You know what? I thought Nicola Rizzoli was great. He took control of this match right from the start and never relinquished it. He was fair, communicated well and gave an air of confidence that you just can’t fake. He owes a lot of his success – in this game in particular – to his outstanding ARs, Renato Faverani and
Read more
The referee for the final match of the 2014 World Cup is Nicola Rizzoli of Italy. He will be assisted by his longtime team, Renato Faverani and Andrea Stefani, both also of Italy. Carlos Vera of Ecuador will be the fourth official, which I must say is a big appointment for him. I, personally, could not be more thrilled or less surprised.
Read more
Few people expected this game to end the way it did: with a 7-1 Brazil defeat. In fact, what most people expected – a brutal, ugly display and possibly retaliation for Neymar’s injury – didn’t happen at all and much of the credit for that can be given to Rodriguez. He could have called an early foul for Brazil right
Read more
Marco Rodriguez of Mexico – known as “chiquidracula” partly for his love of hair product – will take the first semifinal, between Brazil and Germany. Rodriguez has had a good tournament, and what’s more, he’s proven that he can handle making tough calls. It was, after all, Rodriguez who sent off Italy’s Claudio Marchisio for a studs up challenge. This
Read more
Note: My somewhat lame only “bright side” to Carlos Velasco’s performance in Brazil v. Colombia was that no one had a broken leg. Unfortunately, it now appears that Neymar has a broken vertebrae and will miss the rest of the World Cup. That challenge – which went unpunished – was the direct result of very poor refereeing and lack of control
Read more
And, we’re off! The two referees for the first quarterfinal games have been announced. Nestor Pitana of Argentina (above) will take France and Germany, and Carlos Velasco Carballo of Spain will get Brazil and Colombia. I’ve been especially impressed with Pitana in this tournament, so not a surprise to see him. Velasco has been solid, if not overly inspiring, but
Read more
It was a rough day for the American, but a typically smooth one by the Brazilian, Sandro Ricci (above). Mark Geiger, USA: France v. Nigeria Geiger is the first referee from the US to referee at this stage in the World Cup, which is really impressive. However, the American media’s breathless prognostications about how he’d be in the final were
Read more
Mark Geiger of USA (above) has had a really good tournament, and he’s been rewarded with a knockout stage game: France v. Nigeria. It’s nice to see. Sandro Ricci, whom I consider to be one of the top referees in this tournament, is in action as well, with Germany v. Algeria. Referee: Mark W Geiger (USA) Assistant Referee 1: Mark Sean Hurd
Read more
So, very few sane people argue Pepe’s red card in Germany v. Portugal. But shouldn’t Muller have seen yellow for his play acting after Pepe’s initial smack to the upper body? In short, no. The big myth amongst football fans is that this kind of dramatic exaggeration – designed to call a referee’s attention to a transgression – is simulation,
Read more
Another great day of games in Brazil. Here are my thoughts on today’s referees: Milorad Mazic (SRB), Germany v. Portugal Mazic (above) is not a big guy, and he hasn’t been an Elite referee for very long, but he pretty much towered over this game. He called an early penalty for Germany after a tug in the box (more evidence
Read more
PLAY THE ADVANTAGE 