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Most controversial VAR decisions revealed ahead of Premier League
- Kurt Zouma’s cancelled strike against Manchester United was named the most controversial VAR incident.
- 30.92% of all English Premier League matches have seen a VAR intervention.
- The data also shows a 23.96% year-on-year decrease in average VAR controversy.
- The Premier League appears to be tracking UEFA’s roll out, with changes made just 0.62% more frequently in the English top flight.
- PGMOL has announced a string of new rule changes.
The Premier League is hoping a string of new rule changes can inject new life into VAR technology when the 30th Premier League season gets underway on 13th August.
From thicker offside lines to new handball rules, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has set out its stall for the 2021-2022 domestic campaign which is almost upon us.
Accidental handballs in the build-up to goals will no longer be deemed an offence, while thicker offside lines will be used in order to eliminate situations where a goal is ruled out due to a toenail being offside.
And following a string of ‘armpit offsides’ last season, FIFA has also clarified that the bottom of a players’ armpit is to be classed as part of a players’ body.
While the technology’s use in the English top-flight has courted more than its fair share of detractors, Credible or VAR-cical by William Hill, can reveal a good level of progress has already been made with average controversy dropping by 29.36% last season.
The controversy rating of an incident, of which there has been 235 in total over the last two seasons, now sits at 5.14 having been 6.76 during its turbulent debut season. That equates to a change made by VAR every 3.23 matches.
Across the 504 matches under UEFA’s jurisdiction, from February 2019 through to the 2021 Champions League Final, there were 157 changes made, or a change every 3.21 matches.
Kurt Zouma’s cancelled strike against Manchester United in February 2020, ruled out by VAR official Chris Kavanagh, is considered the most controversial VAR call in Premier League history, with a controversy score of 10.7.
William Hill’s Credible or VAR-cical analysis has been tracking Premier League VAR incidents ever since Gabriel Jesus was ruled offside by David Coote on August 10, 2019 (the first ever VAR review in EPL history – rated at 7.92).
The data shows that in total, there have been a total of 235 incidents, or interventions, logged, with reactionary metrics such as Tweet volume, sentiment, articles generated and associated levels of engagement, culminating in a bespoke controversy rating being assigned to each.
Across the last two domestic campaigns, Wolverhampton (6.91) are the club which has been embroiled in the most controversial VAR incidents. Chelsea (6.5), Liverpool (6.34), Everton (6.25), Manchester United (6.19) make up the top five.
Brentford-based official Chris Kavanagh, who was promoted to the Select Group of referees in 2017, lands himself the unenviable title of ‘most controversial video assistant referee’, averaging 6.8.
David Coote (6.67), Kevin Friend (6.59), Lee Mason (6.51) and Andre Marriner (6.35) make up the rest of the top 5.

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Podium’s Racing Data to Power Dabble’s Social-led Betting Service in the UK
Podium, a leading global provider of trusted sports content and data solutions, is working with Dabble to help bring its socially driven betting experience to UK audiences.
Dabble combines traditional betting functionality with a social media-style interface to offer the next generation of racing fans a more interactive way to connect and share. The app-based platform is integrated with Betmakers technology, with all UK horse and greyhound racing data delivered by Podium.
Ian Houghton, Commercial Director at Podium says: “At Podium, we are always excited when we see innovation in the industry, so we are delighted to play a part of Dabble’s expansion into the UK market, particularly at a time when the racing industry needs to retain a younger audience. We look forward to exploring how Podium’s services can continue to support Dabble’s global ambitions.”
The collaboration, which has been in place since the summer, marks an evolution in how racing data is used and experienced, with Podium delivering UK racing content via Betmakers technology to help power Dabble’s social platform.
Tom Rundle, CEO of Dabble, says: “Dabble’s move into the UK is a natural fit. We’re a challenger brand with an exciting product that we built ourselves from scratch. We’re already seeing that resonate with the UK audience. Yes, you can get a bet on, but essentially, we are placing ourselves as being community driven. We’re creating a richer experience at every touch point.”
The UK is Dabble’s third international market, following rapid growth after launching in its native Australia.
The post Podium’s Racing Data to Power Dabble’s Social-led Betting Service in the UK appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Football Stats Startup Challenges Multi-Million Company With Free Publication Of Blueprints
A little company from Poland does something very odd for the competitive market — and thinks that one man’s dream can ignite a revolution in how we treat amateur football.
Prawn, the fresh startup from Eastern Europe with the international team, has announced its first hardware solution for recording football matches. But it is not on the shelf of the local store and does not pop out on the web page as an annoying ad. The users can literally obtain blueprints free of charge and craft it themselves.
Such an unusual decision is aimed at challenging the market that has been ignored and omitted by the big sports tech companies for years or even decades. Amateur football is miles and generations behind the professionals in the way players can assess their performance and improve — that is what Prawn dared to change.
They have already entered the market with the PrawnApp[a] that provides analytics for amateurs who record their match performance and upload the video. Powered by an AI, this system gives some key figures — goals, passes, dribbling attempts etc. — and, which is important, some tips for improvement. The service can be also used as a platform for creating highlights thanks to its ability to combine footage from different angles. The app is easy to try: each user is granted one month free of charge.
In this field Prawn faces some obvious competition. Other companies have released their own vision of prone holders for recording matches which is not much of a difference in functionality to what the Polish startup gives away for free on their Instagram page for following and tagging a friend. But there is a difference — the price tag.
Prawn developers, passionate football players and fans themselves, know exactly what the amateur footballers want — affordable tech for capturing their games and great service for analytics and improvement. That is exactly what PRAWNER[b] (that is how the phone holder is labeled) and PrawnApp are about.
The company has already proven that its ideas resonate with the players and sports industry: the initiative to create a global map of available pitches was mentioned 152 times in U.S., European and even Indian media, and their web page was visited by thousands of people within a couple of weeks. The Polish startup promotes its vision with a simple principle: those who love football and want to be better at it should not pay more, but play more.
The post Football Stats Startup Challenges Multi-Million Company With Free Publication Of Blueprints appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Endorphina Goes Viral With Baywatch-inspired SBC Lisbon Posters
The leading slot game provider, Endorphina, continues to make waves in the iGaming industry, announcing its presence at the highly anticipated SBC Lisbon with a big splash. From September 16-18, Endorphina’s stand, number B590, will bring the ultimate beach escape at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa & Meo Arena.
To further tease its presence at the upcoming beach-themed booth at SBC Summit Lisbon, Endorphina created a campaign inspired by the popular TV show Baywatch. The company organized a special photoshoot with its employees dressed as lifeguards patrolling the beaches of Lisbon. In addition, Endorphina designed special posters that play with the aesthetics of 80s and 90s posters and VHS tapes.
This announcement from Endorphina immediately captured the attention of the iGaming world, with the posts receiving 5x more engagement than usual on LinkedIn. The photoshoot featured employees from various departments, including Kirill Miroshnichenko, CCO; Irina Veselkova, Marketing Strategy Coordinator; Dejan Vranjanin, Head of Account Development; Mihail Cojocaru, Team Lead Client Success Management; Marie Eliseeva, Account Manager; and Svetlana MD Masud, Partnership Manager.
This campaign teases Endorphina’s booth at SBC Summit Lisbon, which will be themed to bring the ultimate beach paradise straight to Portugal. The company promises unique activities and a memorable experience for visitors, inviting them to visit booth B590, meet the Endorphina team, and immerse themselves in the beach-themed atmosphere.
The post Endorphina Goes Viral With Baywatch-inspired SBC Lisbon Posters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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