Add Insult to Injury
By Robert Evans
Sunday, June 25th, 2006 at 10:59 am in General.
In the soccer press yesterday, all the writing and chatter is about the state of U.S. soccer. Is Bruce Arena responsible for the failure? What should the federation do to improve things? Why did our top players fail to show up when needed?
Fans are hurt. They gave the team great support, but to no avail. Perhaps they knew that they were shouting for a hopeless cause, but no matter; they shouted and encouraged the team until the final whistle announced to the world that the Americans were going home without a victory, and with only one real goal scored against six conceded in three matches.
It’s a sad state of affairs, but made much worse by the latest news from Germany. In the match between Australia and Croatia, referee Graham Poll of England made an unforgivable error. He gave a caution (yellow card) to one Croatian player three times, when he should have sent him from the field at the second.
Well, you say, what does this have to do with the state of U.S. soccer? Let’s have a look at the context surrounding Poll’s mistake, and the strong reaction from FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who stated that the error is not understandable. That remark is ominous for Poll, since all the referees knew before the competition started that a major error meant a ticket home.
Before the World Cup started, we knew that for the first time since 1978, no American referee would be officiating. Kevin Stott from southern California was nominated by U.S. Soccer, but his performances did not satisfy the FIFA referee committee; he was named as a reserve. After two referees could not pass the fitness test, and another dropped out because of the suspicions of his connection with the scandal in Serie A (Italy) competition, Stott was invited to attend the World Cup, not as a referee, but as a substitute and development official. Not great, but better than nothing.
So he and two assistant referees, Greg Barkey and Chris Strickland, went to Germany to serve as fourth officials and fifth officials. They carried the faint hope that they would get a game, even though FIFA has said that they had no plans to use development or reserve officials. It would have taken a major screw-up by several of the nominated referees for the Americans to get a chance. And of course, Stott, Barkey and Strickland would have to do their jobs perfectly.
Fast-forward to Poll’s match between Australia and Croatia. Stott was the fourth and Barkey the fifth official. Their principal tasks involve being extra pairs of eyes to see events on the field, and in Stott’s case, to manage the team benches, substitutions, display of numbers, time left. But also, all officials must keep a record of the game, and for the first time in the World Cup, all the officials are wired and connected by a radio system, in order to pass information back and forth in case of a missed flag, or a foul behind the referee’s back. Even before the advent of radio communication on the field, communication among the officials is essential for efficient refereeing.
After Poll’s major error, he confessed to a review panel that he had mistakenly recorded Australian defender Craig Moore, #3, when booking Croatian defender Josip Simunic, also #3, in the 61st minute. Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA had said after the match: “We have had four officials and what is not understandable is that nobody intervened… There are people there and one of them should have intervened and run on to the field and said, ‘Stop, stop.’” That’s an ominous statement that the mistake was not solely Poll’s; it indicts Kevin Stott and Greg Barkey, as well as Poll’s two assistant referees from England.
FIFA communications director Markus Siegler announced that the referees’ committee would decide Wednesday which officials will stay after the second round, and then, referring to Poll’s match, added: “The referees committee also recognized … the fact that none of the match officials at the stadium picked up on the error.”
I know from personal experience that recording a game from the fourth official position or while acting as linesman (now assistant referee) is not a difficult task. With radio communication, it should be even easier, making this error in Australia versus Croatia almost incomprehensible. Even if the radios weren’t working, communication among all the officials is straightforward.
The statements from the president and the communications director of FIFA seem to indicate that some of the officials involved in this screw-up will be going home on Wednesday. Poll may survive because of his vast experience and reputation, but not Kevin Stott and Greg Barkey (and inevitably, Chris Strickland, because they were selected as a trio).
And if that were to be the case, it would be another message the world is sending about the state of U.S. soccer.
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June 26th, 2006 at 4:16 am
I want to know what Kevin Stott said to the Center ref. Is the 4th Official wired,too? I have been 4th,also, and , in pregame with ref team, have assurred Center ref that I will take care of subs, and card accumulation.
Sounds like the center ref showed card to the wrong player to me, and , if so, then the AR’s are all excused.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Mac: Thanks for your observation, but note this: “he confessed to a review panel that he had mistakenly recorded Australian defender Craig Moore, #3, when booking Croatian defender Josip Simunic, also #3, in the 61st minute.” It is routine for the fourths to do what you described, and even if he weren’t wired, he could tell the AR, who WAS wired. I’m afraid that this is a TEAM screw-up, as FIFA has said. But what I am afraid of is that Stott (and possibly the ARs) may be punished, and Poll retained. We’ll see. Thanks, RE.
June 28th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Sending home the US’ FIFA referees will be disappointing to other US refs, but I don’t think it’s a deep message about the state of U.S. soccer. I DO think that refereeing has a lot to do with the answers to the questions you ask:
> Is Bruce Arena responsible for the failure? What should
> the federation do to improve things? Why did our top
> players fail to show up when needed?
Bruce Arena may have some responsibility for the two defeats, but that’s not his biggest weakness, one that he shares with many US soccer coaches: he blames referees for blowing the whistle on his players. What ever happened to the old “partnership” that was alleged to exist between coaches and referees? The theory was that both coaches and refs had a role in allowing, helping, even forcing players to play well.
What should the US Soccer Federation do to improve things? Obviously, there needs to be increased emphasis on developing players’ skill, ability, creativity, artistry, speed and athleticism, and any other elements that make great players and teams. Another thing US Soccer should do is emphasize the value and importance of refereeing, as a force for the development of good players and teams.
You scoff at this idea — “Oh, this guy’s a ref, so of course he wants refereeing to be emphasized.” Well, for evidence, I would point to the results of the best game the US team played, against Italy, and offer an explanation for why some of the US’ top players didn’t show up when needed. The US team did as well as it did because the players raised their level of play. Among other things they did well, they played better, they worked harder, they showed more smarts, and more teamwork. They also played more agressively, more violently and more foully, and this was the root of their downfall. Most unfortunately, however, was that unlike the Brazilians, who are known for using fouls judiciously as part of a balanced and excellent game, the US team used fouls as a substitute for excellence. Worst of all, when referee Jorge Larrionda signalled the limits of bad behavior that would be tolerated, the US players neither recognized what was happening nor were capable of adjusting. Instead of resorting to the positive, they stuck with the negative, and suffered for it.
Players should be sensitive to refereeing, and should adjust positively to it, whatever its characteristics. A good referee can force the players to give up the cheap tools of foul play, force them to dig down and play better. At the field, they should treat refereeing like the weather — there’s nothing to be done about it, and it’s foolish to complain about it instead of concentrating on playing the game. Refereeing is part of the game, and the best players and coaches accept it. Those who ignore the ref, dissent from his decisions or abuse the ref usually regret it.
Despite the ABC/ESPN broadcast team’s commentary, the World Cup has been very well refereed. Yes, there have been a few mistakes, but far fewer than some ignorant player-commentators and hangers-on would have us believe. The best games in the World Cup have involved remarkably little foul play, the worst have looked like blizzards of cards. Who forced the players to tackle their opponents instead of the ball, often from behind, often in ways that more than endangered the opponent? No referee made a player stick an elbow into an opponent’s neck, smack an opponent’s face with a hand, pull a jersey or wrestle an opponent down. Sure fouls happen, but the game assumes that a player will try to recover, keep playing, stay upright and work for the pass or shot, instead of diving, faking injury or shamelessly overacting. By and large, the World Cup referees have responded to FIFA’s mandate to keep the play clean and fair, or at least to try. A blizzard of cards is usually an indication that the players are either dumb, incompetent or inflexible, especially when the referee hasn’t got the option of terminating the game early for general disorder.
The fan says, “Okay, except we wonder whether we have good refereeing in the USA.” Be comforted; The best refereeing in the US is up to the world standard. FIFA uses or has used a number of USSF FIFA referees as trainers and educators for FIFA’s international referee development programs. USSF’s Esse Baharmast and Vinnie Mauro are on the staff behind the referee corps working these World Cup games. For all of its faults, the US Referee program is pretty good.
What USSF needs to do, in addition to player development, is to emphasize the importance of refereeing. Force MLS to accept proper refereeing, and quit blacklisting refs who pull too many cards on thugs and cheaters. Quit coddling US players who can’t play well. Start teaching US players and coaches that the only way to succeed is through playing well. The fans already understand that poor play is less attractive than great play. Look at the way Spain reacted when France capitalized on a Spanish mistake and got ahead; Spain took their already beautiful play and raised its level, taking some justifiable risks and nearly equalizing the score, forcing France’s stars to finally come out of hiding. Ask those who watched that game or the later stages of the US-Italy match; Spectators like exciting soccer.
The lesson to be drawn from this World Cup is: Play well, and when that doesn’t work, play even better. And remember that refereeing can take away the option of not playing well, helping improve the US game.