Dusseldorf : Benfica (Friendly)

Discussion in 'Referee' started by MassachusettsRef, Aug 11, 2012.

  1. MassachusettsRef

    MassachusettsRef Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 30, 2001
    Washington, DC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'll post the video without comment for now. This is from a pre-season international friendly in Germany. All officials are from the Bundesliga. My understanding is that the referee was about to show a second caution and subsequent red card to the Benfica player who commits the foul that you see whistled.

     
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  2. benficafan3

    benficafan3 Member+

    Nov 16, 2005
    Ridiculous on multiple levels.

    1) In a friendly game, there is no reason that foul should've been a yellow that lead to a red. Especially in the first half. WTF.

    2) The ref was ridiculous with that playacting. I'd be embarrassed to call myself a man if I was him after something like that. Absolutely pathetic. Was Luisao at fault? It's very difficult to see but judging from the video, the WORST that it could have been was a light body-check. Not justified but I think we've all seen plenty worse.

    This was a pure example of a ref not being able to control the game and if he messes up so badly in a friendly game, he might as well quit now.
     
  3. BatatasFritas

    BatatasFritas Member+

    Nov 29, 2004
    Toronto
    Club:
    FC Porto
    Curious to see a ref's point of view on this one.
     
  4. JimEWrld

    JimEWrld Member

    Jun 20, 2012
    Club:
    Chicago Fire

    Are you serious? That was pretty good "play-acting" if that yellow card slipped perfectly out of his hand and he laid there perfectly still.. No, can't see it from the camera but looked like he was shoved in the head or right around the head. He also probably hit his head when he hit the ground.

    Any contact with the referee is inappropriate. As you put, this is a FRIENDLY. Clearly, the players didn't see it that way. The behavior is absolutely unacceptable.
     
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  5. La Rikardo

    La Rikardo Moderator

    May 9, 2011
    nj
    Are you ********ing serious? You're placing the blame here on the referee? You're saying he's faking it? This is the most insulting thing I've read in some time.
     
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  6. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    So.. Four matches or 6 months?
     
  7. Alberto

    Alberto Member+

    Feb 28, 2000
    Northern, New Jersey
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You really cannot see the act. The video quality is terrible. Moreover, the closest camera view, at field level is obscured by someone moving in front of the camera right at the moment the action happens. Therefore, I cannot comment as to the severity of the contact by the player to the referee.

    That said, if the referee play acted and got away with it, a certain part of me is chuckling with the irony of the act particularly if it increases the length of the players suspension for striking an official. It's kind of poetic justice considering the ridiculous flops that players perpetrate on the game in order to fool officials into calling fouls, cautioning and send off opponents.
     
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  8. Nestapele

    Nestapele Member

    Dec 10, 2005
    MD, USA
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Wait a second.. Are you implying that it matters in any way shape or form the severity of his striking of the referee? He assaulted the referee. I don't care whether it was a mild love tap or a violent head butt. YOU DO NOT TOUCH THE REFEREE IN ANGER.
     
  9. iron81

    iron81 Member+

    Jan 6, 2011
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    The very last wide angle shot at 2:35 gives the clearest view. I'll go ahead and guess there was a headbutt.

    The same shot shows the ref shoving the offender's teammate at least once, maybe twice. Don't take this as shifting responsibility, but there's a reason we're instructed not to get physical with players.
     
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  10. Alberto

    Alberto Member+

    Feb 28, 2000
    Northern, New Jersey
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The degree of severity involved in striking the referee does matter. For example if he pushes the referee he's getting sent off. That said a push might result in a three match ban. A forearm or punch to the face of the referee should result in the half year suspension or greater. Personally if the referee was punched and knocked out that player should be banned from playing soccer for a minimum of three years.
     
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  11. Alberto

    Alberto Member+

    Feb 28, 2000
    Northern, New Jersey
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If he head butted the referee, ala Luis Figo, he should be gone for a very long time.
     
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  12. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    Well, yeah, it matters. If you punch a ref it's six months. Lesser assaults start at four games, according to the FIFA disciplinary code.

    An after match report is here:
    http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2885...aptain-luisao-knocks-down?source=breakingnews

    I'm guessing the over/ under is the four matches, probably in friendlies. It doesn't appear anybody claims a real assault.


    And the acting was so bad ;)
    No one will ever doubt this guy if he cards for simulation.

     
  13. BatatasFritas

    BatatasFritas Member+

    Nov 29, 2004
    Toronto
    Club:
    FC Porto
    So player can practice their acting skills and attempt to fool refs in every game but a ref can't fake an injury either? Ok so he didn't do a great acting job but he doesn't have much experience. Cut him some slack. With that being said, you can't touch a ref, period. So the argument of the severity of the contact goes out the window.
     
  14. Alberto

    Alberto Member+

    Feb 28, 2000
    Northern, New Jersey
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not with respect to the send off, but yes to the length of the suspension. Furthermore, we have all seen players routinely touch or grab referees hands. Some are worthy of a caution, most of send offs. It depends on the action.
     
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  15. jarbitro

    jarbitro Member+

    Mar 13, 2003
    N'Djamena, Tchad
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  16. jarbitro

    jarbitro Member+

    Mar 13, 2003
    N'Djamena, Tchad
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Fischer has been a Bundesliga ref for seven years, and his bio page says he has had the whistle on 57 matches there, after five seasons in the second division.

    So this isn't the case of a rookie ref overwhelmed, but a top level referee, who is obviously going to protect the German players. His reputation is hardly on the line with the game, so going down easy seems so unlikely its hard to imagine that a referee would essentially end his seven year career at that level over a meaningless friendly. As hard as it is for Benfica fans to understand, it is waaaay more likely their normal antics resulted in Fischer slipping, and hitting his head or something than it is that he flopped.
     
  17. NCFire

    NCFire Member

    Jun 17, 2002
    Chapel Hill
    I get that the emphasis is on "at least" in the passage above, but isn't it odd that the base punishment for punching is half that of spitting? I'm shocked they aren't at least equal.
     
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  18. Alberto

    Alberto Member+

    Feb 28, 2000
    Northern, New Jersey
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's a European thing. Spitting is considered much worse than punching.
     
  19. Soccerologist4

    Soccerologist4 New Member

    Jun 9, 2012
    From the article...

    I think the above speaks volumes about the professionalism and integrity (or apparent lack of) of that club and their supporters.

    As for what actually happened, with no clear view, I'll just say that it depends on where and how you are hit obviously makes a difference in how easily you can be knocked out. Either way, no one has the right to get into a referee's face like that and if the player would have demonstrated an iota of respect, sportsmanship, self control, etc., this situation would have never happened.
     
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  20. Alberto

    Alberto Member+

    Feb 28, 2000
    Northern, New Jersey
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    I am sorry to say that this is not surprising coming from that country's soccer clubs.
     
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  21. BatatasFritas

    BatatasFritas Member+

    Nov 29, 2004
    Toronto
    Club:
    FC Porto
    Wow. Pretty to small minded to lump all of Portugal's supporters into that group....

    Benfica is protecting their player via their own biased media organization.
     
  22. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    At least he didn't throw a shoe...
     
  23. benficafan3

    benficafan3 Member+

    Nov 16, 2005
    I'm dead serious. As I said, what Luisao did was not justified. That being said, what he did was hardly worse than what we see in EVERYDAY matches. For Christ's sake, I remember Iker Muniain (for those that watched Spain vs. Honduras in the Olympics) literally pushing the referee multiple times. Now THAT was ridiculous. And nothing happened. Again, these type of things happen all the time. But you're saying that the reaction the referee had was perfectly acceptable of that of a GROWN MAN.... I'd expect a 2 year old to go down like that. The mere fact that he was moving literally seconds later shows how ridiculous and pathetic his play acting was. The German newspaper, Kicker, said that it was a BODYCHECK. You honestly think that he was knocked out from a bodycheck? If so, he should probably look into a new profession. That of a daycare teacher or something like that.
     
  24. benficafan3

    benficafan3 Member+

    Nov 16, 2005
    100% correct. Growing up I was taught spitting is quite possibly the most disrespectful thing you could do to somebody.
     
  25. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

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