I wish to thank FIFA once again for showing their complete lack of common sense on matters regarding refereeing. Listen carefully FIFA. Stop screwing with the laws of the game. Stop modifying the laws as written and interpreted before the World Cup. You are making the referees job much more difficult than it has to be. This policy of ignoring persistent infringement and cautionable offenses due to your draconian card accumulation rules (more below) and your concern for keeping players on the field by ignoring the laws of the game led to injury and a spoiling of the sporting spectacle. Modify your policy on misconduct suspensions (yellow card accumulation). It was too strict. Two cautions over six games makes it difficult to avoid cards if the games are called within the laws and the spirit of the game. It led to referees failing to sanction misconduct. More importantly it led to injury and made a joke of the Brasil Colombia game. So what we have in conclusion is that contrary to what many stated here had happened, namely brilliant man management without the use of cards, teams left cynical play at home for the most part in the round of group play. It worked purely on luck. When it came to tactics coaches now knew they could foul with impunity without fear of the sanctions that referees have been taught to issue. Excuse me for being pedantic and stating the obvious, but many need to be reminded that the laws of the game are modified every year specifically to correct cynical play and to keep the game safe at the professional level. They are not changes made to address problems at the youth or amateur level. Here we have FIFA tinkering with the implementation and application of the LOTG to insure players stayed on the field through the draconian and overly restrictive card accumulation rules. What needed to change was the card accumulation requirement, not easing the threshold of fouls that should have been sanctioned as misconduct as a means of addressing the accumulation problem. I liken what FIFA did to a golfer overly compensating for some issue with their swing. In the end the result is a disaster. What happens tomorrow? Do the referees go back to calling matches as they did prior to this world cup? I hope so, otherwise certain teams will foul with impunity until sanctioned. That does the sport no good and makes a mockery of the laws and their application. In closing look at what this modification to the laws did. Neymar Jr. has fractured vertebrae in his back. All those unsanctioned fouls by Brasil on James Rodriguez led to a retaliatory foul on Neymar Jr. by Zuniga. Hell there were sanctionable fouls by both teams! Thank you FIFA!
The "unsactioned" fouls you refer to were mostly to protect Brazil. This was evident last Confed Cup vs Italy & Spain and was very evident yesterday. Brazil must move forward and if they come up against a superior, dangerous opponent they must be allowed to disrupt rhythm at all costs with impunity. There has been no other game or team where this has been the case. Fortunately for this World Cup and the sport, The chickens have come home to roost and Brazil will mercifully be eliminate by Germany on Tuesday. From the moment in the 1st match where Fred was rewarded with that ridiculous PK through the persistent fouling of James R yesterday, this Brazil team and the special treatment they have received has been a farce. There is poetic justice in the fact that Silva could have continuously fouled Colombians and never received a yellow card but decided to do something incredibly stupid that left the ref no decision. Same thing with Neymar whose constant dives were more than ridiculous but was NEVER, EVER going to receive a 2nd booking. To see him laying there actually injured and everyone in the room where I watched laughing about yet another Neymar flop will forever for me the symbol of the shameful handling of this Brazil team. Good riddance!!!
No. What Alberto wrote made (some) sense. You are spouting nonsense conspiracy theories with no evidence to back them up and can be easily disproved with two words (hint - first word "Howard") As far as the first post in this thread goes, I'm not sold on the idea that the yellow card accumulation regulations are the cause of how referees have been dealing with misconduct. I think there is more merit to the false idol of few cards = man management = good refereeing being the main culprit here. I'm not even certain that referees are being particularly micro-managed against cautioning players. We (those of us who are referees) know exactly what it is that motivates referees with any ambition - they want the next big game appointment. That's what we/they crave above all else. We also know about how seductive that false idol can be. We have a "good" game with one or two cards and we are (in our minds) the best referee in the world. Anyway, so some games are played in these finals, Nishimura is crucified after that dive, some other referees seem to be praised despite many clear offences going unpunished and get subsequent appointments, and it becomes a race to the bottom. Rodriguez slips up - he actually sends someone off who deserved it - astonishingly becoming a poster child for the necessity of video review. The teams inadvertently cooperate for a while and things stay under control. But they are clever and they adjust and now FIFA are stuck in a corner. We will never really know the real reason why and how the refereeing situation at these finals came to be, so my theories are worth as much as anyone elses. Actually, no. They are worth more than the conspiracy theories. The referees themselves have been nothing short of brilliant. It is astonishing how much refereeing has improved over the past 10-15 years. What amazes me the most about these finals is the way the referees are capable of changing their style so quickly from the good refereeing that got them to that position in the first place into nonsense referees straight out of a British tabloid "good refereeing" fantasyland. And they will go back home and become good referees again before Neymar is able to walk without pain.
World Cup: FIFA deny claims referees have been told to be lenient FIFA have rejected suggestions that referees have been told not to hand out red and yellow cards in order to provide a more entertaining World Cup. The spotlight has moved away from the players and onto the referees following Brazil’s bruising quarter-final clash with Colombia, during which Brazil striker Neymar suffered a tournament-ending back injury. A tournament-high 54 fouls were committed during the game and Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo has faced heavy criticism for allowing 41 unfair challenges to take place before issuing a yellow card. German newspaper Bild reported that FIFA referees chief Massimo Busacca had told officials to limit cards in order to improve the spectacle, provoking an angry response from FIFA's chief spokesman Walter De Gregorio. "(The story) that there is a secret plan from FIFA telling the referees not to sanction with yellow or red cards in order to have more entertainment or television shares,” De Gregorio said. "In other words that FIFA is risking and tolerating that players like Neymar and others are injured. This is just unacceptable." Brazil’s total of 31 fouls committed during the game with Colombia is their highest in a World Cup match since records began in 1966. The number of yellow cards during the course of the tournament averages 2.8 per match compared to 3.8 in 2010 and 4.8 in 2006. "This is part of the game and we accept that," De Gregorio said. "But what we can't accept is the question on an ethical level, that there is a hidden plan from FIFA. "This goes into the core business - protecting the main actors, the players, it's the most important thing we have to do at FIFA," De Gregorio said. "We have to protect the players. If Neymar isn't playing the semi-final or the final it's not good for us too." Meanwhile, Velasco has made the shortlist to referee the final and the Spaniard is joined on the 15-strong list by England’s Howard Webb. "The (referees') committee defined the list after careful monitoring of all referees and assistant referees on a daily basis together with the technical staff," FIFA said in a statement. "In line with how designations have been made throughout the tournament, quality was the main criteria while physical, medical and technical aspects were also taken into consideration." http://www1.skysports.com/football/...-claims-referees-have-been-told-to-be-lenient
Fits perfectly with the head of the disciplinary committee saying that the Zuñiga foul could not be examined by the committee because Velasco saw the offence and did nothing. If he had called a foul, they could have reviewed the call and reversed the punishment. This way there can be no blot on his record. So by doing nothing, Velasco is rewarded for his inaction in a case that clearly called for it with admission to the finals list. It appears he understands the ground rules quite well.
Sure, FIFA says that now that Neymar is seriously injured. If he would have been alright I doubt there would be any outrage from FIFA. Moreover, given how this matter was discussed by us and sports writers less than a week into the tournament it funny how FIFA was not outraged by the assertions three weeks ago.
2 possibilities here. One is that this is all just one big coincidence. The other is that De Gregorio is lying. It's pretty obvious which is true.
Either the referees received instructions or they seem to have magically changed their views of PI and tactical fouls at the same time. I can only think of one time where a referee did a count of fouls when giving a yellow (Ballotelli?) and I thought that foul could have been a straight yellow, no PI required.
Not pointing fingers or blaming anyone but the statement as quoted doesn't say anything except FIFA doesn't want people hurt. DUH - the statement can be parsed to mean most anything which is what these kinds of announcements usually are designed (carefully) to do. Headline FIFA denies claims referees have been told to be lenient - so anything other than exactly that would make the statement true. Say referees received advice on what PI is for this tournament, or examples of what a tactical foul might be. That is not telling anyone to be lenient but defining what they expect so the headline remains "true". The quotes by De Gregorio used in the article don't say much of anything as written except FIFA did not tell referees NOT to sanction with yellow or red cards. FIFA can't say that - they can suggest how they expect YC and RC to be used but no one would ever say you can not use cards unless the LOTG are re-written. His quote further qualifies the statement with "in order to have more entertainment or television shares" so if anyone did tell referees not to "sanction with yellow or red cards" but did not go on to say anything about TV and entertainment then the statement remains "true". Anyway - with the number of cards being so much lower while CALLED foul counts remain high (not mentioning a higher threshold for fouls) regardless of the political statements there seems more proof for someone getting the word in some manner to referees and the referees following it.
The changes made by FIFA in the interpretations of the laws of the game really do no justice to the game. I understand certain points of emphasis, but ignoring and not sanctioning with a yellow card obvious tactical fouls, persistent infringement, and delaying the restart of play does the game and the laws an injustice. Equally, and even worse is ignoring and failing to sanction with a red card serious foul play and denial of obvious goal scoring opportunities. Sanctioning those breaches with a yellow card is not enough. These actions or examples are glaring misses that are clearly a result of lowering the threshold of what constitutes misconduct. This lowering of the threshold of what constitutes misconduct makes a mockery of the laws of the game. Is this some sort of passive aggressive mind game FIFA is playing with the IFAB? Why have the annual meeting of the IFAB if FIFA is going to butcher the laws for the World Cup? The inconsistency in the application of the laws does the game, fans, players and referees no service. It's confusing. What happens in August when the club season resumes? Do we go back to the application and interpretation of what constitutes misconduct pre-World Cup? I find the whole matter laughable and pathetic.
There was the Romanian Supercup 2 days ago. The referee made these exact mistakes, Under normal conditions I would file under classic Brad Pitt Tudor (his nickname) but it is too familiar with was happened at this WC. At this rate referees around the world will be linched