I’ll analyze this list more in the coming days, but a couple of notes: Mark Geiger from the US is in. Go, Mark. Mark Clattenburg from England, despite having had a good year, was passed over for Howard Webb, who refereed the final in 2010. Clatts is only 38, so he’ll have another shot. Europe’s referees are mostly the old
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It’s starting to get a little boring. Apparently, whenever a team starts to go completely lousy, the manager comes out and says something stupid about the referees to try and obfuscate the issue: that his team suck. First, there was good old Brendan “Geographically Correct” Rodgers. Then there was the Great Adam Lallana Affair over at Southampton. Both were smear campaigns
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There’s only one big game this week: Manchester United v. Chelsea. My man Phil Dowd will take charge, and it’s a good thing. These clubs and their managers are a handful, to say the least, and Dowd leads all Premier League referees with 55 yellow cards to date. (Though no red cards. Yet.) Mark Clattenburg has a tough one with
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Mike Jones seems like a nice enough guy. But boy has luck not been on his side lately. First, he got punched in the face accidentally while mediating a “debate”. (Which was totally not funny, and yet totally was. Cause getting punched in the nose is just comedy gold.) But he might have wished someone would punch him in the nose
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It appears that the latest Mark Clattenburg controversy is grinding to an ignominious halt. When last we’d left our intrepid hero, Clattenburg waved off two penalty appeals in Southampton’s loss to Everton at Goodison Park, and Saints lost their shit. The general feeling is that Clattenburg got both calls right. What happened next was when things got really surreal: Clattenburg apparently
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers won’t fight an FA charge that arose after he made thinly veiled accusations that questioned referee Lee Mason’s impartiality. Rodgers, incensed by Mason’s performance in Liverpool’s Boxing Day clash at Manchester City, suggested that the calls didn’t go the Reds’ way because Mason is from “Greater Manchester.” “Hopefully we don’t have a Greater Manchester referee again
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In case you still don’t believe that referees are celebrities in Italy, here’s a 12-photo spread of Nicola Rizzoli getting papped while skiing in Courmayeur. These pictures were taken just a few days before the big Juventus-Roma match on January 5, but he looks as cool as usual. I particularly love the casually opened jacket and stylin’ red boots. If
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It’s Monday and Monday is Funday! Or the day the Premier League referee appointments are announced. Same thing. There are no big games this week, so nothing really surprising or unusual. Howard Webb will be at Southampton; let’s hope he doesn’t hurt Princess Adam Lallana’s little feelings by commenting on the weather or anything. In other news, it’s always nice to
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Oh, how I love Nicola Rizzoli. This guy is the best of the best, both in Italy and internationally. And while he’s much more measured on the international circuit (his 2013 Champions League final was a master class in letting a game flow), he plies his trade in the drama-filled theater that is Serie A. Bless him. Most weeks, he
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Well, no, not really. He’s still kind of a jerk. But the Premier League has decided he won’t be punished for saying this horrible, horrible thing to Southampton captain Adam Lallana during their recent 2-1 defeat at Everton: “You’re very different now you’ve played for England. You never used to be like this.” Um. What? Really, Southampton? Really?! You lodge
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PLAY THE ADVANTAGE 