Yellow Cards and all that!

FaninOz · Post by **FaninOz** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:42 am

Refs appear to be giving yellow cards for the most mundane tackles and inoffensive player actions, Crespo was even given one for "scoring a goal" after he had been flagged for offside. Yet only one yellow given for diving as far as I can remember (that nice Chelsea guy playing for Holland) even though there have been loads of "simulation' going on after the most innocuous tackles.

The red cards seem fair being mostly for two footed tackles, yet most players who get a yellow then appear to get away with much worse takles later in the game because the ref doesn't want to give them a second yellow as they would then have to send them off. And as always all the refs are whistling for fouls outside the box that they are waving play on for in the penalty area.

The inconsistency is starting to get to me as is FIFA's approach to trying to make soccer a non contact sport, e.g you can't even look at goalkeeper now without having a foul given against you. Japan's goal against the Aussies being the only exception as far as I can see.

The whole FIFA approach is starting to spoil the game for me, am I alone in this or are others getting as frustrated as I am?

H. Pedersen · Post by **H. Pedersen** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:59 am

I think the problem is that FIFA tends to put too much focus on certain infractions in cycles. For a while it was diving, so you saw a lot of bookings for that. Now they're doing automatic yellow cards for shirt grabbing, and you've seen a lot of those, including that horrendous penalty call again Ukraine. The problem is that most referees are such pinheads that they can only keep one thought in their mind at a time, so now they are so focused on shirt tugging that they've forgotten about diving or swearing at the ref or any number of previous controversies-de-jour.

FIFA seems to be turning into my local co-rec league, where "fair play" is a code name for "playing like a p***y"

chris · Post by **chris** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:09 am

The Ukrainian red card was the worst.

I've also noticed a significant number of retaken free-kicks, initially taken too early. But why should a team get a second chance, if they messed up the first?

Yes, I do remember we benefited from this when we stayed up against Boro

H. Pedersen · Post by **H. Pedersen** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:59 pm

The referee for the U.S. - Italy game needs to be immediately fired and fined. In addition to the terrible red card calls against the U.S., he blew a number off offside calls against Italy and ignored the rampant diving by the entire Italian team. This surpasses the guy who reffed the Ukraine/Spain game as the worst performance yet.

Breaking news, that referee was suspended in 2002 for "irregularities" in his games. And FIFA is putting him in charge of a match involving a nation notorious for crooked referees and match fixing? This clearly calls for an investigation by an independent agency.

Despite FIFA's best efforts, the U.S. isn't out yet . . .

Zulus Thousand of em · Post by **Zulus Thousand of em** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:03 am

Sorry Peds, I thought he got all the calls right when I watched it live, and having just watched the highlights, I've not changed my view. (As much as I wanted the US to stuff the Italians!)

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:08 am

Nine-man USA held ten-man Italy to a draw. They were also very unlucky, being the victims of some diabolical refereeing decisons. They had bags of guts and attitude, and no small degree of skills. The US has come a long way in football and tonight's performance was a credit to them. The pride and fight qualities of all the teams in this competition is amazing, the skill levels awesome. Probably the highest quality overall World Cup ever. Ghana and Ivory Coast do Africa proud and we are going to have to raise our own game considerably to even compete in the coming rounds. With the likes of the performances by Argentina and Spain the form book could be turned upside down.

chris · Post by **chris** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:20 am

I do agree with all three red cards. De Rossi was stupid, especially right in front of the referee. Mastreoni did make an awful two footed tackle. Pope's second card was a bad tackle, and was stupid to do it being already on a yellow.

It looks like it will be a brilliant end to that group though.

keveh · Post by **keveh** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:43 am

Just as a sidenote, all of the linesmen have done an awesome job.

They have pretty much called every offside decision to a tea.

H. Pedersen · Post by **H. Pedersen** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 5:50 am

I disagree keveh. The linesmen have made a number of bad decisions against Italy and the Ukraine. Those were also the games where the referees had the worst games so far so I don't know what the link is.

I don't see how you can defend the Mastroeni and Pope red cards. De Rossi straight up elbowed McBride in the face, no doubt there. But Mastroeni, it's the first time he's even been talked to by the referee. One of his guys has just been busted wide open by some dick with a cheap-shot elbow. In that case, you give him a yellow, calm the game down. Same thing with the Pope second yellow. You're two minutes into the half, let them play the game. By throwing around red cards all the referee is doing is raising tensions, endangering the players more, and robbing the fans of the game they came to see. Again, this guy has been suspended previously for his poor performances so FIFA needs to investigate how he got back into a World Cup.

H. Pedersen · Post by **H. Pedersen** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:14 am

Also, it was horrific the way this guy missed Italy's diving. I want to see FIFA make going off on the stretcher only to come back seconds later a straight red, that's an atrocity.

To quote Eric Wynalda, there are two kinds of referees: bad ones and worse ones.

chris · Post by **chris** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:01 am

That's a bad foul

Edit: Picture's come through too small again

Sorry

keveh · Post by **keveh** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:27 am

H. Pedersen wrote:I disagree keveh. The linesmen have made a number of bad decisions against Italy and the Ukraine. Those were also the games where the referees had the worst games so far so I don't know what the link is.

So two examples frm 26 games.

I'd say that's good going for linesmen!

They can't get every decision spot on, that's impossible, but in my view they have been excellent up to now.

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:04 pm

Zulus! Thousands of 'em! wrote:Sorry Peds, I thought he got all the calls right when I watched it live, and having just watched the highlights, I've not changed my view. (As much as I wanted the US to stuff the Italians!)

agreed all those were spot on on.

and to counter HP's point about timing - a foul is a foul no matter what minute is on the clock, there is nothing in the laws of the game that say " in the first 20 minutes be more lenient".

H. Pedersen · Post by **H. Pedersen** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 1:01 am

communistworkethic wrote:and to counter HP's point about timing - a foul is a foul no matter what minute is on the clock, there is nothing in the laws of the game that say " in the first 20 minutes be more lenient".

Yes, however a referee's primary job is to keep the game under control, and when you're just throwing out red cards you're inflaming passions, This referee wanted to be the star of the show like Mike Riley. I think my view will be vindicated by FIFA and you will not see this referee again in the World Cup.

Also, more diving by South Korea today, whatever happened to the crackdown on that?

norm the jedi · Post by **norm the jedi** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:46 am

Need to open the other eye on the US Italy ref Peds..
Two footed diving in on an opponents ankle is a straight red... whether or not you've been spoken to..
and Pope just wants slapping for going to ground and diving in when he knows he's already on a yellow..

Fully agree that we want to watch 11 v 11 but on Saturday it was the players who were to blame not the standard of officiating..

Overall I'm with Keveh.. I think the standard has been pretty good.. and carding fairly consistent..

Or is it the absence of wall to wall post match interviewing taht has resulted in less hyperbole and general bollox being spouted....

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Yellow Cards and all that!

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