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Get your pitch fix with SI.com's writers in the World Cup Blog, a daily journal of World Cup commentary, on-site reporting and reader-driven discussions.
6/26/2006 06:22:00 PM

Referees rule the pitch

Luis Medina Cantalejo
Luis Medina Cantalejo (right) sent off Italy's Marco Materazzi for the World Cup's 24th red card in 53 matches.
Sandra Behne/Getty Images

Posted by Mark Bechtel

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- A few days ago, I railed out at referee Markus Merk, who, it seemed, had embarked on some sort of weird power play, carding everyone in sight and greeting even the most minor bit of dissent with one of those "NO MORE!" gestures (you know, a hard stare followed by a quick uncrossing of the arms, like an abbreviated safe call -- do you suppose soccer refs make those at home when telling their wives they don't want any more tuna casserole?)

Well, since then two things have become clear: Merk isn't the only ref to have gone card-happy, and second, it might not be a power play. Before the tournament, FIFA told refs to be vigilant in calling various and sundry misdeeds, especially the throwing of elbows and diving.

First there was the Graham Poll fiasco, in which he booked Croatia's Josep Simunic twice. Apparently Poll liked it so much he let him stay on the field so he could card Simunic a third time, after which he finally showed him red. Then there was Sunday night's surreal Netherlands-Portugal game, in which referee Valentin Ivanov dog-eared his yellow card (pulling it out 16 times) and giving his red card a workout as well (four players were sent off).

Then there was Monday's Australia-Italy game. There was a play early on in which an Italian player (I don't remember who) clattered into an Aussie pretty hard and then helped him to his feet. There was a smattering of applause; at the time I remember thinking that they seemed to be clapping because referee Luis Medina Cantalejo actually let a meaty foul pass without booking anyone. But things quickly degenerated, and yet another game was decided in large part by the officials.

In the 50th minute, Cantalejo sent off Italian defender Marco Materazzi for a clear foul, but one which warranted yellow, not red. Ironically, after that point, Australia largely ceased to be dangerous. Italy sat back, effectively defending better a man down than it did 11-on-11.

As the clock hit 90 minutes, the third official indicated that there would be three minutes of stoppage time, at which point the guy next to me and I simultaneously asked, "Three minutes? Where'd that come from?"

Sure enough, in the third minute, Cantalejo awarded Italy a penalty after Fabio Grosso went down from a Lucas Neill challenge. There was contact, to be sure, but Grosso could easily have avoided it. Instead, he stepped on a prostrate Neill and went to ground. I know that the rules are supposed to be enforced evenly, but to me, for the 93rd minute in the knockout stages of the World Cup game, it was a lame call.

At any rate, we're saying goodbye to the Aussies, and that's too bad. They were an energetic, attacking, disciplined side -- very well coached -- and they had awesome fans. Parma midfielder Marco Bresciano was one of my favorite players of the tournament, and I'm glad I discovered Scott Chipperfield and PSV's Jason Cullina. (The Socceroos gave Brazil all they could handle before falling in a game that saw Merk call 25 penalties on them compared with nine for Brazil. At that point they should have learned a lesson: If you're making your first World Cup visit in 32 years, you're not going to get many favors.)

Don't get me wrong -- Italy played outstanding. Fabio Cannavaro had a monster game in central defense. He's had three partners back there in four games, and Italy has conceded only one goal (the own goal against the U.S.). And Gianluigi Buffon showed he's probably the best keeper left in the tournament. Teams have made long runs into the World Cup with a lot less than that.

So what about it? Is the quality of the officiating hurting the tournament? Did Australia get hosed on the penalty call? Is Italy's defense strong enough to carry it all the way? Do tell.
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116 Comments:

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Posted: 6:34 PM   by Anonymous
When they are done checking out the fixes in Italy..........
Posted: 6:46 PM   by Andy
My personal feeling is that although we usually see one or two teams go home due to a referee being conned or perhaps making the odd poor decision, this time round we've probably nearly as many bad decisions as the last 3 world cups put together; and that's before we've even finished the first knockout stage.

Then we have the delayed reaction of decisions suspendeding key players for the next round, with others one dodgy yellow card away from being suspended for the semis or the final.

I've no doubt that every referee in this tournament has exemplary integrity and not one of the bad calls were down to anything but players conning referees or just poor judgement - but that doesn't excuse FIFA and their seemingly arrogant view that even obviously incorrect decisions can't be reversed.

However considering that many of those referees are supposed to be the best, from the big European and South American leagues, it makes you wonder if we wouldn't have seen better results from the part timers of Asia and Africa.

Probably not, but there's no way it could have been worse.
Posted: 6:55 PM   by Anonymous
the first half of the game was very good soccer, I saw good fair play from both parts, not to mention a lot of spectacular actions. The Socceroos sure proved a tough bite for Italy, for they played excellent soccer

Then Materazzi was red-carded at the beginning of the second half for a foul that deserved a yellow (red should either be given for very dangerous actions or for slides from behind that drop down an attacker when the only thing in front of him is the keeper..), and the ref was VERY harsh there.

Despite being only in 10 though Italy raised an almost impenetrable bastion in front of Buffon, and even when the socceroos DID make it past the defence, Italy's keeper proved why he is considered the best in the tournament.

As for the final penalty kick, it was simply a (debatable, but it was there) foul inside the box, and that calls for a PK. And so Totti finally managed to score for the first time in this WC, let's hope he can put his recent problems behind himself now.
Posted: 7:55 PM   by Gordon
Andy is correct - there are always some calls that are rather dubious and have a serious impact on the tournament. However, it seems that this year is turning out to be a banner year for inconsistent officiating.

We see red cards for fouls that do not warrant them, but at the same time conduct that should be carded goes unchecked. In many of the games there have been blatant dives and delays of the game by teams trying to protect their lead, offenses that should be carded but go unnoticed. This is a case of "two wrongs do not make a right." A referee can't just make up for a bad call earlier in the game with an even worse call at a more crucial time.

Whenever you break the World Cup record for bookings in only the first knockout round, something is amiss. This tournament doesn't seem to be featuring any more physical play than Cups past, but from the number of fouls being called it would appear to be the roughest Cup in the last 50 years.

The best compliment a referee can receive is that you didn't know they were there until a call truly needed to be made. The referees of this Cup seem to be finding ways to involve themselves in the outcome of all the biggest games, and that detracts from the teams involved who are playing damn fine football.
Posted: 8:01 PM   by Anonymous
I thought that Grosso got the benefit of not going down under the first challenge. Had he went down at the first one, I think the referee says "play on", but the second one was more an unfortunate Neill whose body was completely in the way. Yes, Grosso could possibly have avoided him, but he didn't dive on the first one and the second one was a legit enough foul. You do have to feel for the Aussies, though, as they were certainly a great story at the championship and really Hiddink should be heralded for his success with another country that over-achieved from what was predicted of them.
Posted: 8:08 PM   by Anonymous
Perfect comment by Bechtel
Posted: 8:09 PM   by Anonymous
If you watched Switz-Ukraine you saw the exact opposite of too many cards... The play was smoother, more entertaining and fun to watch. I personnaly can't stand watching people take dives just to retake possesion or get a free kick. Anyone notice the almost complete lack of diving or fake injuries in the previously mentioned match? When guys went down, they jumped right back up or kept fighting for the ball while still on the ground. I loved it.
Posted: 8:47 PM   by Anonymous
I find it amazing that the PK is being defended. If a dive like that was commited early in the game it would have been a yellow card for diving. The reason Grosso didn't go down the first time is because there was nothing in that either. The extent of the foul was equal to the handball earlier by the Italians. Yes it hit half his arm, but no, it did not merit a PK to Australia.
Anyway FIFA got what they wanted.
Posted: 8:49 PM   by Anonymous
That was a clear and shameless dive on the part of Grosso. He made sure to drag his left leg on Neill so as to give himself an excuse to take a flop.

This unfairly-given penalty kick was even worse than the unfairly-given one in the the USA-Ghana match. That one featured no foul at all; this one featured no foul at all PLUS a dive.

As far as I'm concerned, FIFA needs new management -- management that will crack down on dives and poor refereeing.
Posted: 8:57 PM   by Anonymous
italy is a strong team, and it was a great disappointment to me that none of the genius announcers noted that nesta did not play a single minute for italy, and he is one of the best defenders in the game. he sat out with a groin injury if i am not mistaken, and should be back in time for the ukraine game, and italy will be back in top form for that game (so long as the refs take a chill pill). and then hopefully they get to the finals and get de rossi back, ah what a finals game that would be. but in any case, the refs are whacko, italy is incredible, and they deserved that win after not conceding a goal to australia for basically the entire second half. gianluigi buffon is THE MAN!!!
Posted: 9:16 PM   by Anonymous
The irony is that the supposedly stricter standards for carding players have actually had the effect of making the games seem more out of control--the exact opposite of what FIFA intended. If a referee whips out a card immediately for almost every foul, it breaks up the rhythm of the game and leaves the players uncertain. It also gives ample opportunities for play acting--as we saw in the Portugal-Netherlands game. In some of these games, you'd think you were watching a basketball game.

If the referees were more sparing with the cards, they would actually make them a more powerful tool. A warning is the best way for a referee to establish his presence and retain control of the game. The next time the same offense happens, the players have no excuse. Warnings also prevent referees from becoming trigger-happy; they ensure that standards are consistent and cards are applied in a measured fashion.

Whatever new standards were that FIFA tried to implement, the referees have no clue.
Posted: 9:25 PM   by Anonymous
Being in Australia my views are probably somewhat bias, but you must admit that soccer is a very weathy game and I cannot help but think of something amist happening with those officials. The referee made decisions proving that he was either "not all there" or corrupt. Than the match against Italy it happens again. Other matches also had many questionable calls. Calls like that should be able to be challenged and also videos on big screens should replay the call and another panel made available to recall the play. At the end of the day, there is too much power for one man in a sport that involves so much.
Posted: 9:37 PM   by Anonymous
The penalty at the end of the game was completely valid. It was a foul, a weak foul, but a foul nonethless. Grosso could have avoided Neil, but a player should never have to avoid other players that are on the ground while making a run at goal. He cleverly took the contact and got what he wanted, as he saw that the play was out of his reach.

Italy played much better in the game, and had 4 clear chances, the Australian team showed that it was nothing more than a team of mediocre, yet hard working players that had overachieved due to a brilliant coach. They could not muster any clear cut chances even with the numerical advantage the whole second half.

Lippi though almost lost the game for Italy playing the pathetic Del Piero from the start, who contributed nothing on both ends of the field, and subbing in a terrible Serie B quality forward in Iaquinta, who only scored 9, JUST 9 goals all year. Inzaghi in half as many games scored 15!!

Italy will be better in the next game, as they will not be outnumbered 5 to 3 in midfield, and are lucky to be playing a weak Ukraine side. Things will get tougher in the final.

FORZA ITALIA GILARDINO GOAALLLLLL!!!!
Posted: 9:41 PM   by Anonymous
Check the replay on the foul on Grasso. From my angle, using slow motion on an HDTV, it looked a whole lot like the Australian defender brought his right hand behind his back and clamped down on Grasso's left foot as Grasso went over him. If that's correct, it was absolutely a trip, and absolutely merited a penalty kick (there's no such thing as ignoring it because it's a really critical stage of the game). Moreover, if in fact the Australian player used his hand to trip Grasso, it ties in with the problem of the dives. Specifically, it seems that just as many players try to foul out of the sight of the ref (watch the Australian defender's hand, and notice how he brings it behind his back to shield it from the ref's view) as take dives, both hoping that the ref might miss the call. It's unsporting either way, and takes away from the game.

On a separate note, what's interesting about the reffing in the Dutch/Portugal game is that it highlights that the ref's job is to CONTROL the game. While cards are one part of that, cards alone aren't sufficient. Go back and look at each of the fouls that led to the cards--I think all or almost all of them were legitimate. The two major errors were where the ref FAILED to give red cards--the tackle on Rinaldo, and Figo's head butt. That game was a case of the ref losing control of the game, despite what really was a by-the-book handling of each of the separate fouls.
Posted: 9:56 PM   by Anonymous
I just think all of you who claim that was a dive are just hating on a good team. Italy has been to the world cup final time and time again. They know how to play the game and yes they know how to act but that is part of the game. Face it people, the game is more than ever about theatrics that is not is not going to change. If that was the team you were rooting for or if that was you who was playing you would want to be rewarded a penalty kick and don't deny it.
That PK was totally justified and if not then please tell me what is. A kick to the groing in the box? PSSSsst Come on it was a blantant foul to stop the Italians from scoring and a very poor decision by the defender to risk the call the ref would make. Yello card or Red Card and its still a fould.I think the ref made a good call because if you watch the replay he clearly interfered with a chance for Italy to win the game. It was him and the goal keeper until the Aussie defender collapsed in front of him. As the person mentioned in a previous post, that warrants a well deserved PK. If that doesn't deserve a PK then what about the flying karate kick with spikes to the face of Italian goalkeeper Buffon. Ref missed that one. That call that was made on Italy, the red card was justified? Absolutely not, but anytime Italy or any other powerhouse team gets a call in their favor the jealous and hateful people want to pull the Dive card. The same thing holds true for any other sport, baseball, basketball and even online games. The losers or supporters of the loser shout "cheater" This is very childish and needs to stop. FIFA does not favor any one particular team. Those teams reappear for one reason. They area good and if they weren't then why are they undefeated and why hasn't a team scored on Italy's defense. I will tell you why...They have a very tough defense and they can win possession of the ball in mid field and the back field. The Brazilians are a very powerful attacking team and they can score.
Finally, they know how to work together as a team and if that includes acting a bit to even the game or award a free kick then so be it. Fouls, free kicks and Penaly Kicks will forever be part of the game so take them if you can get them. Good Luck Ukraine I'm afraid you are next to get on the bus back home.
Posted: 10:01 PM   by Anonymous
I watched the game on TiVo after work today and saw a team lay its heart out on the field honorably and walk off the loser of the match. After watching the Italians bloody the Americans, followed by this match, my opinion of them has soured from marginal to a bunch of whiny thugs (if an oxymoron is permitted here). All I can say is that even if Italy beats the Ukraine, they'll hit a large brick wall known as the Germans who, my money is on, will run all over them as they have anyone else. I believe that FIFA needs to get a whole new officiating crew for '10 in RSA.
Posted: 10:04 PM   by Anonymous
so, after so many comments on the referees - how about someone come out with ranking of worst and the best referee in this WC
Posted: 10:08 PM   by Anonymous
it's sad for australia. italy was "flopping" the entire game, whereas you saw the aussies fighting through rough tackles to keep the ball and play on. Why not utilize instant replay - put an official in the booth with video replay, and he can work with the head referee to nail the calls correctly. To put all that authority in the hands of someone who will inevitably make a mistake is simply not fair. After this world cup FIFA needs to make some changes.
Posted: 10:17 PM   by Anonymous
Italy certainly deserve credit for shutting out the Aussies for the entire second half, but the final PK in very suspect circumstances was just another bad call in a terrible string of refereeing decisions which have marred this world cup.

I'm an Aussie, and the red issued to Materazzi was too harsh, but two wrongs don't make a right.

It's a shame that the refs have decided the outcome of so many matches. A world cup should be a celebration of the skill and determination of countries, players and coaches. Instead, the poor officiating and the bizzare edicts of FIFA have stolen the focus.
Posted: 10:30 PM   by Anonymous
That was a rediculous call,
although i am an aussie, i am obviously not the only one who thinks the call was BULLSHIT, even my Italian-Australian friends think so!
And as for Italy derserving the win, i thought that to win a game of football, u generally have to attack?
rather then just sit back with nearly ALL your men in defence, and have a small attacking run very occasioanlly.
Posted: 10:39 PM   by Anonymous
Soccer must be the only major sport where refereeing can have such an impact in the final outcome of the game. There have been horrible mistakes in this World Cup, but remember what happened with the Koreans' opponents 4 years ago? Portugal had two men sent off before losing 1-0. Italy had Totti sent off without justification and a legitimate goal disallowed, and they lost 2-1. Then, Spain had not one, but two valid goals disallowed... the result? They lost in a penalty shootout. At the end, the Koreans lost to Germany in the semifinals, but I really wonder if they could have reached that stage without that sucession of questionable calls. The FIFA needs to do something quick to solve these refereeing issues. One suggestion: to allow coaches to ask the referees to review, with the help of video, one call per period (i.e. something similar to what is done in the NFL).
Posted: 10:43 PM   by soccer ref
I have watched most of the World Cup games and have been amazed at the performance of the referees. As a soccer ref, I probably watch these games very differently from most. I have noticed that the positioning of the referees has usually been very good; they are often close to the play when they make a call, not 50 yards down field. So, why is their performance so questionable?
As a soccer ref, I am required to attend clinics to maintain my license. I must admit that these clinics often change my approach and attitude towards foul play. I fear that the World Cup refs may suffer from the same problem. While I understand that FIFA wants to clamp down on certain aspects of foul play, I am afraid that it may have changed the referees' attitude and approach. Sure, they are experienced refs, but they know that if they don't follow "guidelines" then they will be sent home, and I am sure that every one of them would love to do the final.
In my own mind, I know the difference between no foul and a foul, a foul and a yellow, and a yellow and a red. This has not been apparent in the World Cup. Why are these criteria so different in the World Cup? Well, the law book states "in the opinion of the referee ...", so there can not be a set of unified rules. Commentators can give their opinion (as can/do the players), but only one person really counts - the guy in the middle with the whistle (and his assistants). What concerns me is that the referees seem to have changed their approach during the World Cup - they have shifted their criteria for fouls, yellows, and reds. For example, I see Graham Poll working a game in the World Cup using a set of "criteria" that he would never use in the English Premier League. I think he was confused by the guidelines laid down by FIFA. Now, I understand that FIFA wants to create a safe environment and protect the good players, but don't most of these refs do this in their home leagues?
I think that the ref in the Swiss-Croatia game showed a great deal of restraint and common sense in his approach to the game. I hope that the World Cup referees took notice of his performance and change their attitudes, so that we can talk about the games rather than the officiating.
Posted: 10:57 PM   by Zack
Now where's all the Auzzie and Netherland fans that were bashing the US for "whining" about the refs. It's hard to win when you're playing against the refs too.....isn't it?
Posted: 11:00 PM   by Zack
This cup will forever be remembered as the "Cup of the Cards". What a shame..... They should line all the refs up on the field and let R. Carlos take free kicks at their heads. Maybe that'll knock some sense into them....
Posted: 11:01 PM   by Anonymous
The problem is with FIFA. In the NFL, the rule changes are made and any points made to enforce lacking areas before the preseason. Once things get into the regular season, the officiating has been made to be more consistent that it would have been. You'd never hear the commissioner inform the zebras to enforce a certain foul more strictly days before the Superbowl kicks off? In the World Cup, the officiating should be reviewed yearly to determine what areas need to be addressed and provide time for players to adjust to the rules with several games played before the World Cup. I'm not saying institute any sort of replay rule yet, but the consistent enforcement of the rules is what is needed first. After that, then FIFA can tackle the replay and electronic aid stuff.
Posted: 11:13 PM   by Anonymous
Should some focus be put on the players? They aren't adjusting well to the new crack down by the refs.

After a yellow card shouldnt the other players take notice? Thats what happens in youth leagues....
Posted: 11:24 PM   by Anonymous
To the guy from Italy who is gushing about his boys, so sorry. Italy is just a bunch of actors. I feel sorry for the sport I love if Italy -- flopping, diving, lucky Italy -- makes the final. Many, many times in this World Cup much more flagrant fouls have been committed in the box with the referee just turning his head and telling the guy fouled (or the guy flopping) to GET UP! Diving is ruining this game! I THOUGHT THE REFS WERE SUPPOSED TO CARD THE FAKERS. HAVE YOU SEEN ONE CARD GIVEN FOR A DIVE? No way on God's green Earth that was a penalty kick foul at the end of the Australia match. No way a referee worth his weight would call that foul at that moment. Yes, the guy had slid and was in the way, and yes, the Italian guy hit him and went down. But geez, you gotta let the teams decide it on the field. If any of you in Italy think that was deserved, you've got a serious problem. It's called national pride, and it has blinded you to the truth. I hope Ukraine pounds you into the turf.
Posted: 11:35 PM   by Anonymous
the penality was a horrendous call. too many player dives in the game. it is disgusting and pathetic to see during the game players faking injuries to con the referee.
Posted: 11:42 PM   by Anonymous
For all the bloggers making suggestions of video playback, let me remind you why I and a many others hate American Football.
I am American btw, all the BS calls, timeout, replays and a laundry list of other "money time in Football is boring" I don't think this sport should resemble US Football in that ref-ing should be done by replays of video. I fall asleep every year trying to watch the superbowl because of all the stupid money making commercials. I for one hate the camera replay because it takes the 'on the fly action' and tradition from the game. Don't we have enough of that crap in other sports??? Let them play...that's why this sport is the most popular sport in the world, it keeps you on the edge of your seat for 45min, one break followed by another 45min of anything can happen action. Sure the Aussies played a good game but to suggest there is some kind of ref conspiracy going on is just stupid.
FIFA has ordered the refs to take control of the games and enforce discipline. Plain and simple, you foul you get warned, you foul again then you are pushing for another yellow. Red Cards should be dealt with at the discretion of the ref as he sees it. If every game was decided on goals only and discipline wasn't enforced then you would not have a sport. Truth be told you would have a World War 3 and players would be fighting.

Cameras, more refs more rules is not the answer because this just adds more frustration for the players. Off sides flag bla blah blah Enough already with the crying!!! Refs decide games only if one or both teams aren't playing by the rules. Its every bit of the players messing up the game too. Look what happend in the Portugual Vs Netherlands game. FIFA should ban both teams for poor sportsmanship and send them back home until they can play like adults. I like it just the way it is and the strict yellow cards being handed out should be a message to all future matches. Don't foul and surely don't get in the way of a goal or you will be penalized. Australia did not deserve to win that game I am sorry if they played good but one mistake can change the entire game and this is exactly what happend.
Posted: 11:45 PM   by Anonymous
Italy seems to get lucky with calls, weak ejections against the US, as well as a missed hand ball in the box, then a really controversial PK. Anyone else see a pattern?
Posted: 11:59 PM   by Anonymous
It is interesting to see so many stupid comments about the referee being corrupt (and the game bought by the Corleones, of course).
Why a corrupt referee would expel a player of the corrupting team on a very dubbious call, when he could just give a yellow card?? Why would he leave Italy playing foir 45' in numerical inferiority if he were corrupt?
Second point: referees are middle age people who must run continuously for 90 minutes behind much younger players who are cunning both in fauling and in diving (BTW, many Australian players play in Italy or have italian ancestors...If diving is in the DNA...). All this under the scorching eyes of the entire world, who with the help of slow motion HDTV and differnt view angles will analyze all the decisions they make on the spot and cry foul.
Maybe we should be more respectfull for the referees, even when we hate their decisions. In the end it should be a game..Shouldn't it?
Posted: 12:16 AM   by fanático
The author of this post said that he likes the kind of soccer played by aussies... maybe becoz he is not familiar with this kind of competition... with world class...

Aussies have played a poor, very poor soccer, based only on his athletic potential... They do not have creativity on mid, or real attack power... so the only thing they can do is stay on his field and try counter attacks... i don't see brilliantism on his tactics... i see the only thing a team can do on this circumstances... i see the obvious... a poor team....

The 25 fouls against brazil on the game aussies x brazil was nothing more than the consequence of the game played by two different schools.... art vs. strength.....

Italy, for me is the negative surprise... how a team can be so boring?!!? let the weak australia start to like the game.... a team with his tradition have to impose themselves and show who they are... have to play freely...

I hope Italy do better against Ukraine, and we all will have a great game at semis... BRAZIL X ITALY... A world class game...

And stop to talk about refs.... those who made mistakes are punished... I agree with andy on this point....
Posted: 12:17 AM   by Anonymous
I agree with Anonymous 11:42 (right above this post).. I'm an American, and one thing I hate about the NFL (especially) and the NBA to some extent is that the games take too long. NFL games last 3 1/2 hours sometimes. Too long. Futbol, on the other hand, is done in 1:50 or so. I like that. Plus, those dudes are in such good shape. Yet, the flopping and diving is a bit much, but, hey, it is part of the game. Just score goals and that part will take care of itself.
Posted: 12:28 AM   by Gama
I believe the so called exacerbated use of the cards to be appropriate in the WCup, but not necessarily due to FIFA's original recomendations. It is more a matter of practicality.
This is a large competition full of "newbies" (not in a pejorative sense), anxious to show results and to win. The "frequent fliers" are playing against teams they don't quite know. It is natural that things heat up. If one looks closer at some of the incidents, one may find that a couple of yellow cards calls should actually been for red ones. Without making any final assertion, I believe there have been mistakes in downgrading a call, as well as harsher penalties. For the unacquainted ones: this is NOTHING compared to what happens in national and continental games, where the refereeing quality is poorer. This Cup is not certainly seeing refereeing at its best, but it still a high quality performance!
Posted: 12:32 AM   by Gama
.... and I really don't understand why the comments about the corruption problems in Italy...

First, they are not unique to Italy (hey... I am Brazilian and I am being fair to Italy?? oops)

Second, they are not unique to soccer.

Third, although the Italian mafia may have started in Sicily, it was in NY and NJ were they found their best field.

Fourth, if someone thinks soccer is a violent game... may I just mention hockey?
Posted: 12:42 AM   by Gama
... and could someone tell the darn networks that putting up a stats board that covers half of the screen during a game is just crazy?? and keep it there while the commentator says half a minute of BS? Ok, could you at least make the stats board vary transparent so the spectators have a clue of what is going on?

The last thing fans care about is to be "informed" that a player who is about to score a goal was born in this or that year, plays for this or that team, scored this many goals in his career, and compares in such way with so and do player...
WE WANT TO SEE THE GOAL!!!
Posted: 12:49 AM   by Anonymous
FIFA has one option...
... Pierluigi Collina. Find him and get him to have a talk with all the referees on how to manage a match.
Posted: 12:53 AM   by Anonymous
So what's the problem? Where else can you get, in one place, at one time, the dazzling athleticism of Olympic 3-Meter Diving, wrenching performances worthy of the Royal Stratford Theatre, refereeing that's the envy of Figure Skating judges, and results as unpredictable as Professional Wrestling? FIFA just needs to change their marketing strategy, that's all.
Posted: 12:56 AM   by Anonymous
In all my years of watching and attending the World Cup, I think this is the worst officiated Cup there has been. While I understand the concern to crack down on fouls, there needs to be a different method as to dealw ith the fouls. If suspensions are needed then suspend a player after the match. That would make people think about their actions during the match and make them accountable. Rather than them going wild and cray during the game, they would be mindful thait FIFA was watching them and would go down hard on them.

As for the Italy vs. Australia match, the red card was perfectly warranted to Matterzatti (spelling?). It was a clear scoring opportunity to the Australian player and the Italian player took him down and he was the last player to the goal. The FIFA rules are clear that he deserves a red card. Heinze deserved a red card in the match against Mexico but never received one.
The penalty kick is something which was completely out of line. Grosso purposely stepped into Neill and had same thing taken place at any other time of the game, the ref would have disregarded it. This was a completely dubious call and I hope that FIFA will make sure that the ref will never call a match again. It is shameful what has happened to the game of futbol. It is no longer the beautiful game.
Posted: 2:12 AM   by Anonymous
Football officiating is very poorly designed and even the cleanest called games are not "clean". How can one man on the field and two on the sidelines cover the entire pitch? Diving works because it is impossible for the ref to be close enough to see what is actually going on.

Add a ref in each box and let the head ref roam. Diving will lessen because it will no longer be productive. Thuggish challenges will lessen because the details will actually be seen. The game will speed up, become more creative and fulfill more of its potential for beauty.

And for injury time? What is up with the ref just making up whatever he thinks is appropriate? How hard would it be to have a timekeeper?
Posted: 2:52 AM   by Anonymous
"Beautiful Game??" What a joke. The only reason this game is the most popular in the world is because it's the CHEAPEST to play. All you need is a ball!!! People marvel at the "skill" of the athletes. Give me a break. I'll give you that some can do pretty cool footwork and such, but no different (and much less difficult) than any top-level basketball, baseball or hockey player can do in their sports. 99% of the time a striker gets the ball in the box he misses the net by a mile or nails the keeper right in the hands. Want to know why?? Because they don't freakin look!! I can't believe how many blind wild kicks are made in this game! That's not skill, just luck.
Posted: 4:45 AM   by Anonymous
first of all, i came down to this exact line when i gave a rebuttal to my whining italian friends when they suffered a humiliating if not "unfair" loss to Guus Hiddink's S.Korea team 4 years ago

here goes...so what would you Azzurris have said of the unfair ref's call if you had instead scored 3 goals during the actual match?

now, change Azzurris to Socceroos and add to that - "playing 11 against 10 for half of the match?"..goes something like..

"So, you all Socceroos fans, would you really care about the harsh PK if your 11-men team had scored 3 goals against a tired 10-men Italian squad?"

the PK, foul or no foul, dive or not, was harsh but you know what, s**t happens..we can argue all we want until Jesus, Buddha or Allah strikes us all with lightning bolts from their as**s but refs/linesmen are part of the game and in ALL sports not just football, they can influence the outcome and (re)write sports history (for the avid fans, remember the no-call on Maradona's Hand of God or Bakhramov's awarding of the Wembley Goal in WC '66)

see, the problem really in my opinion (which was exactly Italy's failing before) is that the Aussies did NOT score enough goals needed for them to overcome bad luck or bad officiating... what makes this more tagic is that even with the gift given to the Aussies by the ref earlier when he unduely sent off Materazzi, the Socceroos can NOT capitlaize and score a SINGLE goal (Italy outshot Aus 3-2 EVEN when playing with only 10 men)..so who must the Socceroos blame for losing?
Posted: 5:25 AM   by Anonymous
Materazzi's tackle certainly deserved a red card. It was a dirty, two leg tackle with no intent to play the ball. No problem for Italy they lost him, as they have excellent back-ups.

Italy has always been great at defending (this is the country where defense is regarded as an art). Recent tournaments have shown it is impossible to win when you play so defensive. They have an easy opponent in the quarter final, but I don't believe Italy is in any shape to get a chance to beat Argentina or Germany in the semi's.
Posted: 6:31 AM   by Anonymous
Italy did what they always do: rollaround on the floor and draw a penalty kick. It comes as no great shock. This is what they are famous for. Also the reason that they are despised in Brasil.
Posted: 6:51 AM   by westside
Instant replay doesn't have to delay the game. Just give the ref an earpiece and mic so he can ask an official in the booth what really happened: how real vs. how fake was a foul, how intentional was a handball, etc. A good decision in ten seconds is a lot better than a bad decision in two seconds.
Posted: 6:57 AM   by John
It's not the refs, it's the rules. The rules of soccer encourage diving - especially in the box - because the reward is so high (a virtually guaranteed goal if it's a penalty kick). The severe rules also mean that any mistake by a ref is going to have extraordinary consequences. The rules of soccer guarantee that the reffing is always a big story in competition (check every other World Cup.)

Sepp Blatter should stop complaining about the refs and start modifying the rules so that the ref is not the central story of the competition.

Put more refs on that giant field. Duh. Basketball has three; ice hockey has two.

Move the penalty kick spot back to the point at which a goal is a 50/50 possibility, not an 80% probability. It's ridculous that just because a foul is committed in the penalty area that a near-automatic goal is awarded.

Introduce rule changes that increase scoring chances. Scoring opportunities are at a premium in soccer (i.e., rare) so that players are motivated to seek ever opportunity to create them under the rules, which means diving to get the extreme reward (penalty kick or opponent red carded). More scoring opportunities would mitigate this.

The players behaviour is simply dictated by rewards and punishments. Modify the rules and the behaviour will follow. Refs rule the pitch because the rules guarantee this outcome. Don't slam the poor ref; slam the rules that create the circumstances.
Posted: 7:13 AM   by Dewey
Good comments all. I think that anyone who states that they could actually see a real foul at the end of the Italia-Aussie game should look again. I hope these people are only being gentlemanly (or ladylike) hoping that the rest of the WC goes more smoothly.

It won't. Simply stated these games are fixed with idea of getting a Western European champion. If you paid attention it is obvious that the poor refereeing has benefited European teams.

You could see this coming from the beginning. The draw is fixed and that fix is undeniable. Every group should be headed by a team ranked in the top 8 yet in group "A" the highest ranked team is 19th in the world. Group "E" on the other hand has 3 teams ranked in the top 13 in the world. It is just plain sad.

I really do not care if Germany is the "host" team they should be ranked where they deserve to be ranked. Also, giving Germany essentially a bye, by making a group with the highest team ranked 19th in the world and since two teams advance from every group you are not just giving Germany a pass a second weak team is also given a pass to the second round. Really just unbelievable.

The main point in this is these guys that play this game at the WC level have been working all their live to get to the WC, most only get once shot and some idiotic Bozo from FIFA decides their fate.

It is a very European thing to "fix" everything and Europe deserves everything it will receive from the debacle which the 2006 World Cup fast becoming.
Posted: 7:39 AM   by Anonymous
I have lived in australia all my life, and i have never seen so many pissed off australians in my life. Not only did we have to wake up at ungodly hours in the morning to watch the damn game, we got dodgy refs in three out of our four games.
Posted: 8:02 AM   by Anonymous
Italy needs to start playing football again. They need to stop relying on dive acting, faking and conning referees.

Learn from Brazil how to play the game right.

Play honest, play the game fair.
Posted: 8:34 AM   by Anonymous
When FIFA decides to change the refereeing standards for the WC finals vs the standards used in qualifying, there's bound to be problems. It's a shame that with the players and refs in the spotlight, FIFA now sits back and takes "pot-shots" at them.
Posted: 8:35 AM   by Anonymous
The time has come in soccer, at this level at least, when a referee should stop and take a look at the slow motion replays of a foul he is not 100% sure of. The Italy v Australia match in a good example. On reviewing the footage from several angles the Italian should have been sent off for diving in the penalty area. Games at this level and in any major tournament surely deserve the few moments it would take for a referee to use the latest technology to make the right call.
Posted: 8:58 AM   by Anonymous
I don't believe overall that "the games are being decided by the referees." In the instance of Portugal - Netherlands the referee enforced the rules.

If the players had not CHEATED SO MUCH AND BROKEN THE RULES REPEATEDLY, they would not receive cautions and ejections. Headbutting, delaying the game, tackles from behind, shoving, etc., etc. These are fouls which according to the laws of the game merit a caution.

To me it is ridiculous to go on and on about giving "warnings" before a yellow card. That is what a yellow card is - a caution. It means "do that again and you are out."

These players are professionals - they know the rules, and they know FIFA said they will be enforced - and they should have NO DOUBT about it now.

Deco had been warned, then he deliberately delayed the game by holding the ball. Delaying the game IS a yellow card offense. 2nd caution=ejection. End of story. If he had not broken the rules again, he would still be playing.

The rules do not change for "exciting" players or "exciting" teams, or, for that matter, in the dwindling "exciting" moments of the match. A foul at the end is just as deserving of a caution or ejection as a foul at the start.

The burden is on the players to follow the rules at all times or face the consequences for themselves AND their teams.

Don't want to get ejected? Then don't cheat.
Posted: 9:08 AM   by Anonymous
All in all, this is the best show by referees in a world cup so far.
The worst game: Portugal vs Nederlands. Inconsistency on the calls.
I think we are seeing much less rough play than in cups past because all the calls. As long the referee is consistent through the match the player should adapt.
The player were warned about automatic yellow cards for tackle from behind, delay of game, etc.
Posted: 9:28 AM   by Wytefang
And yet again, poor, poor officiating does in another upstart team at the World Cup. Several teams now have the right to complain, and justifiably so at the horrific level of officiating at this year's World Cup. People wonder why futbol hasn't caught in the US and a few other countries, and all you have to do is look at the pathetic diving and crappy PK calls to see one good reason why. What a farce. To an outside observer, say a non-futbol fan, it's easy to get the impression that FIFA only respects the bigger-name teams like Italy, Brazil, etc...and wants them to progress. While I do not suscribe to this suspicion myself, it's getting tougher and tougher to argue against this conspiracy theory - especially in light of the laughable PK call against Australia for Italy. What a complete joke. Sorry Australia, you deserved to move on as you played better overall, despite the few good chances that Italy had. Hang your heads high. Also, check out the crappy refereeing in the Portugal vs Netherlands game. The red card given to Deco was a joke and while he did delay the game by holding onto the ball, he was subsequently THROWN to the ground by a Dutch player only to see NO CARD issued to the Dutch player for that poor behavior (not to mention the embarrassment when the Dutch failed to honor futbol's timeless courtesy of returning the ball to your opponents when it has been kicked away due to injury on the pitch - this was shameless by the Dutch and I'm glad to see them going home).

Ugly. FIFA needs to get its act together and stop coddling the soccer superpowers or they're going to find less and less nations willing to even show up for the World Cup.
Posted: 9:38 AM   by Anonymous
The red card on materazzi was very harsh and about the penalty, well it was neill's fault he went to ground and blocked Grosso's path to the goal. When you slide tackle ur suppose to get the goal or be close.. he didnt do neither and Grosso did the right thing by falling over him.

And yes Italy's defense and goalie are the best by far in the tournament and they can win it all but they need to keep possesion a little more and their strikers need to start finishing the chances they do get.
Posted: 9:49 AM   by Anonymous
It just comes down to this: the referees are making the tournament less fun to watch. You can say they're just following FIFA's rules, so then FIFA should be careful what its doing, because one of FIFA's jobs is to make the football/soccer more fun to watch.

FIFA has said the tournament would have been more physical and unsportsmanlike without all the cards, but too many players have been suspended for yellows in consecutive games just because its been too easy to get a yellow on accident.

Zidane's yellow that kept him out of France's last pool-play came was no yellow. And neither was Essien's that will keep him out of the Brazil match. I would've skipped work to see Brazil-Ghana if Ghana had Essien in the line-up, but now I suspect I'll skip it.

And you gotta get fouled way worse than normal to break a tie game with a penalty kick in stoppage time. Duh!
Posted: 10:27 AM   by Anonymous
I think everyone needs to back off of the referees. Until they put 6-8 referees on the field (like American football), have instant replay and coach's challenges (like American football), and turn it into a non-dynamic sport full of timeouts and commercials (like American football), it's never going to be perfect (not that American football is). One person on a huge field trying their best to keep order and maintain a sense of fairness in a non-stop game with 22 testosterone-filled athletes with egos as big as the game itself beating each other up (as is the norm in European soccer) in the biggest sporting event in the entire world is a big burden to bear. Consistency, or even the lack thereof, is always going to be a factor where humans need to make split-second decisions. It's part of the game. Diving and disrespect to the officials should not be. Deal with it. Play on!!!
Posted: 10:36 AM   by Anonymous
"you gotta get fouled way worse than normal to break a tie game with a penalty kick"!!! Ridiculous! It would favoured the teams that do not know how to play and hope the referee will not make a tough call in the area. If you make contact in the area you are putting your team at the mercy of the referee as when you play the Offside line. One does that at one's own risk. I am not an italian fan, but that was clearly a foul. A dumb foul on top of it! What! Should the referees allow more leeway for the underdogs, so they can have a chance? I hope not.
Posted: 10:58 AM   by max
To the layman with no experience in playing soccer the referee's decision my seem unwarranted and arbitrary. I have to commend FIFA and the referees for a job well done in upholding the rules and regulations of the game with out bowing to the ranting media and fans.
Posted: 11:13 AM   by Anonymous
The Aussies got robbed. The real victims are the fans. We'll never know how good our favorite team really is. Can the Italian fans truly be proud? Only if your a beggar that appreciates free hand-outs. (not that the Italians didn't play hard, but they didn't win the match)

I have a suggested rule change. If play is stopped for an "injured" player, that player should have to leave the field for a period of time (10-15min). Maybe make him have to leave the field for 2-3 times the amount of stoppage time. I'm getting tired of watching players flop because they aren't fit. They grab their leg and the medical team puts ice on their shoulder. As soon as they get the sideline, they are up and ready to go. Give me a break. England was atrocious with this...

This is one of the reasons I root for the underdogs and relative new comers. They may play hard and foul hard, but they don't seem to "act" as much. They play a more genuine form of soccer.
Posted: 11:49 AM   by Dan
Being a Holland fan the Portugal vs. Holland was very hard to watch. It was one of the dirtiest game I have ever seen. I am not saying all the cards were justified but sadly many were. It made me sad to see what the game degenerated to. Portugal's time delay tatics were disgraceful. I hope England waxes Portugal
Posted: 11:53 AM   by Anonymous
It seems to me that the effectiveness of the yellow card in this Cup is worth as much as the Papiermark was worth after WWI... players push the boundaries until the yellow is given - with so many yellows out, the official is disinclined to give too many double yellows (although recent matches have proven otherwise). Five red cards in one match and it's over.

A suggestion to FIFA: 5 minute "time-out" after a yellow card, similar to the 2 min penalty in hockey. (It's my understanding that some of the less prominent leagues are attempting to implement this rule.) This allows the player to cool off after the booking and punishes the entire team for one player's recklessness. I bet flagrant fouls and unsporting behavior will diminish drastically. And it will give the 4th official something else to do.
Posted: 12:30 PM   by Anonymous
LEARN FROM BRAZIL HOW TO "NOT" DIVE...
Look at Adriano yellow card!
Brazilians be serious, after all seem you know how to get fake PK
Posted: 1:13 PM   by Andy
Personally I just think they should recall Collina and have him ref every World Cup game until he's sixty..

His integrity is so well respected that even if he officiated a match involving Italy, no one would consider him biased - and although even Collina made mistakes, I've never seen one of his decisions send home the wrong team or send off the wrong player.

It's a pity we're not allowed to clone him and preserve his genius for future generations. ;-)
Posted: 1:30 PM   by Andy
Looking at the scoreline of the Brazil game, you'd think they cake walked this game, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Ghana dominated the game for long periods, and like Australia had cause to complain about certain decisions from the referee.

However unlike Australia the worst decision, not to call Adriano offside (twice) in the build up to his goal, did not affect the outcome.

If Ghana had been good enough to win they would have done so, with the amount of possession, the fact that throughout much of the game they outshot Brazil two to one, but in the end they lacked the composure Essien would have brought and just didn't have Brazil's quality in front of goal.

So a poor decision allowed Brazil's second goal, but in the end they had more than enough chances (over 20) to cancel that out; and where Brazil hit the target more than 3 times for every 4 shots taken (10 from 13), Ghana's shots on goal (9 from 22) nearly always were straight at the keeper.
Posted: 1:52 PM   by Anonymous
i agree, italy can make a deep run they're playing outstanding defense. i don't believe the aussies were hosed on that call, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder). i'm curious as to why more attention isn't being paid to the inadequacies of the coaches in this world cup. in my view, the refs are responding to chippy play that the coaches could control and should be discouraging. is it any accident that the teams whose coaches hold their players accountable have not been involved in the controversies?
Posted: 1:52 PM   by CDub
"Ridiculous! It would favoured the teams that do not know how to play and hope the referee will not make a tough call in the area. If you make contact in the area you are putting your team at the mercy of the referee as when you play the Offside line. One does that at one's own risk. I am not an italian fan, but that was clearly a foul. A dumb foul on top of it! What! Should the referees allow more leeway for the underdogs, so they can have a chance? I hope not."

You mean leeway, as in allowing Italians to play hand ball in the box, with no foul given?

All the soccer coverage I've seen, along with expert analysis, suggest there is no way that was remotely a foul.
Posted: 1:55 PM   by Anonymous
enough of this Australia deserved to win BS!

up 11 men to 10 for most of the second half and yet coming up EMPTY and worse, having FEWER shots on goal than the Italians, did NOT constitute a winning effort; I'm not sure if you folks watched the same game but Italy had 3 shots on goal..Australia only 2 AFTER being one man up..what a disgrace!

stop blaming the Italians for dive acting when your team could have and should have taken care of SCORING at least one goal when you had an undue advantage coming from a dubious red card on Materazzi

if anything, the Italians deserved to be awarded that PK for their gutsy defending
Posted: 3:04 PM   by Anonymous
Going back to the comment made at 9:28. The Dutch didn't give the ball back to Portugal after the "injury" was because the Potugese player went down dubiously to get the game halted. I think more teams should do that. If a guy takes a dive and rolls around like he's been shot, carry on playing. The coach will get in his face if they opposing team scores while he was lying on the ground in "agony" Look at Figo the other night. Living in germany I see him play all the time (Champs League and RAI) and its always the same thing with this guy. He's tapped and the next thing you know he's flooping like a fish out of water. He got brushed in the face and went down screaming. He should take a lesson from that American guy who got creamed but got up, got stitched, and came back on. Its pretty disgrceful. And yes, the refs are partly to blame because they let it happen.
Posted: 3:12 PM   by Anonymous
Whether it was fair or not, I'm disappointed that Australians won't let it go!!! Bad calls are part and parcel of the game and you just have to cop it sweet. Sometimes they benefit you, other times they go against you. It happens. The aftermath of this game is bordering on ridiculous - everyone has an opinion. It happened. Let it go. And no, I'm not Italian or a FIFA referee - I'm an Australian.
Posted: 3:13 PM   by Anonymous
Wow...some of you really do not know enough about the game to make such venemous comments toward Italian football. The ones who do, have a very childish bias against Italy for God knows what.

I will agree that the PK call was debatable. But the bottom line is that Grosso's progress was impeded by an Aussie defender's body in the box. Maybe he could have stepped over it but Shwarzer would have had more time to get to the ball. It was no worse a call than the red on Materazzi. Stop acting like Austrailia got screwed and never had a chance. They were a man up for 43 minutes and generated nothing. They did not deserve to win the match by any stretch of the imagination.

And the whining about Italy playing so defensive? They were a man down! Look at the first half. Who had more scoring chances? Italy had the ball 40% of the time yet outchanced the Aussies decidedly because they played right into the Italian counter-attack strategy. Criticizing Italy for being defensive minded at times is like criticizing Brazil for being too creative. Its called playing to your strength.

And some of you need to get over the Italy-U.S. game. It's over. The U.S. played a dirty game. Dirtier than the Italians.
Posted: 3:20 PM   by Alessandro
I'm italian and I played"calcio"for 15 years.Italian coaches always teach us:"1st DEFENSE!"and:"If you defend strong you can create fastbreaks and so mch easy goals for your team".Yesterday Italy did it!The PK was an orrible call by the ref,but we play "difesa e contropiede"(defence and fast break)This is our football!!!!I'm sorry for my english!!!
Posted: 3:21 PM   by Anonymous
stop calling for instant replay!!! if you dont like the officiating, dont watch. replay is slaughtering the NFL and referees still make the wrong calls all the time anyway. what makes soccer so amazing is the continuity lacking in american sports which would be destroyed in soccer w/replays!
Posted: 3:38 PM   by Anonymous
I have nothing in particular against Italy, but Italian players dive. Constantly. They are consistently the worst team when it comes to diving and faking injuries.

I love the logic of some of the Italian fans that since Australia didn't score while a man up, Italy deserved a PK or a win. I suppose the US deserved a PK or a win at the end of their game when Italy couldn't score while up a man for an entire half. No, the Italians deserved congratulation for playing good defense. But good defense doesn't win a game; ask Switzerland.

Italy didn't deserve a cheap penalty kick. Yet another in a series of poor refereeing decisions which have pretty much ruined this World Cup. Such a shame.
Posted: 4:16 PM   by Adam
i have not heard a single italian fan say italy deserved the PK because australia couldnt score with a man up. what the they are saying is that the aussies got a big break and did not take advantage of it. the italians got a big break and did. and spare me the garbage about how a penalty shot is not comparable to 45 minutes of 10 on 9 attackers. just ask the swiss what they think of penalty shots...
Posted: 4:16 PM   by CDub
"replay is slaughtering the NFL"

Slaughtering the NFL, which is now undoubtedly the number one sport in the U.S.?

To paraphrase a famous line, "I do not think that word means what you think it means..."
Posted: 4:18 PM   by Anonymous
"But good defense doesn't win a game; ask Switzerland."

oh yeah? why don't you ask switzerland about the guarantee of a penalty shot? or shevchenko?
Posted: 4:37 PM   by Anonymous
American football is still EXPERIMENTING with instant replay in an effort to get it right. I do agree that American football needs to get rid of the TV timeouts.

I'm not sure how people are saying that the Americans played a dirty game against Italy. That game was reffed poorly. Which is a theme at this World Cup: INCONSISTENT officiating. Not corruption. Not fixing (although the way the draw was divided up was horrendous in my opinion). Its the result of too many referees from too many countries with some refs taking justice into their own hands and not letting the game play.
Posted: 5:02 PM   by Anonymous
A penalty kick is a MUCH bigger penalty than being a man down. A PK results in a goal, what, 70-80% of the time? And how many World Cup games are decided by a single goal? Being a man down only means that you have to forego attacking until a wide open fast break opportunity comes, and in the meantime you start flopping around like rag dolls any time a defender makes contact. Ask any manager which they'd prefer, and they'll pick a PK every time.
Posted: 5:07 PM   by Anonymous
adam said...

"i have not heard a single italian fan say italy deserved the PK because australia couldnt score with a man up."

several posts earlier, anonymous said...

"if anything, the Italians deserved to be awarded that PK for their gutsy defending"

one and counting...
Posted: 6:04 PM   by Anonymous
>A penalty kick is a MUCH bigger >penalty than being a man down. A >PK results in a goal, what, 70->80% of the time?

another baseless statistic..maybe you should consult Larsson and that Ghanian striker who both missed penalty kicks in regulation...

being one man up especially if the score is tied or your team leading almost assures you of not getting behind and hence not losing..a penalty kick on the other hand if missed or saved levels the play again..so if the score is tied, being the manager I'll definitely choose to be one man up...only when you are behind by ONE goal will u even seriously consider doing a penalty kick..with the risk of course that a miss or save means you will be back to a losing proposition

if you are behind by two goals, it's a no-brainer..you will choose to be one man up!
Posted: 6:29 PM   by Anonymous
It appears the poor or questionable officiating is becoming a pandemic over the past year. MLB, the NFL and the NBA playoffs were all marred by less than stellar officiating. Maybe the officials just aren't up to the quality of the players anymore. It is a sad day when officiating becomes the story and not the play on the pitch, court or field.

Will being the recipient of questionable calls bode as well for the Italians as for the White Sox, Steelers and Heat?
Posted: 7:12 PM   by Anonymous
The whole notion about Italy "deserving" a penalty is laughable. In fact, the entire notion about any team "deserving" any call is laughable: the calls should be made (and, for the most part have been) on an individual basis but in a manner which allows the referee to maintain relative control over the course of the game while remaining consistent with the amount of aggression permitted on the field.

No, Italy did not deserve a penalty kick for defending well against the Australians for 45 minutes. Italy DID deserve the penalty kick because Neill tripped Grosso, plain and simple. It's been debated about whether or not the trip merited a penalty kick; again, this doesn't matter. If the foul had occurred at midfield, it gets called everytime; there should be no difference if it happens on the touchline six yards from the goal.

Was it the right decision? Probably. Was it the fair decision? Most assuredly not. The fair thing would've been to have them keep playing until one team legitimately separated themselves as the better team by converting a scoring opportunity into a goal. However, fair matters little in this discussion. The fact is that the ref made a call, certainly a close one, but he made it without hesitation and in doing so put one team through to the next round.

Oh, and discussing the benefits of a penalty kick vs. a red card: I think if you were to ask any soccer player, they would tell you that a penalty SHOULD be converted every time. It also should be noted, however, that teams playing with a man advantage hadn't been scored on in something like 18 consecutive World Cup matches. Particularly if the red card occurs early enough in the game, it can prove to be as much a decisive advantage as a gift-wrapped goal. Australia played 45 minutes with a man advantage and most people claim that they outplayed the Italians. In my opinion, this was a game highly reminiscent of the US-Italy game in which the United States was commended for holding on down a man for a second half (like the Italians) while creating suitable chances (like the Italians).

I hope that l'Azzurri can put this chaos behind them and finally live up to expectations by thumping a dour Ukraine side this Friday. May Luca Toni finally record a goal, followed by others, and may Shivchenko be swallowed up by - a major story that is being overlooked - the amazing play thus far of Gigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro.

The final score was 1-0, although the game was closer than that. However, any impartial soccer fan recognizes the vindication that this game provided for the Italians after their shameful exit from Japan/Korea
'02 at the hands of Hiddink's team. So screw you Guus, although I'm sure you'll get Russia into tip-top shape for South Africa '10, and, in the meantime, let the games progress.
Posted: 7:43 PM   by Anonymous
"You could see this coming from the beginning. The draw is fixed and that fix is undeniable. Every group should be headed by a team ranked in the top 8 yet in group "A" the highest ranked team is 19th in the world. Group "E" on the other hand has 3 teams ranked in the top 13 in the world. It is just plain sad.

I really do not care if Germany is the "host" team they should be ranked where they deserve to be ranked. Also, giving Germany essentially a bye, by making a group with the highest team ranked 19th in the world and since two teams advance from every group you are not just giving Germany a pass a second weak team is also given a pass to the second round. Really just unbelievable."

Another one that believes in the FIFA rankings. There doesn't seem to be an end to the gullible folk. Do you even have an idea of how the points that determine the rankings are awarded?

What no one seems to mention is the idea that club teams have put pressure on FIFA to keep their expensive players unhurt when they are loaned to their national teams. That's the reason FIFA wants the referees to crack down on fouls that have the potential to cause a severe injury. If club teams refuse to give over their players for national team duty, that's the end of FIFA money makers like the World Cup.
Posted: 7:50 PM   by Anonymous
i made the "nfl slaughtering" comment and ill grant you, i used the wrong word. i just meant that it kills the flow of the game, for me atleast and many others. i love the NFL of course, but the stop and go aspect is something i dont like, which is why i dislike baseball and love soccer.
Posted: 7:55 PM   by jack
well, us-italy was dirty. both teams played dirty. the US too. i mean come on, you dont get two red cards for nothing. im not excusing italys play but it is naive to think the americans didnt play their part. and spare me the "big fish get the calls in FIFA world cup"...US, ranked 5th by FIFA is a bigger fish than Ghana (48) and even Italy (13) in the dubious ranking system...
Posted: 7:57 PM   by leon.k
I think you are wrong.In that case grosso can't stop himself.That's a
obvious penalty kick.
Posted: 8:26 PM   by Anonymous
I'm sure that video refereeing might ruin a bit of Football's magic.
But I hate all the fakers and divers and the faking of injuries when the score is on our side.

FIFA has to work on those issues.
OK No Video Refereeing but couldn't we have a Disciplinary Board from former Players that could discipline fakers AFTER the game? How many would fake if they knew that they could miss the next match?

What is the situation with the fourth referree? What is his role?
What would have happened if Simunic (CROATIA) had scored on the last minute sending Australia home?
He was ILLEGALY in the field and NOONE told the referee! Could FIFA change the score and give Australia the chance? I DON'T THINK SO.

INJURY time!
Australia Vs Brazil. 3 minutes Injury time. The ref stops the game at 2:45
Australia Vs Italy. 3 minutes Injury time. The ref awards a PK on 2:59. So in a way the injury time added to the game for the Red Card to Italy helped them win that game. I LOVE FIFA LOGIC.

As I said FIFA has lots of issues to resolve. And maybe FIFA officials should stop travelling the world looking for votes from African countries in return of a few soccer kits and sit down and work hard on changing the Beautiful Game.
Posted: 11:34 PM   by Anonymous
I'm 52, and I've been playing and coaching the game and watching World Cups for more than 30 years. I KNOW the game. Believe me, the Italian guy who says we don't understand the game doesn't understand us. We want the Italians to play soccer, not dive and fake injuries. Soccer is a beautiful game if it is played hard for 90 minutes. If the Italians played hard for 90 minutes and stayed on their feet and won the game, I would be their fan as I am of Brazil. I'm watching this Cup to see beautiful, hard-nosed soccer, supposedly the best soccer in the world, NOT diving and faking. So far, I have been unimpressed with Italy.
Posted: 12:12 AM   by Anonymous
I respond to the blog at 3:38 PM

> but Italian players dive. Constantly.

Do you have the statistics to back this up..or is this one of those generalizations based on biased emotions and stereotypes. See, I love Brazil but Adriano got carded for a dive during the Ghana game as well. In each team there are players who are prone to fake-dive and some have finer acting skills than others but by no means are these tactics exclusive to the Italians. They may just be better at doing it..oh,well the French too so it seems as Henry sold a dive pretty well that earned a free kick which Zidane sent long to Veira who converted it for France 2nd goal in their match against Spain…now, would you fault Henry for earning that oppurtunity to score?

If any of you honestly believe that excellent national teams can be assembled where absolutely no one play-acts, then good luck cheering for a squad of amateurs or saints whichever suits your taste...but that will not be realistic in the World Cup.

> I suppose the US deserved a PK or a win at the end of their game when Italy couldn't score while up a man for an entire half.

Hell YES! But you know what, the US did not..so are the Italians at fault again for the US not getting a PK/win? No doubt, that was a good game by the US team and they deserved to win HAD they gone one goal up..but then again..they did NOT. In the Italy-Australia game, the Azzuris defended magnificently with only 10-men then scored one more than the Socceroos so the Azzurris deserved to win. Plain and simple.

> good defense doesn't win a game

Now, this is just a clueless statement..you really should study your football before posting..ALL WC winners from 1990 to 2002 (W.Germany, Brazil, France and Brazil) SHUT OUT their opponents in the World Cup final…If you can only get off your mind this romantic idea of beautiful soccer then you will realize that even the Brazilians resort to defensive football strategy to win the championship. Defense definitely wins World Cups.
Posted: 1:09 AM   by Anonymous
Football is such a low scoring game that a single refereeing decision can have enormous effects. FIFA need to pull their finger out. The refereeing has been terrible - and these are presumably the world's best referees.

These would help:
A video replay for an off-pitch panel of referees, consulted by radio. The panel also need to be able to point out what the referee has missed. This is used in other sports without delaying the match. There are already dozens of cameras following the play.

Something in between a yellow-card and a red-card, like sending a player off for say 5 minutes.

The Italy-Australia match showed the teams playing fairly evenly. Australia had much more possession but was not able to do much when they got the ball near the goal, whereas Italy was more lacklustre but occassionally producing much better quality play. If the match had not seen the dubious red card and dubious last minute penalty, it could have been either team who won.

In the Italy-Australia match, if Australia had won, then Italian supporters would be complaining about the red card to Materazzi. It didn't warrant a red card, but nor should a penalty have been awarded against Neill.

Still this match was one of the best referred matches in which Australia played, which is harsh criticism of the standard of refereeing overall.

Other matches have seen an unpenalised rugby tackle on Viduka right in front of the goal, interference with the goal keeper and a Croation player given 3 red cards. One of Australia's key players was not playing because of a dubious second yellow card in the Croation match. Probably every team has suffered in this way.

The result should be decided by the actions and the mistakes of the players, not by the mistakes of the referees.
Posted: 6:31 AM   by Anonymous
On the italy - Aust game (I am Australian) at worst it was obsruction/unintented which from memory doesnt = a PK as it was not deliberate, direct free in the box from where it occured. The feeling in Aust is getting over it and learning from it. 5h!t look at how they qualified, in the Italy game they were looking for a draw or ET win. Huddick was too conservative in the second half, no extra striker

Back on topic REFREES AT THE WC, why do the interrepations change for a WC? What does FIFA hope to achieve by this? Mind you special balls for a WC doesnt always make senses!
Posted: 8:33 AM   by Anonymous
Mr Bechhtel,

What would you have had the Russian Ref do in the Por-Ned Match? He was confronted out of the gates by the Dutch tactic of trying to injure one of the POrtuguese best strikers, and they succeeded. That was followed by a Karate kick to the shoulder of Robben. The match continued with a head butt, and countless late and malicious tackles. The Ref is responsible for that? I think not. The entire blame for 4 red cards, 2 others that should have been cards, the attack on roben and figo's head butt, and werent, lies entirely with the players and managers. Quit the group think of bashing the refs and call it as it is. PLEASE.
Posted: 9:41 AM   by Ed
Referees in general at this year's world cup have not helped the cause of the world cup. It is making it difficult for some of the countries playing good football like Australia, Ghana and Netherlands to lose out from going further in the competition.

I do not want to believe that Fifa and the referees are favoring some of the world known countries in football like Brazil and Italy.

Ghana would surely be back in 2010 and they would make sure they come to the tournament with their own referees
Posted: 9:47 AM   by Anonymous
The biggest shame of that penalty as well as all the dives and other bad ref decisions is that the millions of aussies who jumped on the socceroo bandwagon are now more than happy, even relieved, to go back to Aussie rules football or rugby where the refs have little impact on the game and players always go hard at the ball. I assume its the same in the US with the NFL and even Ireland with Gaelic Football. With calls like that soccer will only ever be a bandwagon sport in these countries.
Posted: 10:35 AM   by Anonymous
Its time to bring instant reply in soccer. This world cup has shown alot of bad officiating. It seems to me that the referee determines the outcome of the game. Hopefully they have not received bribe or in gambling.

A critical example is Brazil's second goal aganist Ghana. That was off-side whi was not called.
Shame to see this FIFA.

This is every 4 years and cannot be taken for a joke.
Posted: 11:36 AM   by Anonymous
Officiating at this world cup is terrible. The refs are being overzealous in applying the rules and making very bad calls. They are destroying the game. It is no longer fair play. It is so disgusting when better sides lose because of bad officiating. The quality of the EUFA champions league is far higher than the world cup. Fifa has not shown any serious committment in tackling the problem. Its sad
Posted: 11:42 AM   by Anonymous
It's not just the referees who deserve the blame but the players as well. As a referee it is very difficult to tell in the run of play (we don't get slow mo)when an experienced player is fouled or going for an academy award. Only til the game is played without diving will we see more even officiating.
Posted: 1:19 PM   by Anonymous
If FIFA is protecting Brazil then then the world cup is a Joke. This time arround they have nothing to offer.Ronaldinho cries for protection yet lunches a carrier threatening attack on Ghanian Player Eric Addo under nose of the referee but no foul was given. I am proud of the black stars nothing prevented them from displaying a beautiful game even without a their coach and a man down. ---frodo
Posted: 1:20 PM   by Anonymous
The only reason the refs are so much in the news is not because of their actions - it is the players game and if the players make a mockery of it then the refs have no choice but to follow.

For Example - it is not the refs fault the Aussie defender got beat 6 yards from his own goal and decided to leave his feet and spread his legs and body in front of the Italian. If that is what his coach trains him to do..shame on the coach! When you leave your feet on defense you are A. unable to move to defend properly and B. opening yourself up to a tripping call.

I have a prediction (suggestion) that will probably be writtten off as crazy by soccer nuts but why doesn't FIFA outlaw slide tackles? Does the game really need slide tackles? Without these poor defensive tactics it would make the refs job much easier and more players will be playing and not sitting out.

With all this "blame the ref" talk surrounding the world cup it's no wonder we have U10 parents doing the same thing at "Johnny's" games!
Posted: 1:23 PM   by Anonymous
congrats to the fan that pointed out Adriano's booking for a dive (wait, how can that be? --he's Brazilian...)

AND

Henry's complete dive and faking of pain in the face, when he wasn't even touched, which resulted in France's go-ahead goal...

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT ALL THOSE WHO ONLY POINT OUT DIVES BY THE ITALY TEAM????
Posted: 1:33 PM   by Casey
The easy thing is to say that the referees are destroying the game, calling the wrong penalties or too many. The problem really lies at the feet and hands of the players themselves. Having played, watched, coached and referreed soccer since the late sixties, the quality of the refereeing is usually a constant, some good, some bad, some indifferent, and while there have been a lot of cards this year, that was mandated by FIFA. The truth of the matter is that whether cards get handed out has always been decided by the players, like the one who chose to throw an elbow when he was in mid-air for everyone to see, the ones who haven't figured out that slide tackles from behind almost always get called, the ones who persist in using their hands to grab at the shirts of better players, or the ones who think that referees are fooled when they go flying from a fair shoulder. The real problem continues to be the failing of governing bodies to police players outside of the referees. As long as the sport relies on referees to police all aspects of play on the field, there will continue to be players who try to get away with bad play, knowing that the referee can't see everything, or even half of everything. Maybe the answer is two referees to keep up with the speed of the game, or post-game review and penalties. One thing remains true, however, the problem is not the referees, the problem is the players.
Posted: 3:44 PM   by Anonymous
Two different cab drivers in Berlin called this tournament more than two months before the first whistle--it's the best tournament money can buy. Too much money, too many special interests, too many interested in protecting the "old guard" above all else. The matches are entertaining, but the "new guard" never stood a chance.
Posted: 4:15 PM   by Anonymous
I brought up PK stats yesterday, guessing that 70-80% were converted, and that estimate was called "baseless." The fact is 11 of 15 PK's have been converted in this World Cup, or 73.3%. In the first round, it was 9 of 12, or 75%. Okay? Look it up like I did.

As to whether a manager would rather have a PK or a man advantage, I honestly don't see why one would ever choose the extra man, unless you were are already up by two or more goals or by one with limited time remaining. Only 2.36 goals are being scored per game in this World Cup, the 2nd lowest rate ever. In the first round, 26 of 48 games, or 54.2%, were decided by 0 or 1 goal. In the second round, it's been 5 of 8, or 62.5%. Thus, statistically speaking, the awarding of a penalty kick with a 73% chance of becoming a goal makes a tremendous difference in the potential outcome of a game, and when it's called late, like ITA v AUS, it all but decides the outcome.

This is not that different from the pass interference in the end zone call in the NFL, which results in four tries for a TD from the one yard line, except you'd have to increase the value of the TD & PAT to 8 or 9 points. That would not be insurmountable in the NFL, where 20.6 points were scored per game in '05, but it might be if it were called late in the game.

John had it right: Lessen the severity of the punishment by moving the spot back.
Posted: 4:28 PM   by Anonymous
Stats guy again...

As for the point a couple made about being a man up and not giving up a goal, I guess that streak was broken by Australia, right? But even if one concedes that being a man up guarantees you will not give up a goal, and will thus preserve a win or tie, I still think a 73% chance at a goal is more valuable in an environment where goals are so scarce.
Posted: 8:32 PM   by Anonymous
I was the one who challenged the "baseless" claim of the person who said PKs should be converted 70%-80% of the time. I have an utter disgust for number-crunching in futbol (this is not baseball for crying out loud) but since the blogger put in some effort (see post at 4:15 PM) I am obliged to verify my assertion. 'Lo and behold, the numbers did not only prove me right, it also revealed some very convincing statistics.

I based my information from this link:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/scoreboard?league=fifa.world&cc=3436&date=20060627

Total of 14 PKs during the 90-min reg (+stoppage time):

10 Goals
(Villa, C.Ronaldo, Torres, Dindane Kalou, Simao, Appiah, Shevchenko, Totti, Villa)
4 Missed
(Gyan, Srna, Bravo, Larsson)

For the penalty shootout between Swi vs. Ukr there were 7 shots - 4 misses vs. 3 goals

So for direct kicks from the penalty spot, of the 21 attempts, 13 were converted to goals, 7 were missed.

In short, the success rate of getting 1 (ONE) goal from a PK is about 62%. Remember only ONE goal.

Maybe enough for the person yesterday to smile about. But wait, let's see what the numbers say for the other penalty..that is, what comes out for having a one-man advantage?

Please proceed to my next blog.
Posted: 8:49 PM   by Anonymous
this is the continuation of my rebuttal for that 70-80% PK conversion...

now, in the past 56 games (grp. stage - 2nd rd), there were a total of 13 matches that saw one team get at least one-man advantage..i listed them below, the time in the first bracket is when the penalty was called, the number after the + is/are the goals scored AFTER the penalty and the time in the brackets succeding the goals show when the goals were made

T&T vs. Swe - (46th) +0
S.K vs. Togo - (53rd) +2(54th,72nd)
Ger vs. Pol - (75th) +1 (90th)
Esp vs. Ukr - (47th) + 2(48th,81st)
Arg vs. Ser - (65th) + 3(78th,84th,88th)
Cze vs. Gha - (66th) +2 (67th,82nd)
Ita vs. US - (28th,45th,47th) +0
CIV vs. Ser - (45th,90th) +2 (67th,86th)
Ita vs. Cze - (45th) +1 (87th)
Ukr vs. Tun - (45th) + 1 (71st)
Ger vs. Swe - (35th) + 0
Por vs. Hol - (45th,63rd,78th,90th) + 0
Bra vs. Gha - (81st) +1 (84th)

here are some key observations based on these numbers:

1) 9 out of the 13 times the team with (1) man advantage scores; that is 69% of the time..a much better success rate than PK conversion

2) 5 out of the 9 times the team with one man advantage scores 2 or more goals!..that is, 55% of the time, you can get + 2 goal differential if you are one man up!

3) in all 9 times when the advantaged team scored, they did it WITHIN 45 minutes..

4) and this one made me smile, 4 out of 9 times, the go-ahead goal was scored WITHIN 5 minutes when the advantage was given.

SO, my dear blogger..do you still wanna argue why I will choose taking a one man advantage over a PK if the penalty was granted?
Posted: 8:53 PM   by Anonymous
ohh..and going back to the original topic...

if the Socceroos can NOT score with one-man advantage for 40 mins or so, they DID NOT deserve to win..

you can argue all you want whether the PK granted to the Azzurris was fair or not, but when given the chance, the Italians converted...

now, I don't even need to remind you that the statisitcs show the conversion rate for that PK is LESS than for having a man advantage right?

ok, let's all get a life!
Posted: 9:31 PM   by Anonymous
oops..I forgot to count Ita vs. Aus for a game with one man advantage..

anyway, it brings the total number to 14 matches where one team was one man up and the success rate of scoring at least one goal to "only" 64%..still higher than the PK conversion rate in the past 56 gmaes
Posted: 9:33 PM   by Anonymous
Rugby Union has successfully had video refereeing in international competition for over a decade. The referee is asked to make decisions relating to whether or not a try was scored. They are limited in what they can look at and the referee generally specifies what they're concern is - forward pass, knock-on, offside, etc.

The impact on the game in terms of time is minimal. In the most impossibly difficult circumstances it is rarely more than a couple of minutes. In most circumstances the referee takes approximately 30 seconds. Given that football already uses injury time, surely instituting a video referee for use in specific circumstances - e.g. offside questions surrounding goals and fouls in the box - would not substantially impact the pace of the game and would reduce the degree of controversy.
Posted: 2:47 AM   by Anonymous
The future of training for the World Cup. Enjoy

http://www.joga.com/VideoView.aspx?videoDocId=3081034615451246899
Posted: 6:14 AM   by Shane
Yes, the refereeing has been shocking so far in this World Cup, however, as a referee I would like to point out a number of things regarding the Italy v Australia match (one I believe was well officiated). In regards to the PK given at the end of the game. Looking at the slow motion replay I would agree that it probably shouldn't have been a penalty, however watching the game in real time the challenge looked quite clumsy and possibly deserving of a penalty. What confuses the issue for me is the fact that as the last defender the rules state that Neill should be carded, at least with a yellow. The fact that he wasn't carded at all (to my knowledge) suggests doubt in the referee's mind in which case the penalty should not be awarded.

Similarly with the red earlier in the match this was a bad, late tackle deserving of at least a yellow and again as he was the last defender I believe a red was waranted.

I'm an Aussie though and to be honest the Socceroos lost the game for themselves in not taking advantage of the extra man when they had the chance.
Posted: 12:51 PM   by Anonymous
The slovakian referee who handled the Brazil v Africa match should be dismissed. Bias officiating.
Posted: 12:34 AM   by mdevey
In all my years I have never seen such poor decisions by officlas that that have affected the outcome of games, but I don't understand the players' role in this. Why isn't anyone placing part of the blame on the players? Not only are there far too many tackes from behind, but there is absolute stupidity on the players' part. If a basketball officla calls a tocuh foul in the opening momnets of the game players adjust. If an umpire calls a tigt strike zone a pitcher adjusts. How stupid are these players? Adjust and play the game.
Posted: 2:12 PM   by Brian of Biloxi
In responee to :Posted: 6:31 AM by Anonymous

A Direct Free Kick in the Box is a penalty Kick..I think you meant to say an INDIRECT Free Kick--which would have been the better call to make--(aside from NOT MAKING THE CALL in the last second of stoppage time).

Bottom Line is that the penalty kick was not deserved--Italy got very lucky...I'm interested in seeing if they suffer any negative Karma as a result of the "luck" they have enjoyed by poor referee decisions during this WC.
Posted: 7:25 PM   by Anonymous
I think it's time for FIFA to move into the modern world. On close calls the TV commentators say, let's look at the replay. Then they and millions of others see slow motion replays from three different angles and know instantly whether there's been a correct call or a blown call.

It's asking too much of refs to run down the field, get into good position and then make an instantaneous judgment on close plays. In many cases these calls can be decisive e.g. the call against Australia.

Let FIFA look at the American Football experience and give their own refs the benefit of the same technology that millions of TV viewers have.
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