Some big games this week, and some equally big refereeing names to officiate. Because there is so much going on, I’m trying a slightly different format for this post. CSKA Moskva – FC Bayern München Referee: William Collum (SCO) Assistant Referee 1: William Conquer (SCO) Assistant Referee 2: Graham Chambers (SCO) Collum’s actually been called on by UEFA quite a
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Well, it certainly seems that UEFA front loaded the big names into Tuesday’s playoffs: Rizzoli, Eriksson, Mazic, Brych and Velasco. Wednesday’s referees aren’t nearly as illustrious, with one notable exception: Bjorn Kuipers of Netherlands. Kuipers (above) is, in my opinion, the most naturally gifted and talented referee out there, despite my undisputed love for Nicola Rizzoli. Had Netherlands not made it
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It’s definitely silly season in World Cup refereeing terms, with only three games left to go. Here are some of the totally unsubstantiated things I’m hearing. Bjorn Kuipers is Out – Dutch media are reporting that Kuipers has been given his walking papers, due to the success of the Dutch side. This is really sad for me, because it really does mean
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The standard of refereeing has been a talking point in this World Cup since before the tournament even started. Hardly a surprise; referee bashing should be a sport in and of itself. But while there have definitely been some issues, there have been some excellent performances, as well. I’ve watched almost every match, so I decided to go back through my
Read moreIt’s Sunday, so you know what that means: Ask Jenna time! This does seem to be the Howard Webb Edition for some reason… I decided to do this in audio so you could hear my coughy, post-flu voice. I knew you’d appreciate that. As always, these answers are my own and are meant to be fun.
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Two of Europe’s best – Howard Webb and Bjorn Kuipers – were out today, and both showed just why they’re one of the best. Howard Webb (England), Brazil v. Chile Big Howard had his game face on today, particularly after the ridiculous accusations of bias from Chilean players a day earlier. Early on, he made it clear that he was not
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FIFA aren’t screwing around with the first knockout stage games. They’re pulling out the big guns: Howard Webb of England and Bjorn Kuipers of Netherlands (both shown above). Brazil v. Chile will need a strong hand, and they have it in Webb, who was stellar in his last appearance. Kuipers has impressed in this tournament, as well. Also, we get some pretty, pretty boys
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Today, we saw arguably the best refereeing performance of the World Cup so far … and arguably the worst. Milorad Mazic (SRB), Argentina v. Iran FIFA really loves Mazic (above), that much is clear. I think he’s usually a pretty good referee, but I haven’t been quite so enamoured of him as they are. He was a bit hit or
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Three more referees today, newcomer Ben Williams and two repeat referees, including the Dutch God of Refereeing, Bjorn Kuipers. Enrique Osses (Chile) – Italy v. Costa Rica I wasn’t nearly impressed with the Chilean referee in this match as I was in his first outing. But in his defense, this game was played midday in the heat and humidity of
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Yay! Switzerland get Bjorn Kuipers!! When my Suisse play France on Friday, we’ll have the very best in the middle. Kuipers (above), a supermarket owner from the Netherlands, put on a masterclass in his inaugural game: England v. Italy. He’s a “by the book” kind of referee, but we’re a “by the book” kind of team, so that should work out
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PLAY THE ADVANTAGE 