You’re Wrong. The World Cup Refereeing Standard is Higher than Ever
Forget the never ending stream of yellow cards, ignore the game deciding calls and expulsions, pay no attention to inconsistent enforcement of the rules. If you are willing to do all that, you might agree with Angel Maria Villar, the chairman of FIFA’s referees panel.
“Ninety per cent of the refereeing has been at a very high level at this World Cup, a far cry from Korea and Japan in 2002,” he said. “We have far less serious injuries, and far more goals scored. Most of the matches have been played fairly in a great sporting spirit. We want a clean World Cup and we are achieving that.“It is the World Cup of the assistant referee. More goals are being scored in situations where before the flag would have gone up and the goal not stood. Of course there have been errors — but we are all human beings and we have the right to make mistakes.”
In between hits of whatever drug he is taking, Villar described the situation in the Middle East as pleasant, credited Santa Claus for his on-time delivery rate this past Christmas, and predicted that typewriters would soon replace computers as the preferred workplace communication tool of the 21st Century.
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Comments
By enzo | July 1st, 2006 at 8:22 am 
It’s not the 90% of refereeing we spectators are criticising, it’s the crucial and ultimately game-deciding 10% that we think is completely unacceptable. We all realise that referees are human beings, but referees do not seem to appreciate that players are also human beings and some have the unimpressive foible of bad acting that is suitable only in a primary school play, and yet the referees seem to be purblind to many of these amateur acts. So he admits the refereeing in Korea and Japan was of a low level, and what was done during the 2002 WC to raise the level – nothing. “Of course there have been errors”, he states. We accept minor errors, but not major errors as we all have seen in this World Cup. I suppose in 2010, the chairman of FIFA’s referees panel will release the following statement: “Ninety per cent of the refereeing has been at a very high level at this World Cup, a far cry from Germany in 2006”. And on it will go forever.
Posted from 
Australia
By bivash | July 1st, 2006 at 8:37 am i m surprised that no one seems to be pointing fingers at the teams and players. Refs r singularly not to blame. the teams, coaches, players r all guilty as hell. like in the Italy-Aus game the sending off of an Italian player was unwarranted and certainly too harsh. It’s unfortunate the Aussies paid the harsh penalty for it. As they welcomed the sending off with glee they should accept the decision that went against them as well. In the Dutch-Portugal match, much of the blame should be placed squarely on the coaches n teams. It was surprising therefore that S. Blatter had nothing to say against them but instead rebuked the ref. i thought the russian ref did a pretty decent job given the mayhem, led by the Dutch, that was going on on the pitch. come on the knock that send cristiano out of pitch was clearly premeditated … that’s modern football, i belive. go for the knocks if u miss the ball.
Posted from 
China
By Observer | July 1st, 2006 at 9:12 am The problem with the sub-par standard of officials is that their decions often decide games. If bad officiating had no effect on outcomes then there would really be nothing to complain about. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like FIFA sees any problem and so fans and teams will continue to suffer.
Posted from 
Canada
By minhoca | July 1st, 2006 at 9:50 am Yes, in the Italy Australia game it was clearly the player’s and coach’s fault that the referee gave Italy a free kick in the last 4 seconds of the game when not even a foul should have been given!
Memorize these words and repeat them until FIFA reforms:
We demand video replay for controversial red cards and goals that could decide the game due to a incorrect call by the referee. The number of red cards and goals in a game is low enough that the flow of the game will not be interrupted.
Posted from 
United States
By Claude | July 1st, 2006 at 11:06 am If goal scoring is up this world cup, then why does ESPN keep on pointing out that only 1990 had a lower goal per game average. Apparently even 2002 saw more goals. I assume the ESPN stats are accurate.
Posted from United States
By James | July 1st, 2006 at 11:33 am Portugal v Holland was clean? the end of Argentina v Germany was clean? De Rossi’s elbow v USA was clean?
This guy sounds like he knows just as much about football as Sepp Blatter… not very feckin’ much!
Posted from 
United Kingdom
By futeboleiro | July 1st, 2006 at 1:58 pm This kind of refereeing as been happaning for many years, this is a tipical world cup, with to many teams defeated for bad refereeing calls.
.
(i believe) it will only ’stop’ when people say enough! and don’t watch a final - say.. 20-30% less share on the TVs.
“We demand video replay” and more referees in the pitch !!
Posted from 
Portugal
By Dave Hamilton | July 1st, 2006 at 2:01 pm This is a joke, right? If not, Ms. Villar certainly wouldn’t be the first one to be incompetent in her job.
Dave hamildav@yahoo.com
Posted from United States
By Zé | July 1st, 2006 at 3:26 pm The thing is, “the human” side of things is part of football… everybody who played football regularly is a lot more lighter on referee mistakes because he knows everybody’s human and it’s VERY easy to be fooled inside the pitch.
But when you get a tournament as important and as short as the WC, that human factor is blown out of proportion. FIFA will have to do something very soon (ie, a 5th referee with the ability to see replays) or else it risks making the WC more and more lackluster.
Posted from 
Brazil
By peter rosam | July 1st, 2006 at 8:31 pm It may not have been World Cup matches, but I’ve refereed soccer games for 18 years and feel most qualified to opine.
Unlike Angel Villar of FIFA’s referee panel, I say do NOT forget the yellow and red card deluge to judge the World Cup officiating to date. If cards could kill, we would have had a massacre so far. Refs talking to players was so seldom that it was an event. Clearly, many refs seemed determined to retain control of matches with cards.
Perhaps FIFA instructed the officials to use cards most liberally. If so, FIFA is in dire need to restore its credibility. If this is the best officiating FIFA has to offer for matches of World Cup stature, then FIFA is in dire need of revamping its act and reputation.
It’s a good thing that assistant refs do not carry cards.
Posted from United States
By Malcolm Stone | July 1st, 2006 at 9:20 pm Who chose an Argentinian referee for a match involving England? I have in mind the Falklands/Malvinas dispute.
Posted from United Kingdom
By FiNi | July 2nd, 2006 at 3:33 am Elizondo is the best!!!
It was really impartial in that match. aren’t you agree?
Posted from 
Argentina
By Tara | July 5th, 2006 at 2:30 am I think the standard of refereeing this world cup has been appalling! I think that the match (England V Portugal) was fucked up. The ref didn’t do anything about a handball made in the first half, gave Joh terry a Yellow card for a mid air collision with a portugese player, Fair enough, the portugese player came off worse but there was no diliberate foul there! I just think its dire. I knew that when we got to penalties we would lose, its just not Englands forte is it? Not won a penalty shoot out for 20 yrs I think. Also there portugese goal keep (Ricardo) I think, Is brilliant. Christiano Ronaldo deserves a smack, the slimey little shit, I cannot stand that little drip, I knew that he would behave the way he did, you can see it in his eyes. Our lads did well in that match, I think our best performance overall this year. But the refs are giving free kicks and yellow cards for stupid things and then ‘missing’ the important things that should be awarded the mentioned disipline! Total joke! Just saw the Italy V Germany match, bloody hell, well done Italy, comiserations to Germany, both good teams… I’d like to see Italy of France win now our boys are out.
Posted from United Kingdom
By FiNi | July 7th, 2006 at 11:33 pm yep, when we lost I also blamed the referee
Posted from Argentina
By stuart | July 10th, 2006 at 6:45 am Korea 2002:
Official Spanish protest
And Spain had two goals disallowed that replays suggested should have stood.
Spanish football federation president Angel Maria Villar has resigned from Fifa’s referees commission - and intends to make a formal protest.
“We will explain that we have been negatively affected by their decisions,” he said.
“The damage has now been done, but we want to make sure that this sort of thing does not happen again.”
Fifa spokesman Cooper meanwhile quickly dismissed talk of referees deliberately favouring co-host South Korea.”
What happened between 2002 and 2006?
Posted from Australia
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