Okay, but your post was about not giving cards rather than not giving red cards. I understand it's hard to get to 2CT if you give fewer yellow cards, so understand that implicit argument. But all I'm saying is that we've seen yellow cards awarded this tournament that were not in 2014 and 2018, which is a step in the right direction (particularly as SPA with advantage isn't a card anymore).
Well, it will get interesting if a 2nd caution came out then because even FIFA didn't know for their website. There would be a small international crisis until people realize what's happenend. EDIT - They still have not updated the website. Not sure how that information is still wrong. At an event at this level, some FIFA officers should be conferring with the 4th or 5th official at the stoppage between FT and 1 ET to ensure their info matches the official's info.
I would say this is pretty simple: In this tournament, there are are probably a couple dozen incidents where you could expect a card in most professional domestic leagues that weren't given. In 2018 and 2014, there were probably several dozen such incidents in each tournament. The perception is understandable because the bar at World Cups is just higher in this era. But yeah, I think there is some bias related to the timeline, too. People forget how bad 2014 was--blatant SPA was going completely unpunished.
106' Some pre-corner tripping forced a retake. Rappallini, true to form for today, comes in and tells them to knock it off. Then does a little more chastising when the pushing resumes before the kick.
He has done nothing to prevent any fouls and has used no personality to manage the situations that do pop up.
Sure he has, he blows the whistle 9 times and then tells them to knock it off. /s Big pass @ 115' Morocco wanted a free kick. Rapallini says nada.
117' Was the ball given as out, and if it was was that only after the play completed (deliberately withheld flag?) Rapallini is committed to doing the minimum necessary, and the players are letting him referee it that way. Spain are committed to wasting all of their chances. Morocco are committed to doing anything necessary to get to kicks.
123' He is working so hard moving back and forth. And yet, he wants to be hanging out in the players' space in the worst kind of way. Indirectly related to this, if Morocco goes through, it has a clear impact on Elfath's prospects for another game, right?
Ha. It would really suck if an American referee lost out on a WC Final because his birth nation greatly exceeded expectations. This is one of three major pieces of the puzzle that has to fall now. Morocco can't get to the semis. Portugal can't get to the final. Brazil must make the semis and/or a South American team must make the final. I think if all three of those happen, he's the clear favorite.
Right. The odds are in his favor. But as I said before, parlays are challenging no matter how they look individually. And it makes him a favorite, not a guarantee.
It has to be an odd feeling as a ref where your success in getting a plum assignment is contingent upon your country(s) team(s) not succeeding.
Les Arbitres followed this rather closely with Mejuto Gonzalez in 2008. Yes, it must be. I would guess it's a bit of old hat for most of your top UEFA guys and the Brazilian-Argentinians. But it must be extra weird when you're American-Moroccan and you are clearly in the discussion for the WC Final. That being said, Elfath seems like he has the personality to roll with the punches on this sort of thing. Which is probably one of the reasons he's a real candidate, too.
Refereeing worked in the end. But it's an unpalatable strategy that felt inconsistent and with some missed cautions. Still, it was a edge of the seat entertaining game, but it was ugly on the ref said IMO. It was a strategy that he chose and stuck to and the players ended up accepting it. 5, I guess. Except, I gave Oliver and Elfath 4's on other matches for similar issues with consistency and cautions earlier in the event. So... 4. That's a rating.
And Bounou didn't play in the game against Germany. Another for the World Cup bingo card: named substitute used but not a substitution.