2010 FIFA World Cup Referee Appointments

I cannot argue that there isn't inconsistency between how Irmatov handled the two situations, but I think the real error was not giving Di Maria a YC. Otherwise, whether Muller deserved a caution or not should be evaluated on its own merits and the fact that he was carrying a yellow card from another match should not be part of the criteria used IMO.

 

According to the rules of the game, a yellow is to be awarded if the player handles the ball in order to prevent an opponent from gaining possession or developing an attack.

Müller "caught" the ball from a deflection of Messi, he did not intercept a pass and the ball was not going anywhere near an Argentine player. The rule is a judgement call, but if this was preventing from gaining possession/developing attack, you can simplify the whole thing and say every single hand ball is a yellow card. For me, this one was not even a harsh decision, it was a mistake.

 

It also is given for handling in an attempt to score a goal.

What Mueller did would be a pretty big stretch of "attempting to score a goal." I think the spirit of that application would be more specifically applied to things like Maradona's Hand of God or the Hand of Henry incidents.

I want to make it clear, I don't have a problem with a YC for both of these incidents, or no card for either. I also don't have a problem with a YC for Di Maria and no card for Mueller. I think the consistency issue pops up because if Di Maria's offense was not a caution, I have a hard time understanding how Mueller's was (on this given day).

Sorry, MassRef, for taking the discussion off topic...

 

I don't think that is correct.

Law 12 lists the following as the offenses that merit a yellow card:

Deliberately handling the ball is considered "unsporting behavior".

Additionally, under Law 12

Basically, no where in the rules is a restriction that speaks to what you have mentioned. Indeed, my understanding of the rules is that a yellow card is justified whenever you have a deliberate handball, unless the deliberate handball is preventing a goal or goal scoring opportunity, in which case a red card is to be issued. Of course, you can always surmise that a player that uses his hand has down so either to prevent an opponent from gaining possession or develop an attack, or help himself in gaining possession and develop an attack. But of course you do have situations such as the one in Serbia-Germany where a handball even in the penalty box seems inexplicable and merely the result of a player being foolish.

 

I wasn't aware of the criteria you mention, although having read the page you refer to it seems to me that those are listed as examples of unsporting behavior. Not that it makes all that much of a difference, since preventing an opponent from gaining possession appears very broad in scope regardless.

 

I reviewed the rules/pages that you have mentioned. On balance, it seems I stand corrected, even though there is wiggle room in the rules you cite.

 

What wiggle room?

The cited page states that the following actions MUST be sanctioned as Unsporting Behavior if the referee observes them. This is a duty of the referee.

If by wiggle room you are referring to the often cited "in the opinion of the referee" clause, I suppose you have a point, but this is no different than any other sport now is it?

 

The wiggle room arises because USB is not explicitly restricted to the situations that are mentioned. Instead, those situations appear to be examples of when YC is mandated. In other words, an argument can be made that there are other situations that a referee may consider USB even for handling, which he can in turn penalize with a YC, even if the situations mentioned are ones where his authority not to show a yellow card is restricted and he is required to do so.

On balance, however, I noted that I stand corrected in my understanding of the situations which would warrant a yellow card for USB/handling. Which then brings me to the point I mentioned in another thread:

The import of these rules (which I was not aware of previously), is to make Irmatov's decision not to hand a yellow card to Di Maria appear to be entirely by the book. He was certainly not required to show Di Maria a YC. There is simply no way that you can argue that Di Maria was attempting to score with his hands. Nor was that handball, which was to facilitate an attack being developed by Argentina, one that you can paint as attempting to prevent an opponent from gaining possession or developing an attack. But when it comes to the Mueller handball, which occurred in front of Germany's box, the argument that he was trying to prevent an attack from developing or deny the opponent possession, appears more applicable, even if some don't feel that is what was happening.

 

In the shadow of the news of the appointment some sad news: Roberto Rosetti has retired from refereeing. Confirmed by the Italian soccer federation.

 

In retorspect, it looks as though Archundia and crew were the biggest Uruguay fans in the world this week. Presumably, based on ploicy at this Cup, Archundia and Webb were the two referees for the final two matches. Archundia was going to follow Uruguay and Webb the Dutch. That SF probably determined the appointments. Maybe just bad luck for Archundia.

 

The Pope? (Oh wait, he'd be biased)

Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Desmond Tutu?

Would it have mattered? A bigger question would be what cleaning agency would they have hired to clean the dried blood off the pitch afterward...