World Cup 2026: Three red cards – are referees getting tougher?

In the year In 2017 Pierluigi Collina was appointed as FIFA’s new head of referees and this time is very different.

Colina often considers how decisions serve as justice – for both groups.

Players must stay on the field unless they have done something to deserve a red card.

For example, under his stewardship the rule on denying goalscoring opportunities (dogsoe) was greatly relaxed. It is very difficult to get a red card now.

So it is no surprise that he has seen four red cards since taking over the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Refereeing often seems to set the tone when the competition starts. Should we draw any conclusions from this match?

In it Pre-race briefingThe Italian was focused on the waste of time and the general behavior of the players.

There was no talk of strong stands, which would result in a huge increase in red cards.

Sometimes red cards are easily justified. Well, most of them anyway.

It was an easy decision for referee Wilton Sampaio to send off Citol Brian Gutierrez for fouling.

The Mexican attacking midfielder is out on goal. Sithole may not have intended to take him down, but he did. There is no doubt that the South African denied his opponent a clear scoring chance.

The second dismissal was more controversial, given to Zwane for violent behavior on video assistant referee review.

Zwane collides with Roberto Alvarado, the Mexican falls to the ground holding his head.

It looked like he was off the ball, but the referee, Colombian Nicolas Gallo, was called on by Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

As Sampaio watched the replays on the monitor, it was hard to tell what had happened.

Was it really a hand to the head? And if so, is it a coincidence or did he swing his arm?

When reviewing offensive actions, VARs are told to look for a stuck fist as a sign of an attack. This should not be present, but it is an indication.

Zwane appeared to connect with an open hand to the side of Alvarado’s head instead of a closed hand.

It seems exceptionally harsh, and not as clear and transparent a decision as VAR has been promoting.

Or maybe this is exactly what Colina told the referees and VARs that fell into the category of poor player behaviour.

Colina brought red cards to players covering their mouths in clashes and players who were sent off by decision. It also requires restricted goals on set-pieces.

Perhaps Zwane’s actions fall into this category, which is Colina’s way of trying to minimize the dark arts in the game.