Match #56 1 July 2014 4:00 EDT - Salvador Officials Referee: Djamel HAIMOUDI ALG Assistant Referee 1: Redouane ACHIK (MAR) Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak ETCHIALI (ALG) Fourth official: Norbert HAUATA (TAH) This thread is for all pre-match, play-by-play and post-match discussion and analysis of the refereeing team. Per the forum guidelines (http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/welcome-forum-guidelines.2003380/), this thread will be heavily moderated. For more general or partisan discussions of the match, please go to the general Group thread or the individual team forums. The final round of 16 match.
Well... I wish this referee the best of luck and I hope he has a good performance... but at the risk of pushing the limits of this forum... GO USA!
Klinsmann with comments questioning Haimoudi's neutrality, a full day prior to the game... JK saw the effect of his words when he doubted that the US would win it all...he thrust the US soccer nation into more support than it has ever seen in the past. Now that we are at this point, the game has changed. What is JK trying to accomplish? A bit of an edge by having that small voice in the back of Haimoudi's head remind him of these words throughout the game? Is JK already shifting blame and grasping at straws or does he have a legitimate point?
These comments are rarely mentioned in connection with the rest of Klinsmann's comments: "We know that he did already two games so far, and he did them very well, so we wish that he continues his refereeing the perfect way he's done so far," Klinsmann said. Yes, it's gamesmanship. I think it's incredibly smart. But, at the same time, he said this guy had two good group games. I don't think he expects a bad performance from Haimoudi but he put it out there and threw the pressure on the referee. I bet most of the refs on this forum have had a coach do something like this in one of their games. I once had a coach come up and say something like "You need to watch X, we played him last time and he's a dirty player...." Is Klinsmann our Fergie?
You don't think him saying the guy had two good group games is also part of the gamesmanship? My take on Haimoudi is that he calls a lot of fouls--period. He's called 79 fouls in 2 games. He's pedantic to a certain degree. I don't think there is going to be a lot of flow to begin with in today's game and I really don't think Haimoudi is going to help that cause. I can't imagine Klinsmann looks at a US v Belgium matchup, looks at a referee who is averaging about 40 fouls per game, realizes the match could very well go to extra time... and is, you know, happy with the appointment. I'm more than a bit worried about yellow card trouble or a soft penalty in this match. Whether you personally agree with the call or not, I can't imagine Klinsmann looked at the penalty Haimoudi gave and said, "wow, great referee and great call!" Does this gamesmanship stuff work at this level? I have no idea--and no idea if Haimoudi has actually read anything in English-language press about it. But why not try if you're Klinsmann? You put a bug in his ear about the French-language thing and the possibility of bias. You then lightly praise him (see, the Americans aren't so bad!) and you hope you catch a break because of it. As a referee, I don't like it. But it's really not the worst thing in the world.
Complete gamesmanship all around. But the way every headline reads is that Klinsmann is terrified the ref is going to screw us, and that wasn't the full context of his comments. I think it's a bit of "good cop/bad cop" as you reference in your last paragraph. Put him on edge but then also praise. Maybe he'll get a couple calls at midfield out of it, maybe a throw-in right in front of the bench. Maybe nothing. When the stakes are this high, you try nearly anything.
Also, not that they are the same guy at all, but suddenly flying in Jedidi for a friendly looks like a brilliant move.
Almost 40 fouls per game yet only 2.5 yellows per game? I don't think that supports your assertion that we might have players in card and/or soft penalty trouble. His 2 and 3 caution card counts are low for the tournament I think, aren't they?
No, but I think the problem is that A) this game could be more physical than the games he has already had, which will make him more likely to go to the plastic and B) this game could go 120 minutes, which gives him more time to go to the plastic.
Twice now he's called advantage for the Belgians when no advantage materialized. But he didn't go back to the foul. Poor IMHO.
Referee just signaled throw-in direction when the ball didn't go out of play. That caused momentary confusion.
USA playing, 48 minutes (w/ stoppage) played, and 14 posts (4 after the match began)? Must be a superhuman effort.
I didn't get what minute it was...perhaps around the 35-40th..but there seemed a clear tactical foul by Belgium with the US coming out. However, earlier on the same play Bradley committed what I think would absolutely have been a yellow card foul had advantage not been played. Maybe the referee just says forget it, we're even?
Haimoudi is a great example of the inconsistancy in this World Cup with issuing yellow cards. It is frustrating at this level to see such inconsistancy. just a rant.
just getting to watch now - 80th min - really, so few comments? Are US refs watching as fans and going to chip in later? No real CMI?
Though it still wouldhave been awfully ugly if someone scored after the other team was distracted by the referee's signal . . .
Other than the probable missed YC in the 35th, the game hasn't really given the ref any chance to get anything wrong, certainly not at the level of CMI.
85th min, Fellaini fouls on a corner kick with a push off of US defender and it was called....definitely not huge, but it was called!
92nd min - bad offside call would have cost US huge - Wondo shoots / skies over the bar, called offside, replay clearly shows he was on.