Officials Cry Foul Over This Call
World soccer’s governing body moved Monday to quell the widespread unhappiness with the quality of officiating at the World Cup, but its actions sparked an immediate and furious outcry from CONCACAF.
The FIFA Referees’ Committee, meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, “unanimously agreed that the best referees and assistants, working as trios from the same country, should be in charge at the next FIFA World Cup.”
The move came after a spate of incorrect decisions at Korea/Japan ‘02, mistakes that affected the course of the tournament and led to claims of conspiracy and the demand that the system be changed.
At the insistence of Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, FIFA’s president, the selection of World Cup referees had been based on geography rather than ability, and it was this practice that Spain’s Angel Maria Villar Llona, chairman of the Referees’ Committee, moved to abolish Monday.
But Jack Warner, the president of CONCACAF and a FIFA vice president, blasted the move, calling it “the worst refereeing decision of all time.”
“It is almost impossible to understand the sheer self-interest and thoughtlessness of those who made this decision,” Warner said in a statement released by soccer’s regional confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean.
“This effectively means an almost impenetrable road-block for referees and assistants from CONCACAF, from Asia, from Africa, from Oceania ... indeed from all but the select few of the high and mighty countries who do not mind taking all the playing talent from elsewhere but do not want someone else to intrude.
“Our collective refereeing development programs are now cut off at the neck and shoulders.... Maybe the Referees’ Committee, in its total lack of wisdom, can tell the rest of us how to attract, retain and improve referees and assistants when they know they will never be invited to officiate at the most important events.”
Refuting FIFA’s statement that the decision had been “unanimous,” CONCACAF said that its two members on the Referees’ Committee, Lisle Austin of Barbados and Carlos Ortiz of El Salvador, had spoken out against the plan.
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Gold Cup
The United States and Panama can clinch their place in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup tonight with victories over Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico, respectively.
The U.S. plays at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium and the match will have special meaning for defender Joy Fawcett, who will appear in her 200th game for the U.S.
Fawcett, of Rancho Santa Margarita, made her debut for the national team in 1987 and has since won two world championships and Olympic gold and silver medals. She will be only the fourth U.S. player to reach the 200-game mark, joining Kristine Lilly, Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy.
Meanwhile, the U.S. switched goalkeepers Monday, with Siri Mullinix being replaced on the Gold Cup roster by LaKeysia Beene. Mullinix injured her left thumb during training in San Diego last week and aggravated the injury Saturday. Beene has played 12 games for the U.S. and will serve as backup to starter Briana Scurry.
Meanwhile Panama, which impressed many with its 4-2 victory over Trinidad and Tobago Sunday, plays Mexico at 9, with the Mexicans, who lost, 3-0, to the U.S. on Sunday, needing at least a tie to stay alive.
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Reyna Injured
Claudio Reyna, the midfielder who helped lead the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, was injured Monday when he fell awkwardly during Sunderland’s 1-1 tie with Bolton Wanderers in an English Premier League game.
Reyna, who has a long history of injuries, suffered what was first described as a badly twisted left knee and was carried off the field on a stretcher. He later left the stadium on crutches and with his leg in a cast. The severity of the injury was not immediately known.
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Lavolpe Moves On
Mexico’s new coach, Argentine-born Ricardo Lavolpe, stepped down as coach of Toluca Monday, a day after leading the club to a 2-2, come-from-behind tie with UNL and assuring it of finishing no lower than second in the Mexican league.
Lavolpe will assume his new post next week.
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Sanchez Sees Red
Hugo Sanchez’s UNAM team, which had blasted seven goals past Guadalajara only a week earlier, was humbled, 6-3, by San Luis in a wild Mexican league game that saw Sanchez and three of his players ejected.
More remarkable still, Brazilian striker Marcelo de Farias scored a five-minute hat trick for San Luis, with all three goals coming between the 66th and 71st minutes.
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Disco Kahn
German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn found himself in trouble again Monday, before Bayern Munich’s must-win European Champions League game today against Deportivo La Coruna.
Kahn is recovering from a torn thigh muscle, but nonetheless was fit enough to go golfing over the weekend. When the club learned that the keeper also had gone dancing, Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was furious.
“Playing golf and going to a disco are two different things,” Hitzfeld said. “There will be a fine for that. If you get injured, you must work on getting fit, and a visit to a disco is not necessary in that respect.”
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Bolivian Farce
Jose Luis Brown, a starter on Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning team and now coach of Blooming in the Bolivian league, led his team in a boycott of a weekend game against Bolivar in a dispute over pay cuts.
As a result, Blooming scrambled to put together a youth team and, not surprisingly, was crushed, 10-1. Many of the young players, aged 15 to 17, became ill during the journey to La Paz because they had never flown before.
