The group stage gets started in earnest on Saturday with four matches. Arguably the biggest (at least in terms of attention) will be England v. Italy. Bjorn Kuipers of the Netherlands has been given the reigns of that one. Kuipers (above) had a solid Champions League Final, despite popular perception, and his strength in man management makes him a good
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On this, the opening day of the World Cup, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about what is really important when it comes to the referees: Hotness. Yes, there are some right cuties amongst the 33 center referees this year, and I would be amiss if I didn’t point them out to you. So, welcome to Jenna’s Top Five
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The referees for the first two days are a very pancontinental bunch, with one referee each from Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. Friday sees one of the biggest matchups of the early stages: Spain v. Netherlands. This repeat of the 2010 final will have huge implications for how the tournament shapes up, and has been given to Italy’s Nicola
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It turns out I have a reprieve from The Day Job for the entire World Cup. (I know, right? Best. Boss. Ever.) So, while I won’t be in Brazil, I’ll be on Twitter every day for every game, and I want you to be right there with me! Yes, I’ll be bringing my particular blend of refereeing commentary and sass (mostly sass) to
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Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura gets the nod for the opening game of the World Cup on Thursday, between host country Brazil and Croatia. Read ABC News’ coverage here. Want to know more about Nishimura? Watch his FIFA video. You also should check out the Dutch Referee’s story about Nishimura. More to come on the other appointments…
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FIFA has put up short YouTube videos of each of the center referees who will participate in the World Cup in Brazil beginning this Thursday. They’re pretty fascinating and a great way to get to know these men who will have such an impact on the tournament. The referees themselves are pretty adorable. And because I know you’re dying to know,
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Here’s a very interesting interview with the head of FIFA’s refereeing, former Swiss referee Massimo Busacca. It breaks down his thought process on not only how to prepare referees, but how he thinks of refereeing as a whole. Busacca was one of the great Swiss referees, and has made some pretty substantial changes at FIFA since he arrived. Among them are
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How cool is a sport where even the ball has a name? Welcome back L’Arbitre, who introduces us to a character we’ll become very familiar with during this World Cup.. by L’Arbitre Meet the latest addition to the adidas collection and the official ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: Brazuca! The topic of the ball doesn’t come up very
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There has recently been a spate of press coverage about match fixing, and the possibility that some of the matches in Brazil could be affected. (Please note the some and could.) I have actually struggled with whether or not to address this here on Play the Advantage. The truth is, despite some rather lurid headlines, there is absolutely no evidence that any referee
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Please welcome back L’Arbitre and the second in his series on new tech the referees will be using in Brazil. Read his article on Goal Line Technology, and be sure and visit his blog! By L’Arbitre The next thing you can be sure to find different this World Cup will be the vanishing spray. Now I don’t mean spray that
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