But the U.S. didn’t deserve to make it out of its group anyway.
June 26, 2006
I didn’t watch the Italy-Australia match, but what I’ve read about it has led me to understand it this way: Australia outplayed Italy for the entire game, but an Italian player (surprise!) took a dive in the last minute of extra time to draw a penalty kick on what was, charitably speaking, an extremely controversial call by the referree. Italy, of course, converted the penalty kick for the game-winner and basically stole the game from the Australians.
I could take this post in a different direction by asking a question like “why can’t Italy try to win a game with athletic superiority rather than flopping around like asphyxiating carp?” But the more pressing question is: What’s up with the referees this year? Maybe I’m being naive, but I don’t remember the officiating being such a point of contention in prior Copas Mundiales. And I recognize that “the officials screwed us!” is the rallying cry of poor losers in every dark corner of the sporting universe. But seriously, how many matches in this World Cup have been sullied by questionable officiating? U.S./Italy; U.S./Ghana; Portugal/Netherlands; and surely at least a few I’m forgetting about. And I’m not talking about minor gaffes—for the most part the problem has been that the refs have been calling way too many fouls (especially in the penalty box) and issuing way too many cards for borderline fouls. Even the head of FIFA has admitted that an official deserved a yellow card for his performance this weekend.
There have been more cards assessed in this World Cup than in any other, and we just started the first knockout round. This is ridiculous!
I don’t really have a snappy conclusion. I just think that it’s appalling to see so many games end in so unsatisfactory a manner, especially since many of the cards that the refs are passing out have recriminations beyond the game in which they’re issued—players who get a red card or a second yellow are held out of the next game, if their team is lucky enough to get there. It dilutes the quality of the games to have so many starters on the bench because of poor officiating.
I’m not nearly the first person to wonder this, but: what is going on here?
Posted in Sports
Creative Commons
June 26th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Agreed. The refs seem just nuts this time around. It’s pretty much widely agreed that they screwed the US, and Portugal vs. Netherlands yesterday was complete insanity. Having caught the video highlights of Italy vs. Australia this morning, there is no way that call was right.
I also heard on the Scientific American podcast that they’re using a new type of ball with 14 panels instead of the traditional 26, and some are positing that this will make the ball act a lot differently than usual. World Cup Fevah!
June 26th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Players complained about the new ball in every single World Cup in my memory, so I’m not so concerned about that. At least both teams are stuck with the same ball.
Anyway, I’m glad someone who doesn’t root for the U.S. agrees with me about the refs.
June 26th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
Absolutely; the US got screwed. I mean, I root for England, but it doesn’t cloud my vision in regards to the unfairness of the calls this time out. I know yesterday’s Portugal vs. Netherlands match was rough, but fourteen cards?! That’s ridiculous.