Alen Catovic

33 years old. UEFA B Youth license holder. Football and sports. Coaching U15 at Ikast FC. Bachelor in Social Education.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

🚀 Just received another great football coaching book by @soccertutorcom, and I’m excited to dive in! 📚⚽️😃 It’s written by @max_lucchesi, who also has many other interesting books about the game of football.

If anyone decides to buy the book or other books, it would be great if you’ll use my affiliate link to support my coaching development and you get access to great football knowlegde by renowed football experts like
@max_lucchesi - win-win! 🙌

Pep Guardiola - Coaching fluid positional rotations from build up to attack: https://t.co/YRilgD2Cgg

Let’s keep pushing boundaries and creating those winning moments on the pitch! ⚽️😃

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

It's bad for the game because now every team can appeal a decision they don't like just to get a player back on the pitch. That's the actual precedent being set here - not some correction of an 'injustice.' We're already seeing this with France and England.

Balogun didn't even complain. He walked off like a professional and accepted the decision on the pitch, which is exactly what you want players to do. FIFA overturning it after the fact didn't help USA in any way - the result stood regardless. So who was this actually for?

Second point: actions have consequences. That's not a controversial idea, it's literally how the game works. The consequence Balogun received wasn't an injustice - it was a decision made by the referee using the Laws of the Game.

If people want to claim it was unjust, then put the argument on the table: which specific law was misapplied? Not 'he's a good kid,' not race - the actual criteria to show which law was misapplied.

Consistency is the least exciting part of football, but it's the part that actually protects the sport. Overturning decisions after the fact because of public pressure teaches every young player the opposite lesson: that the rules are negotiable if you complain loud enough.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

What injustice has actually been done to a black man here? I haven't heard Balogun himself say anything about that.

The real injustice is to all the other players who got a red card this tournament and couldn't help their teams in the following matches, while this one got overturned.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@ShieldWall1485 @upstatefederlst Fair play also includes the acceptance of a red card.

But you got your fair chance to play your player and got dismatled by the Europeans 😎

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@sporadica This has to be the fastest reversal. Went from "sad for Belgium" to "man we SUCK" in the time it takes to microwave a burrito. 😎

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@stoolpresidente "You beat us fair and square" - dude, they beat you fair, square, diagonal, and upside down.

4-1 isn't a scoreboard, it's a permanent record. 🇧🇪

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

USMNT fans discovering VAR exists the same week they discover consequences. Growth.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@NotKennyRogers Comeback level matches your geography skills apparently.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@3YearLetterman Football.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@SkySportsNews Your mentor, Bielsa is probably also disappointed with you, Pochettino.

Defend the game of football, and not politics.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

I really like how Balogun has conducted himself in this whole process. Very professional.

That being said first, I understand his viewpoint, but still think the call is correct.

The law says: Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.

And a serious foul play results in a sending-off offence. Clearly Balogun's action fits that description. People can dislike it, but the red card is according to the law.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

Thanks for your opinion Alexander. People need to stop being emotional since it's not death and life.

Balogun accepted the red card, which I think is correct. FIFA should have gone with it, instead of putting the whole integrity of football in doubt just to appease outside pressure.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@Catshavenopoint @markvalorian Being aware of the opponents position means everything in the game of football. Luckily that you're not in charge of developing football players. Secondly, being emotional doesn't help your argument at all.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@danraldhot @markvalorian Elaborate what the ref got wrong using the Laws of the game.

Muharemovic performed a football action, where he wanted to intercept the ball. The goal of those actions are to get in front of the opponent.

Use this to elaborate your point:
https://t.co/pYEC94s9Jo

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

Nice to meet you @SCole1989. I agree with you, that I know alot about the game of football. 😎🤜🤛

First of all, you should know that intention has no place in football. Think of a player trying to control a high ball and lifting his foot up, while an opponent is heading it away — if he catches the opponent in the head, that's still a straight red, even though his intention was never to hit the player. Same logic applies here: it's about the danger of the action itself.

Second, the VAR did the right thing, so no need to hire me.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@T1NAT1DD1ES @markvalorian Still nothing valuable about the tackle to enrich us Europeans? 😂🤣

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@FPL_Dallas @SimonBrundish @pharbron @balogun Try to do it in today's game. Follow Balogun and see how much he scans to get a full picture of his surroundings in order to make better decisions and execute those in the game.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

It's not a stretch. Scanning is part of football, and any good player like Balogun knows the value of it.

These professional players are so good at scanning that they can do it in a split second. It's even hard to see it in real time unless you really focus on following a player.

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@T1NAT1DD1ES @markvalorian Thanks for the geopolitical hot take, but we're still just talking about a tackle. Feel free to add something valuable about the tackle, otherwise 🤐

[Alen Catovic @Alencatovic]

@FPL_Dallas @SimonBrundish @pharbron He's not having his eyes on the ball the whole time. @balogun as any other world-class football player knows that the best time to scan your surroundings is when the ball is in motion.

That is what he's doing here. Head turned towards Muharemovic for a split second.