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England vs Tunisia: Referee in double VAR controversy ahead of World Cup clash
ENGLAND vs Tunisia kicks off this evening and the referee could be a major influencer in the result.
Slaven Bilic on VAR at World Cup: "I don't care"
The World Cup starts for England at 7pm with a clash against Tunisia in Volgograd.
And Three Lions fans are right to be nervous about the referee selection tonight.
WORLD CUP: FOLLOW ENGLAND vs TUNISIA LIVE!
FIFA have appointed Colombian ref Wilmar Roldan as the match official for the Group G game.
And he comes with a controversial reputation.
Roldan has twice been involved in VAR incidents - the biggest of which happened in Russia last year during the Confederations Cup.
The ref accidentally booked the wrong Cameroonian player - Sebastien Siani - in a game against Germany, only to use VAR to source the correct culprit - Ernest Mabouka - and send him off.
He also irked River Plate in the Copa Libertadores semi-finals when missing a hand-ball that the Argentine club claim cost them a place in the final.
However, even more worrying for England is that Roldan is the most card-happy ref among the officials at this World Cup.
He averages 5.4 yellow cards per game, with a red issued every three matches.
Roldan brandished six yellows and one straight red in one Copa Libertadores clash between CD Jorge Wilstermann and Vasco de Gama this year.
The research done by Coral compares Roldan to Gambian official Bakary Gassama, who averages one red card every 76 games.
WHAT DECISIONS WILL THE VAR REVIEW AT THE WORLD CUP?
The VAR will become involved only in the following instances:
* Goals and offences leading up to a goal
* Penalty decisions and offences leading up to a penalty
* Direct red cards
* Cases of mistaken identity
CAN THE REFEREE REVIEW THE FOOTAGE?
Yes, for some incidents, the referee will act on information from the VAR, in others they will view the footage at the side of the pitch.
The on-field review will take place in the following circumstances:
* When a goal has been scored, in the case of a foul committed by an attacking player or for offside interference.
* On penalty decisions, for a foul leading up to penalty or a foul by an attacking player.
* All direct red card incidents.
The referee will act on VAR advice in the following circumstances:
* When a goal has been scored, to decide if a player was in an offside position leading up to the goal or if the ball had gone out of play leading up to the goal.
* On penalty decisions, to decide whether a foul was committed inside or outside the penalty area, if the ball had gone out of play leading up to penalty or if a player was in an offside position leading up to penalty.
* All cases of mistaken identity.