Post by Scott on Jun 5, 2006 13:31:44 GMT
From The Guardian:
They are the World Cup's "33rd team", according to Sepp Blatter, and recruiting officials has been as complex as the construction of the other 32 squads. When Peter Prendergast, the Jamaican referee, was ruled out in late May with a knee injury, he was added to a lengthy list of officials forced to forfeit a stay at the luxury Kempinski hotel, the referees' Frankfurt HQ.
Kyros Vassaras of Greece and Spain's Manuel Mejuto
González were even more unfortunate. Their tickets to Germany were cancelled in March after one of their respective assistants failed fitness tests - notably on sprint and endurance drills - in Neu-Isenburg. This year, for the first time, Fifa are not classing officials individually, instead treating the referee and his two assistants (from the same country or confederation) as a unit. If one is not up to scratch, the rest follow him out of the door.
Those who have made it have been given strict guidelines in an effort to clamp down on eight particular offences. The leading crime is diving, with Blatter, the Fifa president, keen to erase it from the game. The list also includes elbowing, reckless fouls, shirt-pulling, time wasting, dissent, behaviour in walls at free-kicks and the wearing of jewellery. Red cards have been sanctioned for elbows or reckless fouls. Yellow cards will be shown for players pulling shirts, deliberately touching the ball after play is halted and surrounding or insulting the referee.
Despite Fifa's desperation to eradicate bad decisions, it remains reluctant to embrace new technology. Experiments failed to conclude that the judging of goal-line decisions should be done by computer and instant replays also remain out of favour. However, referees will don radio head-sets to communicate with their assistants after tests in various European leagues proved successful. Casio is attempting to end the problem of referees blowing up on time: they will wear the RFT-100WC Referee Timer, which vibrates when the game should end.
Off the field officials are now banned from betting on games in response to this season's scandals. "They will have to sign a paper saying that they will never - themselves or their families - be involved in betting on the World Cup," Blatter said. They will have to find alternative ways of spending the £21,500, plus daily allowance, they will be paid during the tournament - double what was on offer four years ago. But Fifa's costs have not ballooned because they have selected only 21 referees to cover 64 games, a decrease from the 36 used in 2002. That number will fall further once the finals begin: referees who make huge errors will be sent home as Fifa will not accept the excuse that they are "only human".
"If you make a big mistake in your first game, it will be your last game," said England's Graham Poll. "The message is very clear. Fifa will be very supportive - but there is a very, very high standard expected."
The Refs
Men in the middle
Essam Abdel-Fatah Eg
Age: 40
Profession: Pilot
Controversy watch: Morocco blamed him for failing to qualify for World Cup after 2-2 draw against Tunisia
Carlos Amarilla Par
Age: 35
Profession: Electrical engineer
Controversy watch: Injured by fans after stormy 1-1 draw between Olimpia and Nacional in Paraguay in May
Benito Archundia Mex
Age: 40
Profession: Lawyer, economist
Controversy watch: 'He got the important decisions all wrong' said Rafael Benítez after world club final
Massimo Busacca Switz
Age: 37
Profession: Managing director
Controversy watch: Ruled out 'offside' Abdoulaye Faye goal for Bolton in Uefa Cup v Marseille this year
Coffi Codjia Ben
Age: 38
Profession: Maritime inspector
Controversy watch: 'He made sure we had no chance,' said Indonesia coach after Bahrain won 3-1 in 2004
Frank De Bleeckere Bel
Age: 39
Profession: PR manager
Controversy watch: Didn't give Wayne Rooney ball after hat-trick v Fenerbahce. Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in
Horacio Elizondo Arg
Age: 42
Profession: PE teacher
Controversy watch: Once locked in his bathroom by two thieves who ransacked his home
Valentin Ivanov Rus
Age: 44
Profession: Teacher
Controversy watch: Once banned in Russia for watching video of controversial goal before disallowing it
Toru Kamikawa Jpn
Age: 42
Profession: Referee
Controversy watch: Iran striker Mohammad Ali Karimi once kicked him in shins after he sent off a team-mate
Jorge Larrionda Uru
Age: 38
Profession: Clerk
Controversy watch: Disallowed Brazil goal v Uruguay in 2004. Replays showed ball over line by half a metre
Shamsul Maidin Sing
Age: 40
Profession: Sports executive
Controversy watch: Australia coach Frank Farina cited 'atrocious decisions' after defeat to Argentina in 2005
Luis Medina Cantalejo Sp
Age: 42
Profession: Sports assessor
Controversy watch: David Beckham called him biased after Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at Barcelona in April
Markus Merk Ger
Age: 44
Profession: Dentist
Controversy watch: Abandoned 2005 Champions League Milan derby after flares were hurled on to pitch
Lubos Michel Slvk
Age: 38
Profession: Manager
Controversy watch: Wrongly sent off Leeds' Harry Kewell for 'stamping' on a Galatasaray defender in 2000
Graham Poll Eng
Age: 42
Profession: Referee
Controversy watch: Mark Hughes said he 'believed his own celebrity' as Blackburn lost at United in January
Eric Poulat Fr
Age: 42
Profession: Computer scientist
Controversy watch: 'Stupid' said Juan Sebastian Veron last year after second yellow for taking free-kick quickly
Marco Rodriguez Mex
Age: 32
Profession: PE teacher
Controversy watch: Monterrey said he 'stained reputation of referees' after three off in '05 Mexican grand final
Roberto Rosetti It
Age: 38
Profession: Hospital manager
Controversy watch: Coach Ricardo Lavolpe blamed him for Mexico loss to Argentina in Confed Cup last year
Oscar Ruiz Col
Age: 36
Profession: Lawyer
Controversy watch: Once escorted off by 20 riot police after Colo Colo of Chile beat Brazil's Flamengo 1-0
Mark Shield Aus
Age: 32
Profession: Company director
Controversy watch: Took action against an Argentine coach for smoking in the technical area
Carlos Simon Br
Age: 40
Profession: Journalist
Controversy watch: Suspended after making mistakes in first leg of Copa Brasil final in 2002
They are the World Cup's "33rd team", according to Sepp Blatter, and recruiting officials has been as complex as the construction of the other 32 squads. When Peter Prendergast, the Jamaican referee, was ruled out in late May with a knee injury, he was added to a lengthy list of officials forced to forfeit a stay at the luxury Kempinski hotel, the referees' Frankfurt HQ.
Kyros Vassaras of Greece and Spain's Manuel Mejuto
González were even more unfortunate. Their tickets to Germany were cancelled in March after one of their respective assistants failed fitness tests - notably on sprint and endurance drills - in Neu-Isenburg. This year, for the first time, Fifa are not classing officials individually, instead treating the referee and his two assistants (from the same country or confederation) as a unit. If one is not up to scratch, the rest follow him out of the door.
Those who have made it have been given strict guidelines in an effort to clamp down on eight particular offences. The leading crime is diving, with Blatter, the Fifa president, keen to erase it from the game. The list also includes elbowing, reckless fouls, shirt-pulling, time wasting, dissent, behaviour in walls at free-kicks and the wearing of jewellery. Red cards have been sanctioned for elbows or reckless fouls. Yellow cards will be shown for players pulling shirts, deliberately touching the ball after play is halted and surrounding or insulting the referee.
Despite Fifa's desperation to eradicate bad decisions, it remains reluctant to embrace new technology. Experiments failed to conclude that the judging of goal-line decisions should be done by computer and instant replays also remain out of favour. However, referees will don radio head-sets to communicate with their assistants after tests in various European leagues proved successful. Casio is attempting to end the problem of referees blowing up on time: they will wear the RFT-100WC Referee Timer, which vibrates when the game should end.
Off the field officials are now banned from betting on games in response to this season's scandals. "They will have to sign a paper saying that they will never - themselves or their families - be involved in betting on the World Cup," Blatter said. They will have to find alternative ways of spending the £21,500, plus daily allowance, they will be paid during the tournament - double what was on offer four years ago. But Fifa's costs have not ballooned because they have selected only 21 referees to cover 64 games, a decrease from the 36 used in 2002. That number will fall further once the finals begin: referees who make huge errors will be sent home as Fifa will not accept the excuse that they are "only human".
"If you make a big mistake in your first game, it will be your last game," said England's Graham Poll. "The message is very clear. Fifa will be very supportive - but there is a very, very high standard expected."
The Refs
Men in the middle
Essam Abdel-Fatah Eg
Age: 40
Profession: Pilot
Controversy watch: Morocco blamed him for failing to qualify for World Cup after 2-2 draw against Tunisia
Carlos Amarilla Par
Age: 35
Profession: Electrical engineer
Controversy watch: Injured by fans after stormy 1-1 draw between Olimpia and Nacional in Paraguay in May
Benito Archundia Mex
Age: 40
Profession: Lawyer, economist
Controversy watch: 'He got the important decisions all wrong' said Rafael Benítez after world club final
Massimo Busacca Switz
Age: 37
Profession: Managing director
Controversy watch: Ruled out 'offside' Abdoulaye Faye goal for Bolton in Uefa Cup v Marseille this year
Coffi Codjia Ben
Age: 38
Profession: Maritime inspector
Controversy watch: 'He made sure we had no chance,' said Indonesia coach after Bahrain won 3-1 in 2004
Frank De Bleeckere Bel
Age: 39
Profession: PR manager
Controversy watch: Didn't give Wayne Rooney ball after hat-trick v Fenerbahce. Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in
Horacio Elizondo Arg
Age: 42
Profession: PE teacher
Controversy watch: Once locked in his bathroom by two thieves who ransacked his home
Valentin Ivanov Rus
Age: 44
Profession: Teacher
Controversy watch: Once banned in Russia for watching video of controversial goal before disallowing it
Toru Kamikawa Jpn
Age: 42
Profession: Referee
Controversy watch: Iran striker Mohammad Ali Karimi once kicked him in shins after he sent off a team-mate
Jorge Larrionda Uru
Age: 38
Profession: Clerk
Controversy watch: Disallowed Brazil goal v Uruguay in 2004. Replays showed ball over line by half a metre
Shamsul Maidin Sing
Age: 40
Profession: Sports executive
Controversy watch: Australia coach Frank Farina cited 'atrocious decisions' after defeat to Argentina in 2005
Luis Medina Cantalejo Sp
Age: 42
Profession: Sports assessor
Controversy watch: David Beckham called him biased after Real Madrid's 1-1 draw at Barcelona in April
Markus Merk Ger
Age: 44
Profession: Dentist
Controversy watch: Abandoned 2005 Champions League Milan derby after flares were hurled on to pitch
Lubos Michel Slvk
Age: 38
Profession: Manager
Controversy watch: Wrongly sent off Leeds' Harry Kewell for 'stamping' on a Galatasaray defender in 2000
Graham Poll Eng
Age: 42
Profession: Referee
Controversy watch: Mark Hughes said he 'believed his own celebrity' as Blackburn lost at United in January
Eric Poulat Fr
Age: 42
Profession: Computer scientist
Controversy watch: 'Stupid' said Juan Sebastian Veron last year after second yellow for taking free-kick quickly
Marco Rodriguez Mex
Age: 32
Profession: PE teacher
Controversy watch: Monterrey said he 'stained reputation of referees' after three off in '05 Mexican grand final
Roberto Rosetti It
Age: 38
Profession: Hospital manager
Controversy watch: Coach Ricardo Lavolpe blamed him for Mexico loss to Argentina in Confed Cup last year
Oscar Ruiz Col
Age: 36
Profession: Lawyer
Controversy watch: Once escorted off by 20 riot police after Colo Colo of Chile beat Brazil's Flamengo 1-0
Mark Shield Aus
Age: 32
Profession: Company director
Controversy watch: Took action against an Argentine coach for smoking in the technical area
Carlos Simon Br
Age: 40
Profession: Journalist
Controversy watch: Suspended after making mistakes in first leg of Copa Brasil final in 2002
