Meet your World Cup Quarter-finals Referees
The cream rises to the top in the World Cup. Now that the final eight teams are set the best of the best referees remain or so we have been told. Forget the 20-card-a-game Russian and the three yellow card to the same player Englishmen. They are gone. Instead we have three Europeans and one South American assigned to the quarter-final matches. Together, they have averaged an impressive seven cards handed out per game. Here is your chance to meet them on a professional and personal level so you’ll have a better idea of who you are scorning when they cost your team a spot in the final four.
Lubos Michel of Slovakia has been assigned the Germany and Argentina match. Michel has blown his whistle in three of the World Cup matches, averaging an impressive 8 yellow cards a match. He works as a manager (of what, who knows?). In his spare time he enjoys history, tennis and reading. Our guess is that his favorite color is yellow.
Record to date:
Brazil vs. Ghana - 8 yellow, 1 red
Sweden vs. Paraguay - 8 yellow
Portugal vs. Mexico – 9 yellow, 1 red
Belgium’s Frank de Bleeckere gets the nod for the Italy and Ukraine match.
De Bleeckere has only been involved in two World Cup matches this competition, handing out a miniscule 5.5 yellow cards per match. He too enjoys tennis and our guess is that he would kick Lubos Michel’s butt in a five-set match.
Record to date:
England vs. Ecuador, 6 yellow
Japan vs. Croatia, 5 yellow
Horacio Elizondo’s name is not unfamiliar to loyal readers of World Cup Blog. The Argentine is the guy who called the South Korea and Switzerland match and whose name was cured by seemingly all of Korea on this very website because he failed to call a hand ball on Switzerland in the box. Elizondo started his World Cup slowly by only handing out one card in the tournament’s opening match, but he has impressively rebounded to keep pace with the others. In his free time he like to pen poems. He also has a bit of a history with David Beckham.
Record to date:
Switzerland vs. South Korea, 10 yellow
Ghana vs. Czech Republic, 7 yellow, 1 red
Germany vs. Costa Rica, 1 yellow
Spain’s Luis Medina Cantalejo has been assigned the final quarter-final match between Brazil and France. Australia fans probably need no reminder that Cantalejo is the one who awarded Italy the penalty kick right at the end of the match that doomed the Socceroos.
He is averaging 6 yellow cards per match, not bad for someone who makes his living as a sports assessor.
Record to date:
Australia vs. Italy, 6 yellow, 1 red
Netherlands vs. Argentina, 5 yellow
Germany vs. Poland, 7 yellow, 1 red
The other referees that have been retained for possible action in the World Cup are:
Toru Kamikawa (Japan), Coffi Codjia (Benin), Benito Archundia (Mexico), Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay), Mark Shield (Australia), Massimo Busacca (Switzerland), Markus Merk (Germany), Roberto Rosetti (Italy).
We would calculate all their cards as well, but frankly we have worn out the buttons on our calculator already.
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Comments
By John | June 30th, 2006 at 6:13 am 
Larrionda and/or Merk might actually be called upon to ref in the semis or the finals? Is FIFA insane???
By dan | June 30th, 2006 at 6:27 am Where is Shamsul Maidin??
It’s a UTTER disgrace to have Cantelejo in the tournament still.
de Bleeckere (Belgium)or Roberto Rossetti (Italy) should get the final based on their current performances.
Posted from 
Singapore
By enzo | June 30th, 2006 at 7:00 am I am sure that we all accept the fact that most referees make the wrong decision sometimes, but, when a referee makes a blunder, and a blunder is far, far worse than a simple human error, then as far as I am concerned that referee should not be allowed to participate in other WC games. Two have gone and two more should have joined them: Merk and Cantalejo should hand in their whistles and take up the flute, or sewing.
Posted from 
Australia
By Anna | June 30th, 2006 at 7:12 am Cantalejo rewarded for following the script?
Posted from Australia
By jegen | June 30th, 2006 at 8:57 am Cantalejo, that BLIND AND LAME NO-BRAINER and the DARLING OF THE PASTA-EATERS still stays on…?? That is the final proof needed to know that FIFA is a decrepit organization that needs to be kicked and pummelled to death. Bring on a new organization, that will really do something to save the beautiful game rather than letting favoritism and nepotism ruin the game and its following over the world irreparably.
Posted from 
India
By jegen | June 30th, 2006 at 9:05 am “who you are scorning when they cost your team a spot in the final four”….. Well said mate… The way this cup is going, i wouldn’t think that we have seen the last of these refereeing BILLION DOLLAR BLUNDERS…. I’m certain that Argentina will go out unfairly given the fact they are playing the hosts and the fact that it is germany, a member of the old guard nations that they are facing…. Just sit back and watch the referee making decision after decision that smells badly of plots. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but just an avid football fan appalled at the number of games turned on their heads through the fault of FIFA for remaining blind to the need for technology in pulling up these foggy men in the middle…!
Posted from India
By Matt | June 30th, 2006 at 9:39 am Don’t anybody think it’s odd to have a SPANISH ref for France-Brasil ? I know any referee here is supposedly fair and professionnal, but it might have been a good idea to avoid a ref whose national team has just been ruled out by France, at least to prevent debate…
Posted from 
France
By James | June 30th, 2006 at 10:02 am ah… the pre-excuses are flying in already!
All ref’s are rubbish so it doesn’t matter who you get, the end! 
Posted from 
United Kingdom
By Los Angelina | July 1st, 2006 at 12:32 am I agree with Matt….
Posted from 
United States
By Will | July 5th, 2006 at 3:35 pm Yes, the refs have made a couple of mistakes, but,,,,,Players are the BIGGEST mistake! They lie, cheat, steal then claim to be innocent! If players were more honest, this kind of problem wouldnt happen!! Referees see everything, it is what they choose to call that players/fans have difficulty understanding. You are all biased towards your team and it is always the referees fault YOUR team lost!! WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! All you FANS slash wantabees, If you think you can do better, pick up the whistle and get up off your couch (if you can hoist your lazy, obese body up)!!! waaa waaa waaa! :((
Posted from 
Republic Of Korea
By Emilce Herrera | December 5th, 2006 at 7:14 pm Lubos michel is one of the best and cutest referees i’ve seen please e-mail me
Posted from United States
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