Prosecutors were working “to keep soccer clean” as they looked into a match-fixing scandal that has seen the country’s top referee official and others arrested.
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Posted inSoccer America Daily
MLS NEXT PRO: Crew 2 coach axed for sexism, physical abuse toward female ref
Columbus Crew sacked Argentine Federico Higuain, the coach of its MLS NEXT Crew 2 team for telling a female referee: “Don’t forget this is a man’s game” while refusing to release her from a handshake. Higuain, the brother of former Argentina and Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain, had already received a red card and a […]
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Referee body admits ‘error’ for Haaland goal in Manchester derby
Professional Game Referees (Pro Ref) admitted Sunday that the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s winner in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United was an “error of judgment.”
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REFEREES: Brian Hall joins Cal South
Cal South, which governs more than 6,000 adult and youth teams, has hired former World Cup referee Brian Hall as its Referee Program Director of Instruction. Raised in Northern California, Hall’s on-field career included the 2002 World Cup and four MLS Referee of the Year awards. Before his most recent position as U.S. Soccer’s Manager […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Book Review: How we can make refereeing less impossible
The Impossible Job: The Unbelievable World of Soccer Referees By William Ralston (WW Norton)* When I touted my idea of a book chronicling the woes of an amateur soccer ref a few years back, publishers assured me that “no one buys books about refereeing.” Thankfully, journalist William Ralston has found someone who disagrees with that […]
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German soccer fans plan widespread VAR protests
German soccer has a strong history of fan activism, with regular protests launched in recent seasons against match starting times and investment deals.
In the 2023-24 season, widespread fan action including littering fields with tennis balls and chocolate coins resulted in the scrapping of an investment deal, despite the proposal winning majority support of clubs.
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Referees chief Howard Webb wants clampdown on Premier League set-piece grappling
“I think fans can expect less warnings from referees (before fouls are given) than they might have seen previously, and I know (those warnings were) a source of frustration Fans can expect to see more situations being penalized, but not only in August or September, throughout the season.”
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World Cup 2026 refereeing (Part 2): Personality, preparation and reading the game
In our previous article, we presented the statistics from this World Cup in comparative terms and made an objective assessment. The conclusion was that the referees implemented what FIFA had asked for. What were these objectives? • Fewer fouls and fewer cards, while controlling the game through personality and appropriate body language. • Quick VAR […]
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World Cup 2026 refereeing (Part 1): Officiating how FIFA wanted it
A total of 104 matches were played. An average of 23 fouls were called per match—including matches that went to overtime—and this figure was lower than at recent World Cups.
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2026 World Cup final referees: Slovenian debut in the middle
Slavko Vinčić will become the first Slovenian to referee a World Cup final. Vinčić reffed the 2024 UEFA Champions League final (Borussia Dortmund-Real Madrid), the 2022 UEFA Europa League final (Eintracht Frankfurt-Rangers) and whistled at the last two European Championships and the 2022 World Cup. He will be assisted by countrymen Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič. […]