Did anybody watch this Serie B contest yesterday? The final score was a run-of-the-mill sounding 1-0 game which put the Sardinian side on top of the standings. Not a run-of-the-mill game, however... First, Genoa was reduced to 10 men pretty early in the game. There was a foul about 35-40 yards out, and Cagliari took it quickly - from the wrong spot and maybe even while it was still rolling. David Suazo had broken toward goal and was pulled down just outside the box by the defender, who had been caught off-guard. Ref apparently ruled he was the last man (dubious) and therefore changed the course of the contest. STILL in the first half, Genoa was reduced to 9 men!! Cagliari managed to score before halftime but could not extend their lead. None of that is the ridiculous part!! In injury time at the end of the 90 minutes, Genoa had a last gasp to tie it with a free kick about 25 yards out. The first kick was blocked, but a Cagliari player had encroached and was shown the yellow card. The Genoa players got set to take the kick again - and the ref blew the whistle for full time!!!! Explain THAT one to me! Okay, you never have to worry about encroaching at the end of a game because it's all for your benefit to waste time. Sure, time-wasting is part of any sport - but this is like in football - if there was not the rule about the game not ending on a defensive penalty. Just stupid. If I have a chance, I might post this to the ref's board to get their thoughts.
I didn't see the Cagliari-Genoa game but the ref in the Brescia-Roma match was pretty bad as well. He totally lost control of the match 5 minutes in.
Well...since it sounds little or no extra time was added then we know Byron Moreno wasn't the center man...
The yellow card for time-wasting means that you stop the clock, ref. Really. If you read the rules it's in there somewhere. But, if you just blow the whistle, you get to go home...or out to get more beers like the ones you drank at halftime.
Talk about bad reffing... anybody happen to see Leverkusen - Bayern Munchen? In any other country I think supporters would have run amok... this guy was a real joke. Supposedly the best in Germany. On the other hand our so called best (remember Liverpool - Alaves) mr Dick Jol who was once caught betting on his own matches (hahaha) is not much better. What's the name of that creepy baldhead again? That Italian? He's one of the few refs that are actually any good.
"creepy baldhead" = Pierluigi Collina. Yeah, he's one of the best, but I still don't forgive him for agreeing to play on that unplayable field in Perugia three years ago. Oh, well. Yeah, that incident with Oliver Kahn made a mockery of that game in Germany. The innocent victim of a mugging got a yellow and right after that got a second and was sent off. Ridiculous.
When time ends time ends. You don't keep the game going just because the players are in the middle of something. Time may stop while a player gets a yellow card, but time starts again before the free kick is taken when the ref blows the wistle. Sounds like what the ref did was perfectly valid. We cannot be sure, of course, because timekeeping is secret.
I'm sure what he did was within the strict definition of the rules, but does it make any sense at all to give a card for time-wasting and then promptly blow the whistle before any further action can occur. He didn't step aside at all. Just showed the card and then blew the whistle.