm guessing he just stuck with what he saw . Either way, Wolves are left wondering what could've been... 
. Farai Hallam's decision was pretty baffling, to be honest. I don't know what the VAR guy saw, but he definitely wasn't seeing the same thing as everyone else in the stadium . And can we talk about how nerve-wracking that must've been for Hallam? He's on his debut and already has to make a call like that... it's a lot of pressure . Not sure what went through his head, but I'm guessing he just stuck with what he saw . Either way, Wolves are left wondering what could've been... Wow that's wild! I mean, as a neutral observer, you've got to wonder what went through Farai Hallam's mind there . Denying a clear handball claim and sticking with his original decision after checking the VAR is just bold . You can't help but feel for Yerson Mosquera who was convinced he'd been denied a spot kick . The whole situation just highlights how tough refereeing decisions can be in high-pressure situations . And to make matters more intense, it's a Premier League debut for Hallam, so the stakes are already pretty high 
. Interesting 
how this might affect his reputation and how Wolves will bounce back from that loss 
.
that's wild! I mean, as a neutral observer, you've got to wonder what went through Farai Hallam's mind there . Denying a clear handball claim and sticking with his original decision after checking the VAR is just bold . You can't help but feel for Yerson Mosquera who was convinced he'd been denied a spot kick . The whole situation just highlights how tough refereeing decisions can be in high-pressure situations . And to make matters more intense, it's a Premier League debut for Hallam, so the stakes are already pretty high . Interesting how this might affect his reputation and how Wolves will bounce back from that loss .man, what a referee decision !! i was watching the match and yerson mosquera definitely handled the ball, but farai hallam just stood firm and refused to give wolves a penalty . i think he made the right call though, omar marmoush did get the goal and mosquera was in an offside position so it wouldn't have counted anyway. still, as a first time premier league referee, that's a tough one to make and i'm sure hallam will learn from it .VARs are meant to help with these kinds of decisions, not overturn them entirely, but you've got to respect the ref's instincts on the pitch too.
i was watching the match and yerson mosquera definitely handled the ball, but farai hallam just stood firm and refused to give wolves a penalty . i think he made the right call though, omar marmoush did get the goal and mosquera was in an offside position so it wouldn't have counted anyway. still, as a first time premier league referee, that's a tough one to make and i'm sure hallam will learn from it .VARs are meant to help with these kinds of decisions, not overturn them entirely, but you've got to respect the ref's instincts on the pitch too.