http://soccer.nbcsports.com/2016/11/26/report-howard-webb-offered-mls-job-overseeing-referees/ This article cites the Sun newspaper from the UK so take it for what it is worth. It would certainly be an interesting development if he were to take Walton's place and what, if any, changes he would bring to the organization.
He got a position earlier this year with CONCACAF as Director of Refereeing so I would assume his plate is full.
Webb is the more qualified candidate and also people in US Soccer and in MLS are just tired of Brian Hall. He has been bouncing around between admin roles in CONCACAF/US Soccer and MLS for over a decade now.
I thought Webb was going to live in Germany with his referee girlfriend? Maybe she would come with him if he takes the job! PH
burying the lede!!! The real story there is MLS is trying to buy VAR's. That is not something I saw coming. I assumed we'd end up with some weak-sauce version of the USL video thing. But imagine that, except replace our current crews with people like Webb. Suddenly this gets interesting real fast. That would be some serious cash to pay for VAR's that could be better spent in 1,000 different ways, but at least with the VAR's we'd get Walton an entire army of Webbs to play with.
Just so everyone else knows what you are talking about.. http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...didates-var-position-pro-referee-organization It states Howard Webb is interviewing for a senior executive position to oversee the VAR project. I am not sure (and doubt) this means he would be the one in the booth for all if any MLS games but it is an interesting development.
Don't be distracted by the "It's just for the VAR thing, trust us" quote that PRO put out & that the MLS & NBC sites jumped on. Walton won't be here through all of 2017.
Why do you say that? He's under contract through the end of 2017, and it certainly makes sense that he'd hire Webb to oversee the VARs with the understanding that he'd take over PRO for him at the end of the contract.
It wouldn't be the first time PRO had brought someone over in the guise of one position, only to switch it to another after he got here. Seems that they like this approach as it goes along with all the other smoke and mirrors tactics behind the entire scam that PRO really is. PH
1. They pretend that it is an independent entity, but it is funded heavily by MLS and has offices in the same building and on the same floor as the MLS headquarters. 2. Alan Kelly was brought here as an instructor/trainer, but quickly became an active referee and is not involved in a training function for professional referees. 3. Now they are pulling the wool over our eyes again with this VAR misdirection and Webb. 4. Clearly US Soccer has essentially abandoned its mandated role in refereeing at the pro level. Surely I am not the only one who can see this? The Emperor's Clothes? PH
I agree with points 1-3, but I wonder about point 4. Has USSF abandoned its mandated role or has MLS just told them they aren't really needed? Is there a difference? I suppose you could argue USSF could draw a line in the sand because they have all the power based on their association with FIFA, but that's much easier to say in theory than it would be to do in practice. And when you refer to mandated role, are you implying what's in USSF by-laws or are you saying per FIFA, domestic FAs are supposed to oversee professional refereeing? Because if it's the latter point, I wonder about the PGMOL and other entities that are similar to PRO in scope. Has FIFA ever truly made a fuss about FAs allowing a different entity to oversee professional domestic officiating?
You raise good points. I think USSF has abandoned its role because the people in Chicago don't want to be bothered with it. They believe they have too much to do with everything else, especially the DA and the National Teams. When the old NASL was active, the refereeing was controlled by the NASL, which was strictly not allowed by the FIFA as you pointed out. The NASL was using the NFL/NBA/MLB model for officiating, with the chief of refereeing being employed by the league. However the USSF was a very small and poor operation in those days, only 2-3 employees, including the Secretary General and really did not have the power to do anything, and just enjoyed the money and status that flowed from a pro league. But when MLS started, the USSF was much stronger and controlled the refereeing from the start in theory. But MLS had input into game appointments. I think PRO gets away with it because the USSF has a slot on the governing board and pays some money into the accounts. The PGMOL is totally different because it is totally controlled by the FA, which also runs the BPL. The PGMOL is not controlled by the Football League, which is a different organization. When the old First Division was part of the Football League, the refereeing was still ran from London, not Lytham-St-Anne's where the FL was based. It was based there from the beginning, since the 12 clubs in the original FL were from the midlands and the north of England, none from the London area. Lytham-St-Anne's is a pretty coastal town near Blackpool and a nice place to live, but I think the FL now has offices in Preston, a nearby larger city, but still not in London. I am not sure about any similar entities in other countries, if indeed they exist. It seems that the FAs in most other countries control the refereeing in their leagues. PH
USSF has not abandoned it's role. MLS has abandoned USSF. MLS has told USSF they aren't really needed. Due to various reasons, discussed on here in ad nauseam, MLS felt that the referees USSF was training and providing for their games were not good enough and decided to seek outside help.
Well, it is clear that the referee administration at USSF did not want to deal with the pro areas. Some of this was pressure from the States who saw a large fraction of the refereeing budget provided by their registration fees going to the professional games and not back to the States. And MLS/PRO continued to use most of the existing referees and only have added a few extra ones, who were in the USSF pipeline anyway. Some referees have been dropped, but other than that not much has changed. The major change was the addition of Kelly. Most of the managers and staff and assessors are also people who were USSF products., e.g. Hall, Kennedy, Prus, Serafini. It is just that now they are controlled by PRO and not USSF. The training and fitness is more intensive than before, but that is easier with full time and part-time referees. PH
Webb resigns from his post in Saudi Arabia: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/spo...rtedly-accepts-Howard-Webb-s-resignation.html Garber says that a big name is coming to MLS refereeing: The #MLS commissioner hinted at a big refereeing name coming to the league. "You can guess who he is" #VWFC— 🌊⚽️ FTBL Podcast 🎤📻 (@FromTheBackline) February 7, 2017 All within 24 hours of each other. You do the math.
And here it is: ❗️// BREAKING: Former @FIFAcom referee Howard Webb is #PRO's new Manager of Video Assistant Referee Operations. pic.twitter.com/2CJ2yXSOP2— PRO (@PROreferees) February 7, 2017
So does this mean he gets a work VISA. I thought we have to show or prove no one in the USA could do the Job. Since no other person or country has this job how is that justified?
Well, its not hard to make a case that he could do it better than anyone given his background compared to options already in the U.S.
No, that's not how it works. https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/employment/temporary.html He'd probably get a category O visa, for "persons with extraordinary ability or achievement in the sciences, arts, education, business, athletics..."
Gee whiz. How can we give that kind of job to someone who missed a call in a world cup final?? We should clearly fill the job to one of the American FIFAs. Indeed, not a single one of our retired American FIFA referees missed a call in a world cup final.