Match 19: ARG : ALG - MARCINIAK (POL)

I think it very hard to class that as a "cheap YC" when, had their been force, it would have been a cinch for a red. Maybe this is the orange area? If so, I cannot get where this is a "cheap YC" or a just a foul. I just think it a miss.

When you all ref, do you mentally keep track of what players are doing what, or do you block that out and just make the calls then after making the call assess who made the foul and what your action should be? I use that little space between the whistle and the next action to quickly assess who fouled who and what my next action should be.

 

Replying to this and your other posts in this context.
This reminds me somewhat of the Howard Webb situation in 2014. He had done the Final in 2010 and it really didn't go well, (some might say disastrous) with 14 YCs, one RC and that very bad failure to issue a RC to DeJong for his karate kick into the ribs of a Spanish player. He returned in 2014 to try to redeem himself somewhat and did OK but nothing special.

Now Marciniak returns after doing the previous FInal but successfully. He has huge credits with players, coaches, administrators, even pundits and fans. So he can more or less referee as he pleases and will be OK but only up to a point. Only the refereeing community will care about the technical POV. Does he have a shot at the Final again? Maybe but there are other strong contenders (including an Italian and Italy are not here). But he is certain to be put on a critical later game as THE safe option.

At a lower level in local leagues similar effects occur, with a well-known experienced official that everyone respects who has been on big games before. Some oversights for whatever reason are forgiven, the games go well and everyone is happy. I am sure many people on this board are aware of this and may have experienced it themselves!

PH

 

Messi's foul was an absolute red car. Is there actually "debate" about this? Please. He didn't even get a yellow! Absolute referee bias and incompetence---and VAR corruption.

 

Jamming your foot into an opponent's calf is never an "innocuous" play. It was a disgraceful no-call by the referee and the usual World Cup corrupt/nonsense/BS from VAR.

 

Not a bad run honestly.

 

Brazil - Chile in 2010 was also refereed by Webb himself. Perhaps you mean Brazil - Colombia in 2014 (which occurred after Brazil - Chile 2014), which Velasco indeed handled poorly?

 

Shows you how generally good the officiating has been so far

 

I would be interested to hear your opinion of the DeJong karate kick in the 2010 Final.

PH

 

That was a bit tongue-in-cheek from me, based on what has gone on in previous WCs and the connection of the referee on the Final to key members of the Referees' Committee or the Executive Committee.
Watching his match this week I wasn't impressed at all, and there are much better referees here, so I do agree. (again!)

PH

 

BTW I meant to add in my post here that the foregoing also applies to Faghani (without the Final referee fact).

PH

 

In the end, Marciniak called this game like he was channeling his inner Ramos. He just wasn’t very good.

 

Ok, now I better understand what you are saying. I thought you were coming from a point of view that it would have been a "cheap YC" because it did not rise to the level of YC.

I guess I fall into the thought that the leg/knee to the back of the left leg was careless, the studs to back of right calf was then reckless. He took two bites at the guy in the same tackle (from behind). I personally do not give much leeway in tackles from behind. His foot is a long way from the ball at that point and he is well shielded off from it.

But no, I do not think there was an intent to injure, an elevated risk of injury, nor was the force excessive, where it would rise to SFP.

 

I lost my discipline and viewed ignored content to see what you were talking about. Wished I hadn’t.

 

3 of the 4 majors are competed in English-speaking countries. Aussie Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. French Open is very French, but referees speak English because of the other 3.

World soccer being based in Switzerland (FIFA), which doesn't have an officially recognized Swiss language, is a whole nother thing. They speak a conglomerate of languages, but mostly German, French, and Italian. And the sport is mostly accepting of all languages and cultures, which is one of the greatest parts of our sport.

 

The Algerian Football Federation has filed a complaint with FIFA regarding the refereeing decisions in their 3-0 opening World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Its concerns, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, centre around Lionel Messi’s tackle in the 30th minute, in… pic.twitter.com/GcM3gvVJCF

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) June 20, 2026

 

Yawn

 

First used in 1970, suggested by Ken Aston, FIFA referee committee member who was a 1962 WC referee who had a really rough game there, and then after the language confusion in 1966 with Argentina and a German referee.

FIFA used to require that FIFA referees had to be proficient in at least one of the 4 official FIFA languages, English, German, Spanish and French. This was not popular with Russian and Asian referees!

PH

 

The Messi foul continued...
I just saw a clip of the BBC refereeing analysis show that they usually have for PL matches.
The moderator asked "Should Messi have been sent off?"
Dermot Gallagher, their referee expert, (an actual ex-FIFA referee, BTW) simply laughed at him and asked sarcastically "Send Messi off?" and went on to explain his reasoning for the decision which was exactly in line with most of the postings here.

Incidentally, they also thought Mbappe should have had that penalty and were puzzled by Faghani's rejection of the OFR, again just like us here!

PH