Joe Machnik Interview

[kenntomasch]

Did this interview with Joe prior to the season, but, as it's apparently not going to be published where it was supposed to, I've put it up on my blog.

[Rufusabc]

They don't call enough fouls in the area, because they think the cards that go with the calls are too harsh??? Did I read into that correctly?

I guess all the speculation I have always read about on this and other blogs IS actually the way they want the game to be called.

R

[Jasonma]

Now we’re saying if a referee sees the play, makes a decision, we’re going to live with that decision unless the foul is so egregious, or unless there’s an egregious injury that we’ve got to go in and look at it a second time, we’re going to stick with the referee’s decision and support the referees a bit more and hopefully our players will understand that and it will not be an escalation of unnecessary aggression or foul play.

This is where I beat the dead horse and point out that apparently they're fine if the ref screws up and over-penalizes a player but not if he under-penalizes them, and how that's inconsistent.

OK, got that out of my system now. :D

[WhatWouldSODo?]

"All over the world there’s been discussion that that [red card for DOGSO] is too harsh unless the tackle is so violent that it becomes easy. But often there are tackles that are done tactically rather than violently and the referee has to make that decision. If they would remove that mandatory sendoff, you would probably see a lot more PKs."

Huh? I guess there really has also been discussion of not issuing mandatory red cards in the first or last ten minutes of a match when a player commits one of the 7 send-off offenses.

[Pierre Head]

"All over the world there’s been discussion that that [red card for DOGSO] is too harsh unless the tackle is so violent that it becomes easy. But often there are tackles that are done tactically rather than violently and the referee has to make that decision. If they would remove that mandatory sendoff, you would probably see a lot more PKs."

Huh? I guess there really has also been discussion of not issuing mandatory red cards in the first or last ten minutes of a match when a player commits one of the 7 send-off offenses.

They don't call enough fouls in the area, because they think the cards that go with the calls are too harsh??? Did I read into that correctly?

I guess all the speculation I have always read about on this and other blogs IS actually the way they want the game to be called.

R


Exactly! This is what many people have been talking about for years.
Now it is coming directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak. And one of the results is the lack of the red card for the headbutt in the MLS Final.
But the league should not be allowed to operate like this. US Soccer and its referee organization should be far more proactive in ensuring that TLOG are followed correctly in MLS, instead of remaining silent when referees who try to do so, and assessors who fail referees who do not correctly enforce TLOG, are no longer used in the league.
The Landon Donovan statement said it all. The players will do whatever they are are allowed to get away with. All of this just discredits MLS itself, as well as the US referee program overall. And contributes to why the league is not taken seriously by the rest of the world.

I do have some sympathy for the referees. They are caught in a bind. Everyone wants to referee in the top league, and get the recognition and personal pleasure from doing so. So they have to comply to keep getting appointments. My point is that they should not be put in this position.

How many people saw the headbutt in the MLS Final and laughed (or cried) when the player was not sent off, just because it was a final. This did not save Zidane, in a much bigger game.

How much longer is one man's erroneous view of the game going to be allowed to continue. As long as he is in control, there will be no improvement. His main experience before MLS came from indoor soccer, where the main objective is to sell tickets.
That is the wrong background for the referee chief of a real soccer league, which is allegedly what MLS is trying to be.

It really is a shame for everyone who loves the game.

[PVancouver]

How many people saw the headbutt in the MLS Final and laughed (or cried) when the player was not sent off, just because it was a final. This did not save Zidane, in a much bigger game. Actually, I laughed at the people who thought it may have deserved a red card. I don't know what a headbutt by an offensive player when the ball was not in play has to do with DOGSO's, though.

You don't think a red card for a "careless" tackle is a bit harsh? I personally would like to see "careless" DOGSO fouls elevated to cautions and DOGSO cautiions elevated to send-offs.

"All over the world there’s been discussion that that [red card for DOGSO] is too harsh unless the tackle is so violent that it becomes easy. But often there are tackles that are done tactically rather than violently and the referee has to make that decision. If they would remove that mandatory sendoff, you would probably see a lot more PKs."

Apparently Machnik is even a little uncomfortable sending off players for tactical DOGSO fouls.

"We’re way behind in the number of penalties called per average - we call fewer.

Machnik may not be happy, but I am. Penalties decide too many games as it is.

[Claymore]

Actually, I laughed at the people who thought it may have deserved a red card. I don't know what a headbutt by an offensive player when the ball was not in play has to do with DOGSO's, though.

You don't think a red card for a "careless" tackle is a bit harsh? I personally would like to see "careless" DOGSO fouls elevated to cautions and DOGSO cautiions elevated to send-offs.

"All over the world there’s been discussion that that [red card for DOGSO] is too harsh unless the tackle is so violent that it becomes easy. But often there are tackles that are done tactically rather than violently and the referee has to make that decision. If they would remove that mandatory sendoff, you would probably see a lot more PKs."

Apparently Machnik is even a little uncomfortable sending off players for tactical DOGSO fouls.

"We’re way behind in the number of penalties called per average - we call fewer.

Machnik may not be happy, but I am. Penalties decide too many games as it is.

Eric Wynalda, is that you?

[PVancouver]

The Landon Donovan statement said it all. The players will do whatever they are are allowed to get away with.

Having referees familiar with players is a double-edged sword. Players also become familiar with referees, and learn what they can and can't get away with. Plus, the players may feel the spotlight burns a little brighter for national team games.


As for penalties, Machnik did get his wish: 57 penalties were called in 2007 vs 44 in 2006. That was probably the most since 58 were called in 2003 (MLSnet's 2005 stat page is missing).


"Soccer’s not designed to be officiated perfectly. Otherwise we’d be using video replay and stopping the game to look at this and look at that and then correcting decisions that have been made. It is what it is and the human element is a big part of soccer officiating, so until that changes it’s going to be very hard to satisfy everybody.”

Interesting comments. I wonder if he would find video review for certain types of calls acceptable.

[kenntomasch]

As for penalties, Machnik did get his wish: 57 penalties were called in 2007 vs 44 in 2006. That was probably the most since 58 were called in 2003 (MLSnet's 2005 stat page is missing).


2006 was a bit of an aberration.

Year....G...PK..PK/G
1996...160..50..0.31
1997...160..54..0.34
1998...192..56..0.29
1999...192..41..0.21
2000...192..66..0.34
2001...158..52..0.33
2002...140..47..0.34
2003...140..58..0.39
2004...150..49..0.33
2005...192..59..0.31
2006...192..44..0.23
2007...195..57..0.29
TOTAL.2063.633..0.31