PLAY THE ADVANTAGE

Way back on February 2, Serie A referee Andrea DeMarco made the decision to postpone the Roma v. Parma match due to torrential rains and a boggy pitch.

The match was replayed on Tuesday, April 2, with the same referee. In fact, everything was the same:

• The kickoff time was the same
• Two players who were suspended then, but not now, could not play
• Two players who are suspended now, but weren’t then, could play
• The clock was started with about eight minutes on it (reflecting what had already been played)
• The game started with a Parma throw in at the exact spot at which it ended

The match was basically played as if it were still Match Day 22, just two months later*.

Obviously, a lot of factors go into a referee deciding on a postponement due to weather, no matter if the game has started or not.

This interview with Premiership referee Mark Clattenburg (above) occurred right after he postponed the Sheffield Wednesday v. Charlton Athletic FA Cup match. It’s interesting to see the process – both the practical one and his thought process – that a referee goes through to make that call.

On a completely separate, but still interesting note…

Clattenburg doesn’t exactly come across all ‘Mr. Flash’ here, does he? Despite his reputation as a hot shot, every interview I’ve ever seen with him is the same: thoughtful, soft-spoken, a tad camera shy. If you hadn’t heard all the stories about him, you’d probably think he was a good bloke just trying to get on with it (which I’m actually pretty sure is closer to the truth than the stories).

*Sadly, one thing that did change is that DeMarco went back to dying his sexy silver hair black. Breaks my heart…