Candidates to Referee in WC06

[MassachusettsRef]

Well, since I'm the one that suggested the creation of this board, I figure I should post the first thread. And, although there probably won't be significant discussion for quite some time, the best place to start is with the pool of referee candidates for the World Cup. Unlike in past years, FIFA has published a list of referees in contention for a World Cup appointment. Each candidate has two or three assistant referees "tied" to him (the ARs are either from the same country or have the same mother tongue and are from a neighboring country). Crews of three (one referee/two ARs) will be selected for the World Cup. FIFA hasn't said how many referees will be selected, but in the past 2 WCs, there were 36 and 34 referees, respectively. The teams of referees have been to the 4 major FIFA tournaments this year (CWC, U17, WYC, Confed) where they've been observed and tested (written and physical). They've also been closely scrutinized in domestic league matches and WC qualifiers. A decision is expected on which referees are going by March. Here is the list:

AL GHAMDI Khalil Ibrahim KSA
KAMIKAWA Toru JPN
KWON Jong Chul KOR
MAIDIN Shamsul SIN
MOHD SALLEH Subkhiddin MAS
MORADI Masoud IRN

ABD EL FATAH Esam El Deen EGY
CODJIA Coffi BEN
DAAMI Mourad TUN
DAMON Jerome RSA
GUEZZAZ Mohamed MAR
SOWE Modou GAM

ARCHUNDIA TELLEZ Benito Armando MEX
BATRES GONZALEZ Carlos Alberto GUA
PRENDERGAST Peter JAM
RODRIGUEZ MORENO Marco Antonio MEX
SIBRIAN Rodolfo SLV
STOTT Kevin USA

AMARILLA DEMARQUI Carlos PAR
CHANDIA ALARCON Carlos CHI
ELIZONDO Horacio ARG
HIDALGO ZAMORA Gilberto PER
LARRIONDA Jorge URU
ORTUBE BETANCOURT Rene BOL
RUIZ ACOSTA Oscar Julian COL
SIMON Carlos BRA

SHIELD Mark AUS
BREEZE Matthew AUS

BUSACCA Massimo SUI
DE BLEECKERE Frank BEL
DE SANTIS Massimo ITA
FANDEL Herbert GER
HAMER Alain LUX
HAUGE Terje NOR
IVANOV Valentin RUS
LARSEN Claus Bo DEN
MEDINA CANTALEJO Luis ESP
MEJUTO GONZALEZ Manuel Enrique ESP
MERK Markus GER
MICHEL Lubos SVK
POLL Graham ENG
POULAT Eric FRA
ROSETTI Roberto ITA
SARS Alain FRA
VASSARAS Kyros GRE

[Toon³]

How do they decide which refs get which games?

I'm more concerned about the later stages and not having a repeat of last times "errors"

[Caesar]

How do they decide which refs get which games?

I'm more concerned about the later stages and not having a repeat of last times "errors"
The referees selected for the group stages are evaluated during the tournament, and the best are selected to stay on for the latter stages. Matches allocated depend on nationality, and prior experience (eg its highly unlikely a referee will ever control more than one Final).

And the refereeing in 2002 was, from an objective standpoint, not that bad.

[Englishref]

I've kept stats on each of the candidate referees, including FKs, YCs, RCs, Pens, etc, which I can post individually, if requested.

However, here is the confederational breakdown:

CONFED MATCHES FKs AV. FKs PENS AV. PENS YCs AV. YCs RCs AV. RCs

AFC 15 527 35.13 5 0.33 89 5.93 7 0.47

CAF 11 392 35.64 3 0.27 49 4.45 3 0.27

CONCACAF 13 421 32.28 5 0.38 67 5.15 9 0.69

CONMEBOL 21 735 35.00 8 0.38 93 4.43 7 0.33

OFC 10 323 32.30 3 0.30 41 4.10 3 0.30

UEFA 35 1373 39.23 12 0.34 178 5.09 13 0.37

OVERALL 105 3771 35.91 36 0.34 517 4.92 42 0.40

Dunno how that will appear, but hopefully you'll be able to see what it shows.

A bit worrying that the candidates are averaging nearly 5 YCs a game, and a red card almost every other game. :eek:

[MassachusettsRef]

I've kept stats on each of the candidate referees...These stats are just from the four major tournaments, correct? If so, I wouldn't worry about them too much. Historically, the international youth tournaments always have a lot more cards, particular reds, so that can certainly account for a spike in the numbers. And honestly, I don't think a 5 card/per game average is all that bad. Sure, you'd like less, but so long as there's consistency and the tactical and cynical fouls are being dealt with, I don't think the statistic by itself matters.

I particularly think that red card and penalty statistics are almost completely useless. Tracking free kicks and yellow cards might establish a pattern, if you have enough data. But sometimes penalties happen and some times they don't. I've gone dozens of games without giving one and then had to give 3 in one game. Same goes for the red card, really (although if you had a TON of data, you might be able to discern which referees are more hesitant to pull a red card for borderline yellow/red challenges...but there's no way there's enough data in this case).

[Englishref]

They are just from the 4 FIFA tournaments this year. I fully appreciate they can show what you want them to - as any statistics can do - however, I just thought it might be interesting to see if there were maybe differences between confederations, differences between tournaments, etc. Obviously you can disect the stats, and argue all sorts of things, but they're only a vague picture of how the WC candidates are refereeing. :)

[Spaceball]

And lets not forget the many "mandatory" cautions given for things like kicking the ball away in some of these tournaments. I wonder how many were given that may have inflated some of these stats. I can remember one match where there were several cautions given (more than 5 but can't remember an exact number) and 4 were for stuff that never would have been cautioned without the new mandates they tried.

Great work on the stats...interesting to see UEFA referees calling the most fouls...I would have figured them for the fewest with one of the Americas leading the way.

[PanchoM]

I'll give you my opinion on the Mexican refs :

ARCHUNDIA TELLEZ Benito Armando MEX
Cool , doesn't interact with players, worked the Club WC final in Japan , overall very fair . will most certainly be in Germany .

RODRIGUEZ MORENO Marco Antonio MEX
"Chiqui-Dracula"-nick name , knows the rules better then anyone. Needs to be the focus of attention in every game :mad: . He gives out more Yellow/Red cards then Christmas cards. Will be the center of attention if he goes to Germany.

Neither one of these guys are known to loose control of the game , both very confident in their work . Archundia can handle any situation and could be the Referee for the Final .

[King-James]

And the refereeing in 2002 was, from an objective standpoint, not that bad.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/features/newsid_2060000/2060702.stm

[magicgam1]

among the european referees, I'm happy that Ibanez and Batista are not part of the list and I hope that it is not Ivanov or Fandel who will be the referee in our match against France

the non-european referees I don't know

[MassachusettsRef]

Archundia can handle any situation and could be the Referee for the Final .Almost 0% chance of that happening. A Mexican had the 1990 WC Final. Plus, getting the CWC Final makes it less likely he'll get the WC Final, not more.

It hasn't been a South American since the 1980s (since 1990, it's gone Mexico, Hungary, Morocco, Italy). Anything can happen, but a lot of people think that Ruiz of Colombia has the inside track. The big name Europeans (Merk, Gonzalez, Poll, De Bleeckere, Michel) are in play, as is Batres (if healthy) and possibly Shield as a long shot (though he's very young and will have more chances). I'd say right now it's almost a 99% certainty that the referee for the WC Final in Germany comes from that list of eight.

[PanchoM]

Almost 0% chance of that happening. A Mexican had the 1990 WC Final. Plus, getting the CWC Final makes it less likely he'll get the WC Final, not more.

It hasn't been a South American since the 1980s (since 1990, it's gone Mexico, Hungary, Morocco, Italy). Anything can happen, but a lot of people think that Ruiz of Colombia has the inside track. The big name Europeans (Merk, Gonzalez, Poll, De Bleeckere, Michel) are in play, as is Batres (if healthy) and possibly Shield as a long shot (though he's very young and will have more chances). I'd say right now it's almost a 99% certainty that the referee for the WC Final in Germany comes from that list of eight.

Ruiz of Colombia is probably the best Ref IMO , but he won't get the final if its a match between Comebol team and a UEFA team . So thats what I had in mind when I mentioned Archundia as a candidate .

[NASL Fan]

RODRIGUEZ MORENO Marco Antonio MEX
"Chiqui-Dracula"-nick name , knows the rules better then anyone. Needs to be the focus of attention in every game :mad: . He gives out more Yellow/Red cards then Christmas cards. Will be the center of attention if he goes to Germany.

Neither one of these guys are known to loose control of the game , both very confident in their work . Archundia can handle any situation and could be the Referee for the Final .

Rodriguez Moreno may have hurt his chances with his performance in the 2nd leg of the recent Mexican league final. He red-carded three members of the home team, Monterrey, took away any chance they had of winning the championship, and just about lost control of the game. He definitely called TOO MUCH attention to himself.

I catch a lot of the Argentine league and Elizondo is very good, IMHO. You HAVE to be good there: must be one of the toughest leagues to ref in the world.

[ChaChaFut]

Anything can happen, but a lot of people think that Ruiz of Colombia has the inside track. The big name Europeans (Merk, Gonzalez, Poll, De Bleeckere, Michel) are in play, as is Batres (if healthy) and possibly Shield as a long shot (..) I'd say right now it's almost a 99% certainty that the referee for the WC Final in Germany comes from that list of eight.Just curious. Do you really think Carlos Batres has a shot at being given the final? And why "if healthy"?

[Englishref]

I don't personally think he will get the final - I tend to think it'll be Ruiz or a European, but given his experience, and some good performances, you never know. The doubt over his appearance at the tournament is due to him doing his ACL whilst training at the CWC (I believe).

[robii]

Well, since I'm the one that suggested the creation of this board, I figure I should post the first thread. And, although there probably won't be significant discussion for quite some time, the best place to start is with the pool of referee candidates for the World Cup. Unlike in past years, FIFA has published a list of referees in contention for a World Cup appointment. Each candidate has two or three assistant referees "tied" to him (the ARs are either from the same country or have the same mother tongue and are from a neighboring country). Crews of three (one referee/two ARs) will be selected for the World Cup. FIFA hasn't said how many referees will be selected, but in the past 2 WCs, there were 36 and 34 referees, respectively. The teams of referees have been to the 4 major FIFA tournaments this year (CWC, U17, WYC, Confed) where they've been observed and tested (written and physical). They've also been closely scrutinized in domestic league matches and WC qualifiers. A decision is expected on which referees are going by March. Here is the list:

AL GHAMDI Khalil Ibrahim KSA
KAMIKAWA Toru JPN
KWON Jong Chul KOR
MAIDIN Shamsul SIN
MOHD SALLEH Subkhiddin MAS
MORADI Masoud IRN

ABD EL FATAH Esam El Deen EGY
CODJIA Coffi BEN
DAAMI Mourad TUN
DAMON Jerome RSA
GUEZZAZ Mohamed MAR
SOWE Modou GAM

ARCHUNDIA TELLEZ Benito Armando MEX
BATRES GONZALEZ Carlos Alberto GUA
PRENDERGAST Peter JAM
RODRIGUEZ MORENO Marco Antonio MEX
SIBRIAN Rodolfo SLV
STOTT Kevin USA

AMARILLA DEMARQUI Carlos PAR
CHANDIA ALARCON Carlos CHI
ELIZONDO Horacio ARG
HIDALGO ZAMORA Gilberto PER
LARRIONDA Jorge URU
ORTUBE BETANCOURT Rene BOL
RUIZ ACOSTA Oscar Julian COL
SIMON Carlos BRA

SHIELD Mark AUS
BREEZE Matthew AUS

BUSACCA Massimo SUI
DE BLEECKERE Frank BEL
DE SANTIS Massimo ITA
FANDEL Herbert GER
HAMER Alain LUX
HAUGE Terje NOR
IVANOV Valentin RUS
LARSEN Claus Bo DEN
MEDINA CANTALEJO Luis ESP
MEJUTO GONZALEZ Manuel Enrique ESP
MERK Markus GER
MICHEL Lubos SVK
POLL Graham ENG
POULAT Eric FRA
ROSETTI Roberto ITA
SARS Alain FRA
VASSARAS Kyros GRE

wat's all this list , are all of these refs for the cup ?!!

[robii]

It was a huge problem the last Cup and it will definetly be in this also.
The biggest problem is using refs from all corners of the world. I am mean, when the f*** have they seen any decent football , except ofcourse from watchin games on TV ?!
I think it should be restricted to only refs from the EU ( only those who ref in Champions League), and maybe 2 or 3 from South America (during Copa Libertadores I have seen a few of them that are very decent).
If anyone has any info about the refs, please put it up. I read on the Gazzetta dello Sport (italian) (www.gazzetta.it), that about 6 or 7 are going from the EU (each from a different country). It should definetly be more.

[arthur d]

They are just from the 4 FIFA tournaments this year. I fully appreciate they can show what you want them to - as any statistics can do - however, I just thought it might be interesting to see if there were maybe differences between confederations, differences between tournaments, etc. Obviously you can disect the stats, and argue all sorts of things, but they're only a vague picture of how the WC candidates are refereeing. :)

English ref, what do you think of Graham Poll? I am surprised he's still on the list as I remember him for terrible decisions in the last two tournaments he refereed (disallowing a goal for Italy in 2002 and denying Latvia two penalties in 2004).

[almango]

wat's all this list , are all of these refs for the cup ?!!

These are guys that are under consideration for the World Cup.

[almango]

It was a huge problem the last Cup and it will definetly be in this also.
The biggest problem is using refs from all corners of the world. I am mean, when the f*** have they seen any decent football , except ofcourse from watchin games on TV ?!
I think it should be restricted to only refs from the EU ( only those who ref in Champions League), and maybe 2 or 3 from South America (during Copa Libertadores I have seen a few of them that are very decent).
If anyone has any info about the refs, please put it up. I read on the Gazzetta dello Sport (italian) (www.gazzetta.it), that about 6 or 7 are going from the EU (each from a different country). It should definetly be more.
I think that the best referees should be selected regardless of where they come from. Selecting referees from only one area is just as silly as selecting referees based on sharing the games amongst the World's regions. FIFA has a number of lesser tournaments where referees can gain experience and improve themselves. They have also been using referees from different parts of the world in different areas during qualification matches for the World Cup. From those the best should be selcted regardless of where they come from. You will still end up with a large proportion of them from Europe, simply because those refs get the chance to referee at higher levels more often.