Björn Kuipers received widespread praise for his handling of the tournament showpiece - and rightly so. The Dutch referee undoubtedly made a positive contribution to the game, delivering a very good performance. Our final technical post follows!
We can start with the two big decisions which Kuipers had to face, and in my view, got right. The Dutchman was absolutely correct to waive away a Sterling penalty appeal at 48' (clip) - upon realising he isn't going to reach the ball, the England attacker puts his leg between defender Bouncci's, generating an apparently clear contact.
As in the 74' situation in the England vs. Denmark semifinal, this scene is not a case of "not enough", but one where awarding a penalty would simply be a clear mistake. Even the most cursory match preparation would have alerted Kuipers to this problem player, and the Dutch referee rightly gestured to play on.
Jorginho's caution at 113' is trickier (clip). UEFA made their view on such situations very clear - if the only intense, ultra-dangerous contact is on the ball only, then SFP is not an option. As Jorginho then only comes down on Grealish's leg/knee with medium intensity, I would be stunned if this situation would arrive as any more than "7" on an RAP.
Kuipers very visibly detected that this challenge was quite dangerous, but I don't think he perceived this situation instantly - I suspect that the connection may have been checked between him and VMOs before the referee reached for the yellow card.
Jorginho's caution at 113' is trickier (clip). UEFA made their view on such situations very clear - if the only intense, ultra-dangerous contact is on the ball only, then SFP is not an option. As Jorginho then only comes down on Grealish's leg/knee with medium intensity, I would be stunned if this situation would arrive as any more than "7" on an RAP.
Kuipers very visibly detected that this challenge was quite dangerous, but I don't think he perceived this situation instantly - I suspect that the connection may have been checked between him and VMOs before the referee reached for the yellow card.
To be honest, I really can't get that angry about what hypothetically would be a (blatant!) violation of the VAR protocol; it is the EURO final, after all(!).
Chiellini's foul at +96' was clearly yellow card only, the contact at 44' was definitely outside the box, and 117' not a punishable handball, to round up the other moments in this respect.
Beyond KMIs, Kuipers had a successful night in terms of managing the game too. I thought his use of sanctions was absolutely optimal - I would highlight 55' in this regard as an example of really excellent officiating.
Bonucci lost his patience and kicked through the back of Sterling; while replays showed that perhaps the kick wasn't of reckless contact, acting against this egregious move, which was contrary to fair play and fair spirited match onto then, was brilliant.
The Dutch referee perfectly balanced technical correctness with tactical value on the night (no card at 38' vs. opening booking at 47', balancing caution at 106'). The game got a bit choppy towards the end of the second half (dissent at 78', borderline challenge at 79'), but the yellow at 84' calmed everyone down again.
Foul recognition was also a strength of this performance, but perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing aspect of this performance was presence and facial expressions - on many occasions, Kuipers showed just remarkable game feeling and always seemed to strike the right tone (eg. 6', 12', 35', 38', 65', 68', 79', 105'). A real pleasure to watch!
Chiellini's foul at +96' was clearly yellow card only, the contact at 44' was definitely outside the box, and 117' not a punishable handball, to round up the other moments in this respect.
Beyond KMIs, Kuipers had a successful night in terms of managing the game too. I thought his use of sanctions was absolutely optimal - I would highlight 55' in this regard as an example of really excellent officiating.
Bonucci lost his patience and kicked through the back of Sterling; while replays showed that perhaps the kick wasn't of reckless contact, acting against this egregious move, which was contrary to fair play and fair spirited match onto then, was brilliant.
The Dutch referee perfectly balanced technical correctness with tactical value on the night (no card at 38' vs. opening booking at 47', balancing caution at 106'). The game got a bit choppy towards the end of the second half (dissent at 78', borderline challenge at 79'), but the yellow at 84' calmed everyone down again.
Foul recognition was also a strength of this performance, but perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing aspect of this performance was presence and facial expressions - on many occasions, Kuipers showed just remarkable game feeling and always seemed to strike the right tone (eg. 6', 12', 35', 38', 65', 68', 79', 105'). A real pleasure to watch!
His long-time assistant referees, Sandor van Roekel and Erwin Zeinstra also performed well, though they had a relatively limited number of offside scenes to compute. Far-sided van Roekel even afforded himself a self-deprecating smile (in the EURO final) when his flag was struck out of his hand at 47' - fair play.
Balance: Björn Kuipers should be throughly chuffed with the way that he handled the UEFA EURO 2020 final. Kuipers repaid the trust put in him to officiate the championship match with an assured, high class performance.
Balance: Björn Kuipers should be throughly chuffed with the way that he handled the UEFA EURO 2020 final. Kuipers repaid the trust put in him to officiate the championship match with an assured, high class performance.
A great end to the EURO for the match officials - well done to the whole team!
Thanks to everyone who silently read and interacted with these reports alike - I hope you found them interesting and at least a partly valuable accompaniment to the fifty-one matches of this UEFA EURO.
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