The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel The Daily Star's FREE newsletter is spectacular! Sign up today for the best stories straight to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up today! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice TV Licensing are reminding supporters and pubs they will need to make sure they are covered to avoid paying a steep penalty. All World Cup games will be shown on either BBC or iTV, meaning you will need a TV licence to watch the games. Those planning on hosting a World Cup party, or gathering their friends to watch the football in a venue will need to prepare in advance. Footie fans will need a valid TV licence to stream or record the action on any device. A TV Licence will cost £150.50 for one year, £38.89 quarterly or £12.56 monthly. You can also buy a black and white TV licence for £50.50. (Image: GETTY) The tournament kicks off on Thursday June 14 with Russia taking on Saudi Arabia. Millions of Brits are expected to tune in to watch the football frenzy. Pubs and venues showing the World Cup have been warned to take extra care to ensure they have a TV licence before the World Cup. Any venue showing the World Cup will need a valid TV licence. Those who don’t have a licence risk being prosecuted by the courts, and fined up to £1,000 per offence, plus costs. You also need to keep in mind if you are watching the action on a tablet, PC, games console or mobile phone you will still need to be covered. Supporters also need a TV licence to catch up on the highlights from the tournament on BBC iPlayer. TV licensing is emailing unlicensed pubs before the tournament kicks off to warn them. Fergus Reid, TV Licensing spokesman in Scotland, said: “Although Scotland won’t be taking part, fans and supporters across the country will be heading to their local clubs or pubs to watch key matches this World Cup. “It’s important pubs and clubs know the score, which is why we’ve issued advice to landlords and managers so they can stay within the law.” Landlords and managers who would like more information about the requirements can call the TV Licensing businesses team on 0300 790 6131 or visit tvlicensing.co.uk/businessinfo. Jason Hill, spokesman for TV Licensing, said: “Whether you’re a seasoned England fan, experienced in the disappointments of being knocked out, or optimistic that a team of young hopefuls can finally deliver success, the competition is sure to bring some surprises. “What is certain is that if you’re watching games live on TV, live online, via a device such as a tablet, PC, games console or mobile phone, then you’ll need a TV Licence. "You’ll also need a licence to watch any highlights on BBC iPlayer.” (Image: GETTY) If you have a TV licence at home, this will cover you on any device you are watching away from home. For those who want to watch the matches from their workplace, they will need to make sure if the business is covered by a workplace TV Licence. Some businesses may not allow their staff to watch TV during working hours, but for those that do they will need to be covered. A TV in the Workplace Policy is available to print out on the TV Licensing website to explain the TV Licensing rules to their staff. In 2014 more than 20 million viewers in the UK watched Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup final.<doc-sep>Soccer is a unique sport in that ties are an acceptable outcomes to games. Are there ties in the World Cup? Yes, but it depends on the round. Matches in the group stage (opening round) can end in a tie, and there is not overtime. Each team has three matches, and the top two teams advance from each group based on a points system. A win earns three points, a tie earns one point and a loss counts as zero. Once the World Cup moves into the Round of 16 (Knockout Stage), games must end with a win. If at the end of 90 minutes the score is tied, the match will go into extra time which consists of two 15 minute periods. After these 30 minutes are completed, the game will come down to penalty kicks if there is still a tie. Sports Illustrated detailed how the penalty kicks work. The golden goal rule is not in effect, so if a team scores, it’s not the game winner. The game continues though all 30 minutes of extra time, whether or not goals are scored. If it’s still a draw after the 30 minutes of extra time, both teams will take penalty kicks. The penalty kicks are a best of five shootout, alternating between the team two teams. The shootout ends when one team is no longer mathematically able to match the other’s team results. If there’s still a tie at the end of the shootout, additional rounds of one kick each will be added until the tie is broken, which is also known as sudden death. Some fans who are used to sports like American football and basketball can struggle with the idea of a game ending in a tie. Many sports fans like to have a clear winner. However, there are some matches where a tie is the most appropriate outcome as neither team showed an advantage in the match. Ties also add an element of strategy towards the end of the group stage as it adds to the possible outcomes for points. World Soccer Talk’s Christopher Harris explains why draws are a part of soccer culture. As a soccer fan, a draw seems such a natural part of the game. I enjoy draws because they often represent a fair result of what happened on the pitch during the 90 minutes. Why penalize one team over another if both teams were equally as good (or bad) for the entire game? I’ve been reminded about draws in the past two weeks because of the World Cup. That’s because the same question comes up every four years. “Why are there draws in soccer?” For most people outside of soccer, a draw seems like a foreign concept. Most American sports (maybe all?) have a winner and a loser. Seeing a winner and a loser in US sports seems more, well, American. Those who work hardest are rewarded. There is no place for a draw. Draws are for foreigners, not Americans. Sometimes penalty kicks can seem a bit arbitrary, but in tournament play there has to be a way to declare a winner with the point system only relevant for group stages.<doc-sep>England’s footballers are to be given a crash course in the new disciplinary rules being implemented in time for the World Cup amid concerns behind the scenes that Gareth Southgate’s players do not fully understand the changes that could mean retrospective action taking place in the same matches. Southgate has held one meeting with his squad to explain there will be a new regulation, to work alongside VAR, whereby match officials can be made aware of incidents that went unnoticed at the time and the relevant players can face yellow or red cards. That meeting took place on Saturday morning at England’s team hotel when the manager explained to his players that their on-pitch behaviour will be under scrutiny like never before. Referees will now have the powers to take action at half-time, for example, if they are made aware of an incident from the opening 45 minutes. “Not that we are looking to get away with anything, but if we thought we could that’s gone now,” Southgate said. “We have to be vigilant in all areas of the pitch. “We’re not 100% sure yet [of the rule] until we have the full briefing on whether this situation – something happening 20 minutes before half-time and then [punishment] being implemented at half-time – is a reality. But there have been tackles in recent games that would be pulled up and might be yellow or red cards. For all our players, it’s something we have to be aware of.” One example was a two-footed challenge by Ashley Young on Davide Zappacosta during the friendly against Italy in March. Southgate also explained that, in theory, players attempting to con the referees by diving will not get away with it like they have before – and are now more likely to be punished for it, whether that means at the time or later in the same game. Raheem Sterling was booked for a penalty-area dive in the 2-1 friendly victory against Nigeria on Saturday, just a matter of hours after Southgate had organised a meeting specifically to deal with this kind of incident, but the England manager said he was confident that the players would understand the increased dangers by the time they flew to Russia on Tuesday week. “They recognised that this is going to come in,” Southgate said, when asked whether the players had grasped the rule changes. “It’s a system everybody is still getting used to and how it’s implemented is going to be key. “If you look at any corner, for example, and go looking for infringements you could find hundreds. How that is going to be interpreted is going to be really important for the consistency in the tournament. “I’m in favour [of retrospective action] for the clear and obvious errors because there have been big moments in huge tournaments – the Zidane head‑butt, the Maradona handball goal – that could be sorted out very quickly and would be an asset. The smaller fouls where there’s more interpretation involved, even when it’s been watched two or three times – I think that’s really difficult.” The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email. Southgate was reluctant to criticise Sterling for his dive after a week of intense scrutiny on the Manchester City player. However, the manager volunteered that he had been giving serious consideration to dropping Sterling for reporting a day late from a holiday in Jamaica. Sterling, in turn, has said he would have accepted losing his place as punishment. “Look, I have been a player and I know that when things get sloppy there is a danger that standards drop,” Southgate said. “We have to make sure we maintain our standards at all times. I felt there’s a fine line [about dropping him]. I have to have some consistency in how I deal with the group and I had a conversation with him around what our expectations were. But equally I knew that if I left him out, after everything that has happened, there’s a huge story. “I wanted him to play. I wanted him to get on with his football, get on with playing and get back into it as quickly as possible. “I have to manage the group the best way possible – and it’s important the players feel protected [by their manager] – but we also need discipline and we are always trying to strike that balance. I have to keep people focused, across the board.” England now move on to the game against Costa Rica at Leeds on Thursday, their final warm-up match for the World Cup, but Southgate is also planning an 11-v-11 practice match for his players the following Monday. The manager is intent on using a 3‑3‑2‑2 formation in the World Cup, with England’s first game at the finals coming against Tunisia in Volgograd on 18 June.<doc-sep>
This summer marks the first instance in which video assistant refereeing will be used at a World Cup, and Goal rounds up all you need to know about it FIFA are set to implement VAR (video assistant refereeing) for the first time at a World Cup this summer in Russia after it has already been rolled out in multiple professional leagues, including the Bundesliga, Serie A and Major League Soccer. Some think the introduction of VAR at the highest level of football is something that has been long overdue, while others claim that its use is too premature – with the potential to disrupt the flow of the game. Regardless of views, VAR is to be used at the sport's showcase event this summer in Russia, and Goal takes a look at all the details of how it will work, as well its regulations – including retrospective punishment. How will VAR work at the World Cup? Instances of using the VAR are pretty straightforward, and will be used in similar fashion as in the Bundesliga and MLS. Referees in Russia will be able to consult the VAR for help on four sorts of decisions: goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity. Regulations state that the referee must always be the one to make the decision and that decision will stand until it is "clearly wrong". The referee will only be able to view, on video, the start of the phase that has led to the incident, and a goal scored through a throw-in which should have gone to the other team will not be disallowed under the new VAR system. Furthermore, if the ball is still in play, the referee must wait until it is in a neutral zone before stopping all course of action. The play will then restart with a drop ball if the decision is not overturned. One example in a World Cup final where VAR might have overturned a missed call was in the round of 16 fixture at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan between the United States and Germany. With Germany leading 1-0 in the second half, USMNT defender Gregg Berhalter stuck a shot that beat Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn but struck midfielder Torsten Frings hand on the goal line. Had a handball been called, it would have been a red card for Frings with the USMNT receiving a penalty for a chance to level the scoreline. Instead, no call was made and Germany went on to hold on for the 1-0, and an eventual trip to that year's final. While the referee of that match claimed he did not think it was a deliberate handball in real time, former Premier League referee Howard Webb, who also refereed the 2010 World Cup final, told Sports Illustrated in 2017 the correct outcome of the play should have been a red card and penalty kick. What are some VAR concerns? There has been a fair amount of criticism about the introduction of VAR at the World Cup, with some stating that referees constantly checking the video assistant would disrupt play and, at times, the process can be a very delayed. Fans, coaches and spectators attending the matches are also left in the dark when the referee is checking the VAR. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino criticised the use of the VAR in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup fixtures this past season, denoting his fears about how the use of technology would kill the emotion and ethos of the game. "It is a game of emotion. If we are going to kill this emotion I think we are going to change the game," he told reporters. "It's difficult for the referee - I feel so sorry for the referee and more I feel sorry for the fans because it's so difficult to understand the situation." Additionally, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said that VAR will not be used in next season's Champions League. "Nobody knows exactly how VAR will work. There is already a lot of confusion," said Ceferin. "I am not at all against it but we must better explain when it will be used. We will see at the World Cup." How will retrospective action work? Referees in Russia will be allowed to give out red cards for off-the-ball incidents through VAR. This means that players can be sent off if incidents are picked up on by monitors.