Incompetence taints Cup

By Brian Glanville, World Soccer

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IN ALL the furor over South Korea's generous treatment by referees, it's strange that in the written press, though not on BBC television -- no emphasis was placed on what was surely far the most contentious decision of the South Korea vs. Spain match.

It wasn't the header by Ruben Baraja which was ruled out. It wasn't the goal disallowed when the lively young Joaquin pulled the ball back from the right for Fernando Morientes to head in, only for a dopey linesman's flag to be held up denoting that the ball had crossed the goal line when it so plainly hadn't. It seemed clear enough that the referee's whistle had blown before the ball had reached the goalmouth and Morientes, and that the Korean keeper Lee Woon-jae had stopped, allowing the header to fly in.

No, far, far more serious than that was the decision by Egyptian referee, Gamal Ghandour, to authenticate the Korean keeper's save from the fatal penalty taken by Joaquin when Lee had moved well off his line.

Decreeing that the spot kick be taken against should have been automatic but Ghandour, previously seen in happy smiling converse with the Korean coach, Dutchman Guus Hiddink, let the save stand and the Spaniards were out. Dirty work at the crossroads? Who can say? Not I, who spent so many months in the mid-70s investigating and exposing the Italian corruption of European referees at club and international level.

It is alas true that at governmental level South Korea is deeply corrupt. If it isn't the father it's the son, and if it isn't the son then it's the father. The country's President seems honest enough, but his sons have been indicted for finagling. By the same token, the powerful manipulator Chung Mong-joon, who did so much to bring the World Cup to South Korea seems honest enough, but his father as boss of Hyundai cars has been indicted in the past for bribery.

HAVING said which, I have no sympathy at all for the pathetic vittisimo, alias persecution feelings, with which the Italians reacted to their own defeat by South Korea and to Croatia.

In both games they scored what seemed valid goals which were disallowed, and there is probably a case for saying that Francesco Totti was somewhat harshly sent off for an alleged dive and a second yellow card.

No excuse at all however for Totti by his own admission and other Italians smashing up their dressing room afterwards.

I cannot remember England players doing anything of the sort when Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" punched that goal in Mexico. And surely it is a question of pots and kettles when the head of the Italian delegation Raffaele Ranucci speaks darkly of possible corruption of the referee Byron Moreno of Ecuador.

Wasn't it the notorious and late Italo Allodi who got at the Swiss referee Dienst (he, too, deceased), when he refused Yugoslavia the plainest penalty in the 1968 European Nations Cup Final in Rome? We accused Allodi of that in the Sunday Times and it was never denied.

And what of 1974 in Stuttgart when the Poles initially accused the Italians of trying to bribe them to lose a vital qualifier in Stuttgart? The fact is that Italy should have won both those games in a canter but had neither the stamina nor the initiative. Years of catenaccio caution have left their dismal mark and coach Gianni Trapattoni doesn't seem to have Enzo Barzot's gift of "disintoxicating" his men after the physical and psychological rigors of the exhausting Campionato.

But the Italians still had enough chances in both games to have won with something to spare, versus lesser opposition.

ENGLAND's coach, Sven-Goran Eriksson himself was banging on about too many games after that dismal second half against 10 Brazilians and a defense which had been made to look inept by the modest Costa Ricans.

Yet he talked about the Premiership now cut down to 20 clubs rather than, like Franz Beckenbauer, about a European Champion's Cup now bloated like the World Cup itself.

For me, Eriksson emerged with scant credit. He could have thrown away victory against Argentina with his absurd substituting of a second left back Wayne Bridge for Michael Owen. He obstinately left Steve McManaman at home when Steve could have been so useful an adjunct to the far from totally fit David Beckham. He wouldn't use Joe Cole when his midfield's poverty of ideas so plain against Brazil. And he put on Kieron Dyer who hadn't played a match for weeks.

Yes, David Seaman's was a ghastly blunder, as was his error at a free kick which gave Germany that win at Wembley. But his previous World Cup displays had been supreme; and against 10 men for 32 minutes, England should have cracked it.

Brian Glanville is Britain's most celebrated football writer. He also writes a monthly column in World Soccer magazine.

His latest book, a fully updated edition of THE STORY OF THE WORLD CUP is available in all good bookshops. Readers of worldsoccer.com can buy this highly-acclaimed history of the World Cup and enjoy a 10% discount by clicking here.