Are referees up to standard?

Question

Does anyone else think that the standard of refereeing in this world cup has not been up to the standard you would expect from such a pretigious tournament? And should Video evidence be allowed during a game to assist the referees?

Answer 1

Yesterdays Australia game proves that refs need help on important decisions like last minute penalties.
Now Australia are heading home ...and that is wrong.
Refs need more help and less interference from FIFA.
We sure need video help, and it's gonna come sooner or later, the sooner the better.

Answer 2

Absolutely NOT!, The referees are NOT up to standard UNLESS of course they have been directed by FIFA to favour the "superstar" players and "established nations". The statistics show a clear bias in favour of the top 7 seeded teams. After the Group Stage Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, Argentina, England, and France had been awarded an average of 11 extra fouls against their opponents per game!!!! Penalties were also clearly in favour of the top seven teams.

Why? Probably MONEY and REPUTATIONS to protect. Soccer is such a low scoring sport that decisions by referees regularly determine the outcome of matches. Refs turn the beautiful game into the ugly game, and the match-rigging scandals in Germany and Italy before this World Cup should alert ALL fans to the need to introduce video refereeing for penalties and offsides. The World Cup is not about fair competition because the refs have conscious and unconscious biases.

I hate, really hate the way they have destroyed teams chances in this World Cup. Players spend years preparing for the event and have the right to have matches decided by genuine goals. This is not a light matter. In a split second referees waste millions of dollars in preparation and millions of peoples hearts with their INCOMPETENCE.

Give referees the RED CARD and introduce video replay decisions for penalties and goals.

Answer 3

No the referees are not up to standard. The big calls they are really missing, IE Figo's Headbutt, a Yellow Card c'mon he should be banned for at least two matches. And the nice Italian dive, giving the PK what a laugh. These referees are not staying consistent with the calls either, and that is not helping the game at all FIFA really need to come up with some kind of new training system for the referees. IMO.

Answer 4

1. I think referees have to be blamed and this is unavoidable in FIFA's perspective. Every 4 years we see an horror gallery, capital mistakes. Why is this unavoidable?
Please take a look to FIFA world ranking tables. Can you really think Usa is far better than Argentina, England, France, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, and so on?
And had Iranian Confederation (place 23) a single chance to make his way to win the cup? But this is FIFA perspective: to give - every 4 years - a chance to ALL confederation to be part of this great show, to struggle for a glory day, to play an unforgottable match, a real must-win match, not a test or friendly game, against world superstar as Brazil. Today Ghana has its chance. Nothing is written yet: their percentile is low, but a must-win match could deserve a trick.
Those are the rules in FIFA show. It will never be the really-best-in-the-world teams cup, but the everyone-in-the-world is partecipating to the show.
And we LOVE this show, and every 4 years we all are stucked at our seats in front of TV to struggle, suffer, enjoy, cry, shout for our team.
Quite obvious, referee selection follow the same rules. So there are refs from all over the world, some quite good, other untrained to assist world scale must-win matches. All of them got their chances. Trouble is, a team is searching glory, a ref often find only blame. Because they're untrained, because different confederations use not the same perspective to claim a foul.
Worst, FIFA need to push new heroes and fear injuries to stars as Ronaldinho, Beckam and so on. Also, they fear matches with the stars are nearly controlled - and unharmed - by their defensive opponents. This could be awful in show terms. So they declare at every start of the tournament: 'risky fouls aren't tolerated. It will raining red cards' and so on. So unfitted refs, changing rules, different confederations, make refs as the worst part in the FIFA show. And this is unavoidable.
Sliding tackles are part of the game. You can't cancel them.
Risky fouls are part of the game. You can react with red cards. But every match has a different ref and different claims, THIS is the matter. And it's part of the show.
2. I'm from Italy...
Tv is everytime full of football highlights on 'serie A' matches. When expert and journalist comments various doubtful episodes, they never have the same perspective. Someone says 'it was a penalty', other 'not at all' and so on. So, is extremely difficult to choose an unique rule. There will be a Judgment only for evidence? What have they to do seeing video cam? Vote?
Not easy, not at all.

Answer 5

Besides video being the best evidence, I am also wondering about the linesman. If referees did not see it, the linesman should. I certainly think that there are some bias attitude towards certain countries. (WITHOUT PREJUDICE)
Especially the game Portugal vs Netherlands, 12 yellow cards and 4 reds, was the referee having mental disorder at that time?
Or he just want to prove that "referee" is the king of the field?
FIFA should organise an inquiry about this refree.

Answer 6

This question is difficult to answer. Unless you know what instructions have been given by FIFA to the referees. Many people complain about Ivanov in the Por-Ned game. If you look at the incidents I don't see where he had any choice but to start booking players. The referee has 4 tools to use in a game, whistle, yellow card, red card and verbalization. He can do nothing about fouls before they happen. Sometimes soccer players come to play, sometimes they come to create mayhem. It was clear that in the POR-NED game mayhem was the choice of the day.

Answer 7

I think that the standard of refereeing has been mixed. From the nutter graham pole, to the super hairy mexican ref (dont know his name)
It has been encouraging seeing players booked for "simulation" however not so encouraging when players are not alowed to play the game due to that many stopages!! (i.e portugal v holland)
I think the introduction of video evidence is tricky, on the one hand you could say it would give conclusive evidence and may even act as a deterant for some players, however it would slow the game. We would be playing American Football. not, football football (soccer, i hate calling it soccer)

Answer 8

yes, i will have to agree with you, the video evidence is a better one, because the referees are not takeing the best choice every time, and thai make mistakes! Lots of referees distroyed some beatiful matches this world cup! like valentin ivanov at portugal- Olanda! or mezina cantalefo ho acorded 3 yellows tu Simunic and then he eliminated him! the referees are obsolite!:D

Answer 9

Well graham poll isn't and that Russian ref in charge of Portugal - Holland game was poor. The moment he started booking players for the smallest mistimed tackle he was making a rod for his own back. i just hope neither are given the chance to spoil any of the remaining matches because we should be talking about the matches not the ref's. A good ref's like a child, he should be seen but not heard..

Answer 10

I believed original game concepts is 4fun decent in business that what I feels make the game suck.What's really matter should be focus on the relation among friendships in the game how to cooperate 4 the working solution in differs tacticalway within the shadow of rule(in my humble opinion). Anyway I support the idea of have a better technix 4the coordination team.

Answer 11

well i donot have any special opinions on that one but yeah that match of Portugal vs Netherlands was one helluva game 12 yellow cards and four red, oh yes the referee must be out of his mind.no wonder the FIFA prez has shown a vote of no confidence against the russian referee