First of all, despite what Cristiano Ronaldo says, El Clasico referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco actually had a good match. He stayed calm and centered and played the kind of advantage that allowed such a high scoring game in the first place. He kept the game flowing. Even when the players tussled, he seemed completely unruffled, standing back patiently while they
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After yesterday’s debacle at Stamford Bridge, with Andre Marriner sending off the wrong Arsenal player, there’s been a predictable amount of howling from the media that referees should be forced to explain their decisions. It’s an interesting question and not as straightforward as it may seem at first blush. I’ve heard over and over that referees should be forced to
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UPDATE: Premier League has transferred the red card to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (most likely at Marriner’s request, but that’s unconfirmed). AOC will now serve a one-match ban. So, by now you’ve heard that the only thing worth talking about in Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Arsenal at Stamford Bridge was the fact that Andre Marriner sent off Kieran Gibbs by mistake. The basics are
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Always check “Latest Appointments” on the sidebar for updated referee appointments. The boys are back in town! MLS’ regular referees pick up the mantle this week, fresh off their collective bargaining agreement with the league. The top MLS referee will officiate the Colorado Rapids, who arguably helped bring about the end of the two-week old lockout when Marvin Chavez conned
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Always check “Latest Appointments” on the sidebar for updated referee appointments. Here are the referees for Serie A’s 10th round of returns, to be played this coming weekend, March 22 and 23. Sort of a quiet weekend for Serie A. Lazio-Milan should be interesting. The intrepid Gianluca Rocchi (above) will take that one. It’s a sad day for me because
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The MLS referees union, Professional Soccer Referees Association, has reached a five-year collective bargaining agreement with MLS. The agreement ends the two week old lockout of regular referees by the MLS refereeing body, Professional Soccer Organization (PRO). Terms have not been disclosed. The union voted to ratify the agreement, which was reached with the help of Federal mediators, on Wednesday
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Could we be seeing World Cup referee Mark Geiger (above) in action for MLS soon? According to an ESPN report, it’s a very strong possibility. The referees’ union, Professional Soccer Referee Association (PSRA) and MLS’ Professional Refereeing Organization (PRO), have been tied up in a labor dispute that has seen the regular refs locked out for the first two weeks
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Always check “Latest Appointments” on the sidebar for updated referee appointments. Here are the referees for this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, March 22 and 23. Chelsea v. Arsenal is an absolutely huge game for the title race, and it falls to Andre Marriner (above). I like Marriner, though he does have the most red cards among Premiership referees so far
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Always check “Latest Appointments” on the sidebar for updated referee appointments. Here are the referees for the upcoming fixtures in Championship. The top-flight referees are in blue. Saturday, March 22 Barnsley v AFC Bournemouth SCOTT MATHIESON Ian Dudley and Tom Nield Fourth Official Alan Clayton Birmingham City v Reading DEAN WHITESTONE David Avent and Joe Hull Fourth Official Geoffrey Russell Blackburn
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Last week I mentioned that the MLS referee union, Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), had recently published a ‘burn book‘ of all the replacement referees, with photographs and vaguely disparaging ‘bios.’ I’m happy to note they’ve removed this from their site. Now, PSRA is currently in Federal mediation with PRO, the MLS refereeing body. It’s more than likely that they were
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