Byron Moreno, the Ecuadoran referee who officiated USA-Portugal and the incident-filled South Korea-Italy match at the 2002 World Cup, was arrested andjailed without bail on Monday night after he was caught carrying more than 10 pounds of heroin on his body at New York’s Kennedy Airport. In a complaint filed in federal court inBrooklyn, Moreno […]
referees
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Pregame prep important for refs, too
By Randy Vogt The teams spend time training and working on teamwork in practice. Their coaches go over tactics before the game. Doesn’t it logically follow that theofficiating team needs to spend some time before the game discussing how they will work as a team? The referee should go over what is expected of the […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Ref Blunders: Searching for a solution
[MY VIEW] About a year ago, the coach of a very good MLS team about to play a not-so-good MLS team told a reporter, “Unless the referee does something crazy,there’s no way we can lose this game.” The referee didn’t do anything crazy and the coach’s team won the game comfortably. (Names and other details […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
De Jong deserved a red says Webb
By Paul Gardner Six weeks after the event, we now get referee Howard Webb’s explanation of why he did not red-card the Netherlands’ Nigel de Jong in the World Cupfinal. An explanation that is factually sound, that makes a lot of sense … but is not entirely satisfactory. Webb admits that he should have shown […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Tackling: an awkward activity for players and rule makers alike
Tackling. An essential part of soccer, of course, we all accept that. Well, just about. A year or two back, Michel Platini had the audacity to voice a notion that must have occurred to anyone whohas watched more than one or two games: that the sport might be better off if tackling were banned. The […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying
“After emotions are down a little bit let analyze Gonzales/ Trujillo incident in my last game. After review my tape red to Gonzales harsh. Even though Gonzales was instigator he did not make acontact above shoulders like I was told by my crew member on the field. Not having the best view of the incident […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
How Referees Keep Coaches Under Control
By Randy Vogt In the early 1990s, the college referee chapter in which I am now a Vice President, NYMISOA (New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association),started a sportsmanship award. Each official was sent a ballot. The instructions said to grade the coach of that team of squads we officiated during the season on the […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
How refs can master most important rule
By Randy Vogt Law 12 on Fouls and Misconduct is the most important rule in soccer. Referees who have played soccer have an initial advantage in spotting fouls overthose refs who never played the game. After all, the official who played knows what a foul feels like and might even know what a cautionable or […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Refs on top of the action: How to position
By Randy Vogt The referee’s diagonal that he or she runs goes from corner flag to corner flag. Actually, a referee who strictly adheres to this diagonalwill miss seeing a number of fouls. I like to think that the referee’s positioning isn’t a diagonal as much as it is a modified version of a half-open […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Referee Webb satisfied with job in World Cup final
[REACTION] English referee Howard Webb, who booked 13 different players and sent off Dutchman John Heitinga, says he and refereeing team were satisfied with doing a tough job in difficult circumstances in Sunday’s World Cup final won by Spain, 1-0. “Wedon’t feel that we had much choice except to manage the game in the way […]