VAR REVIEW: WAS KANE'S PENALTY FOR ENGLAND CORRECT CALL?

We're analysing every VAR decision made throughout all 51 games at Euro 2024. On Wednesday, England were awarded a penalty against Netherlands for a challenge by Denzel Dumfries on Harry Kane. Why was it given, and was it the correct decision?

After each game, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of VAR protocol and the laws of the game.

Netherlands 1-2 England

Possible penalty: Dumfries challenge on Kane

What happened: England were on the attack in the 14th minute with Harry Kane attempting a shot from a bouncing ball that was hit over the bar. He was caught by Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries after releasing the shot, and went down in pain. Referee Felix Zwayer pointed for a goal kick, but after a few moments it became clear the VAR was checking for a possible penalty.

VAR decision: Penalty, scored by Kane.

Denzel Dumfries catches Harry Kane after the England striker had released his shot. Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

VAR review: There's an unwritten law in football that if a player manages to complete a shot on goal and is then caught by a defending player, there shouldn't be a penalty. So why is that? Mainly it's because the attacking team cannot lose out on anything because of the challenge -- the shot has been released and the move is over.

It's seems odd, because often in this situation we'd say "but that's a foul anywhere else on the pitch." But make no mistake, there's another unwritten law that the threshold is far higher on a penalty providing a shot on goal vs. a free kick in an area that isn't immediately dangerous.

So, how did England get a penalty in this situation?

It's a very harsh intervention by the VAR, Bastian Dankert. It's his ninth game of the tournament, far more than any other video assistant. He has clearly earned a reputation within UEFA as its most trusted VAR throughout the tournament.

So, why has Dankert advised a penalty? He has taken the nature of Dumfries' challenge, leading with the studs as opposed to making an attempt to kick through the ball, as being reckless -- which is why the Netherlands' player was booked. And that's the one area where a defender catching an attacker after a shot can be seeing as a penalty -- when it's reckless or dangerous.

Can you see why this might be a penalty? Yes. Does this reach UEFA's high threshold for a clear and obvious error for a VAR intervention? No. You can only think Kane's reaction, going down in pain, persuaded the VAR.

And in UEFA competition you will almost never see a VAR intervention rejected at the monitor by the referee.

- Dale Johnson, General Editor, ESPN FC

EURO 2024: ENGLAND-NETHETLANDS REF SERVED MATCH-FIXING BAN

Felix Zwayer officiated the Netherlands' round-of-16 clash with Romania. Alex Caparros - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

 UEFA has appointed a referee who previously confessed to match-fixing -- and whose integrity was publicly questioned by Jude Bellingham -- for England's Euro 2024 semifinal against the Netherlands.

Felix Zwayer will officiate Wednesday's clash in Dortmund despite being banned for six months in 2005 after taking a €300 ($325) bribe from another official, Robert Hoyzer.

A 2005 investigation found that Zwayer accepted a bribe to favour German club Wuppertaler SV in their match against Werder Bremen Amateure in May 2004.

Bellingham referred back to that incident in a postmatch interview in 2021 after Borussia Dortmund lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich in a huge Bundesliga game.

The England midfielder, who played for Dortmund at the time, said: "You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game.

"You give a referee, that has match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?"

Bellingham was subsequently fined €40,000 for his comments, which came after Dortmund were denied a penalty at one end and conceded one at the other.

Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke added at the time: "To be clear, Jude was not spreading lies, but what happened in the past. This statement shouldn't have been, but I don't see anything untrue there. I don't expect that to have any consequences for Jude."

Zwayer officiated the Netherlands' 3-0 win over Romania in the Euro 2024 round of 16 on Tuesday.

The FA declined to comment on Zwayer's appointment when contacted by ESPN.

England defender Luke Shaw was quick to dispel any thoughts of conspiracy when asked at a news conference Monday if the refereeing situation was uncomfortable.

"No, not at all," the Manchester United player said. "We have to respect UEFA in whoever they decide to pick as the ref. That won't change anything about us.

"We still just focus on the game in hand, not too much about what refs we've been given or this and that. For us, it won't make any difference."

Shaw went on to say he had never played in a game where he thought the officials were acting against his team.

"Sometimes in the heat of the moment, you get angry in games and you might think that, but no," he said.

"Whatever ref has been picked has been picked. We just have to be ready and not focus on that."

- James Olley, Senior Writer, ESPN FC

BUNDESLIGA: KWA MARA YA KWANZA MECHI YASIMAMISHWA KWA KOCHA KUGOMA TUTOKA UWANJANI

Mechi kati ya Bayer 04 Leverkusen na Borussia Dortmund ilisimamishwa kwa dakiak 8 na kuanza kucheza tena baada ya kocha wa Leverkusen, Roger Schmidt, kukubali kuondoka uwanjani...Kisa kilianza wakati Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang alipopachika bao la free kick dakika ya 64 na kocha wa Leverkusen kukataa bao hilo kutokana na free-kick kupigwa sehemu tofauti...

Baada ya kukataa refa amamwambia captain msaidizi wa Leverkusen, Stefan Kiessling, amwambie kocha asepe...

Kocha akagoma ndipo refa, Felix Zwayer, akaamua kusimamisha mpira nakuondoka uwanjani...Hii ni mara ya kwanza mpira unasimamishwa kwa style hii ndani ya mechi za Bundesliga...Bofya hapa upate habari zaidi.