The MLS Cup match officials topped off a season in which the refereeing community made many positive strides.
Thierry Henry considered ending his France career over the uproar that surrounded the striker’s blatant handball in last week’s World Cup playoff victory over Ireland.
“Oh yes,” the France captain was quoted in Monday’s French sports daily L’Equipe as saying when asked whether retiring from international soccer had crossed his mind.
The vicious hair-pulling of an opponent was inexcusable. But prominent advocates of women’s sports say that so, too, has been much of the commentary generated by the popular video of college soccer player Elizabeth Lambert’s combative tactics in a recent game.
“Catfight” has been a term commonly used in cyberspace reactions to the video clip now seen by millions of people around the world. One Web site ran a poll: “Do you find violent women sexy?” Some bloggers — lapsing into old stereotypes — suggested Lambert’s menstrual cycle was a factor.
Regardless of the game level, the referee must have a strong signal to call the ball in and out of play. A powerful whistle can be heard across a field, from a sideline, and usually from the bleachers in a stadium.
A professional referee considers the pitch and volume of a whistle, the tendency to fail, the ability to keep clean, and how much breath it takes to create a signal. Small infractions require a quick burst and major misconduct may require a long hard blast. The ability of a whistle to perform with the referee is very important.
The serious referee should consider the Noda Whistle.
Referees were challenged to find the right mix of game flow, foul discrimination and misconduct while ensuring player safety.
Atletico Madrid have been fined 150 euros ($224) for an incident during the match against city rivals Real on Nov. 7 in which Real coach Manuel Pellegrini was struck by a small object thrown from the crowd.
The referee halted the game for around a minute midway through the second half after Pellegrini was hit in the face but he was not seriously hurt and played down the incident at the post-match news conference.
Normally, a women’s college soccer game between Brigham Young University and the University of New Mexico wouldn’t generate much interest outside of those teams’ fans.
But when you have a player punching, elbowing and pulling opponents down by the hair, it becomes a hot topic around the nation.
Last week’s incident, when New Mexico junior defender Elizabeth Lambert attacked BYU players in the Lobos’ season-ending 1-0 loss in the Mountain West Conference tournament, ignited a bevy of public opinion when the video hit the Internet.
Paraguay’s Cerro Porteno face serious sanctions after acts of violence by their fans at a Copa Sudamericana match, the South American Football Confederation (CSF) said on Thursday.
Fans threw a hail of objects at visiting Brazilian side Fluminense and Argentine referee Hector Baldassi after Cerro’s 1-0 home defeat in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday night and a policeman was hit on the head.
Match officials were faced with decisions that could influence the outcome of the game and they responded admirably.
