news archive 3nd quarter 2000
Soccer fan accused of threatening ref
September 19, 2000
WORTHINGTON, Ohio (AP) -- A fan accused of threatening a referee with a gun during a high school soccer match has been charged with menacing.
After Patrick R. Bishop, 21, yelled ``I have a gun,'' referee Craig Murph halted the junior varsity game between Thomas Worthington High and Westerville North High with 12 minutes left and the score tied 1-1.
``He'd been saying things throughout the game,'' said Murph, a Columbus steelworker who has officiated soccer for 15 years. ``I felt threatened, so I terminated the game.''
Murph, 49, said the comment was made after a call Saturday at Thomas Worthington High School in suburban Columbia.
Murph said he couldn't tell who yelled, but Sgt. Jim Mosic said the Westerville North athletics director learned the spectator's name later and passed it along to police.
Bishop, whose brother-in-law was playing for the Westerville team, had no weapon, said police Lt. Robert Oppenheimer.
Clair Muscaro, head of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, said his organization will review the matter after it receives the referee's report about the incident.
``It's the first time I've ever heard of someone commenting that they had a weapon,'' said Muscaro.
``We expect our spectators to set an example for good sportsmanship. We expect them to be good role models. Unfortunately, there are some who don't accept that responsibility.''
Murph said the incident won't keep him from refereeing soccer.
``I hope it's an isolated case,'' Murph said. ``I've been refereeing these teams for years, and I've never had any problems with them.''
Bishop is to appear in mayor's court Sept. 26. Menacing is a fourth-degree misdemeanor with a maximum jail term of 30 days and a maximum fine of $250, police said.
Bishop is not commenting on the allegations, his wife said early Tuesday.
Romanian referee pledges earnings to players
BUCHAREST, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Romanian referee Petronel Enache said on Monday he would donate his match earnings to hard-up players.
``From now on, I will give all my earnings as referee to different players who need it,'' Enache told Reuters.
The referee said he earned the equivalent of $31 over the weekend refereeing a second division match between Extensiv Craiova and Inter Sibiu.
``I donated the fee for my job as referee in the second division match to a player whose lack of money I knew a long time before,'' he said.
Enache, who went on a two-day hunger strike last month when colleagues with poorer selection test scores were promoted ahead of him to referee first division matches, said the move was a protest over a lack of fair play in Romanian soccer.
``I'm all alone in this fight to bring in more fair play in Romanian soccer. I gave away my money to show the the FRF (Romanian Soccer Federation) that my protest is not over,'' he said.
Referee accuses FA of discrimination
LONDON, Sept 5 (Reuters) - An Asian football referee has claimed he was racially discriminated against by the Football Association (FA), British newspapers reported on Tuesday.
Wolverhampton accountant Gurnam Singh, 46, who has taken the FA to the employment tribunal in Birmingham, said he was not promoted to officiate top league matches or internationals because of his race, according to the Guardian newspaper.
However the Football Association has said Singh was removed from the national register because his marks were consistently low over several seasons.
The Guardian said Singh claimed he was dismissed despite having consistently higher marks than some of his white colleagues.
Referees are graded out of 10 during each match by clubs and their performances are then verified by an independent assessor.
According to Singh's lawyer, Manjit Panesar, Singh averaged 7.31 marks out of 10 for the 1994-95 season, the newspaper said.
Panesar said that despite this high ranking Singh was given significantly fewer Division One games to officiate.
At the end of the 1994-95 season a discussion was held to determine which referees would handle Premiership matches, he said, but one national review body member for referees was alleged to have said of Singh: ``We don't want people like him in the Premier League,'' Panesar said.
Because of his non-promotion, Singh was unable to apply to FIFA -- the world governing body -- to officiate international matches.
The FA removed Singh from the register last May. It is contesting the hearing, as are the Football League, the Premier League and the national review body.
The hearing continues.
West Ham charged with referee harassment-report
LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - English soccer chiefs have charged West Ham United with harassing the referee after their premier league clash with Leicester last week, BBC radio reported on Wednesday.
Four West Ham players have also been charged by the English Football Association (FA) with improper conduct -- Italian Paolo di Canio, Rio Ferdinand, Croat Davor Suker and Michael Carrick, the BBC said.
FA officials were not immediately available to confirm the report.
Under new rules, West Ham, who lost the game 1-0 and had Igor Stimac sent off, could face a tough fine if found guilty of the charges.
Romanian referee ends hunger strike
BUCHAREST, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Romanian referee Petronel Enache ended a two-day hunger strike on Wednesday despite failing to have his demands for a fairer system of promotion met by national soccer chiefs.
Enache, who began the fast last Monday, said: ``I was not satisfied with the results of my action, but I had no alternative.''
The second division referee began his protest outside the headquarters of the national soccer governing body (FRF) when colleagues with poorer selection test scores were promoted ahead of him to the first division.
``The FRF's message was totally clear, they cannot change things for the moment,'' he said.
Adalbert Kassay, FRF general secretary, acknowledged Enache's demands were justified, but no solution was immediately possible.
``The FRF will set special observers to watch Enache referee matches in the next few months. If he deserves, he will be promoted,'' he said.
Romanian referee starts protest hunger strike
BUCHAREST, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A Romanian second division referee went on hunger strike on Monday in protest at the way referees were promoted by the national soccer body (FRF).
``I decided to go on hunger strike to protest against the immoral way in which referees are promoted,'' said Petronel Enache who was overlooked for promotion earlier this year.
Enache, 30, said the FRF had promoted to the first division referees who had obtained poorer scores than him in selection tests.
The FRF has promised to investigate the case.
Romanian soccer has been rocked by repeated refereeing scandals over the past years, with coaches, players and clubs complaining of biased refereeing.
Hours before Enache began his protest, Gheorghe Florea, owner of the first division club Rocar Bucharest, complained about the refereeing during a home game his side lost 4-5 to Steaua Bucharest at the weekend.
Florea called for foreign referees to be used in first division soccer games.
Ferguson makes referee U-turn, blames 'diving' players
MANCHESTER, England, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has made a U-turn by backing English premier league referees and blaming players instead for tricking them into making wrong decisions.
Ferguson, who had labelled some referees as ``prima donnas'' after four United players were booked in Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Ipswich, said: ``I feel really sorry for referees now.
``It is hard for them to determine what is a tackle and what is not a tackle. Players are not helping referees that way. Some of the diving which is going on is ridiculous.''
Standards of refereeing have been criticised by several managers after eight red cards were handed out in the first five days of the premier league season.
Arsenal's Arsene Wenger faces charges of alleged ``physical intimidation'' after a row with fourth official Paul Taylor during Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, a match which saw French international midfielder Patrick Vieira sent off for the second time in two matches.
The midfielder, who now faces a five-match ban, was also shown a red card along with Liverpool stars Dietmar Hamann and Gary McAllister at Highbury on Monday.
Taylor's performance was also questioned on Wednesday by former England manager Glenn Hoddle after he awarded a penalty in Southampton's 2-1 home defeat by Coventry.
On Wednesday referee Graham Poll admitted he was wrong in sending off Liverpool's Hamann and has asked the Football Association to cancel his second booking.
But Poll added he was disappointed with the criticism he received after the match.
15-year-old boy banned for life for attack on ref
August 18, 2000
LONDON (AP) -- A 15-year-old boy who punched a referee in the face has been banned from soccer for life, newspapers reported Friday.
Goalkeeper Nick Taylor was banned from playing competitive soccer anywhere in the world after hitting referee Terry Lowrie twice in the face at the end of a South Ceredigion Junior Football League match in west Wales.
``A clean-up is essential for the future of the game,'' said Malcolm Eaton, secretary of the Central Wales Football Association disciplinary panel, which imposed the ban. ``Top players might be able to get away with illegal play but we will not allow it at this level.''
Lowrie, a 48-year-old salesman, was treated in hospital for cuts and scratches after Taylor attacked him at the end of the under-15 game. Taylor's team, Aberaeron, lost 5-2 to Newcastle Emlyn and had three players sent off.
Lowrie accused Premier League stars such as Manchester United captain Roy Keane of setting a bad example.
``There is no doubt that young players are taking their cue from the prima donnas of the Premiership they see on TV every week,'' Lowrie told the Daily Telegraph. ``They think that just because these professionals seem to get away with foul play they can do the same.''
Keane red card shakes attempt to clean up English game
By Stephen Wood
LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The dismissal of Manchester United captain Roy Keane in Sunday's Charity Shield defeat by Chelsea has undermined the English game's attempt to clean up its act, according to a leading FA official.
Acknowledging the need to present a better image on and off the pitch, the Football Association (FA) recently announced a new code of conduct designed to clamp down on the widespread indiscipline that marred the 1999-2000 season.
But the strict punishments seem not to have registered with Keane, who was sent off for a foul on Gustavo Poyet during the champions' 2-0 defeat by Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
With just three days to go before the start of the new season, FA chairman Geoff Thompson expressed his disappointment with Keane's behaviour.
``There is no doubt Keane let football down,'' Thompson told the Sun newspaper on Sunday.
``It was the worst possible example to children and young players. Just when we wanted the top stars to set the right example, this had to happen.''
Gordon Taylor, chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), defended the Ireland international, renowned for his tough tackling and no-nonsense approach to the game.
``It was not the best start to a season, but commenting on individual cases can cause problems,'' Taylor said.
``It is one incident which, of course, has attracted close scrutiny because it involves Manchester United.''
Taylor believes the Keane incident will not set the tone for the forthcoming season. The number of red and yellow cards shown in the premier league last season - 1,261 yellows and 69 reds - fell in comparison to the previous campaign.
However, the battle for the league title was frequently overshadowed by disciplinary problems involving the top clubs.
The jostling of referee Andy D'Urso by Keane and several United colleagues during a match against Middlesbrough and a mass brawl at Elland Road between players from Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur prompted the authorities to act.
NEW MEASURES
The FA, after consultation with the PFA, the premier league and the League Managers' Association, announced referees will be able to move the ball forward 10 yards at set-pieces this season if players complain about the award of free kicks.
Premier league clubs can now be fined 250,000 pounds ($376,200) if their players or managers overstep the mark while players will be fined two weeks' wages if they are sent off. Keane's dismissal at Wembley could cost him 104,000 pounds.
If players jostle referees, they will face a 12-match ban and a fine of four weeks' wages while the FA has reserved the right to double the punishments for repeat offences.
Clubs have also been warned they could be docked points if their players are guilty of major incidents of indiscipline.
``After the trouble with our supporters during the European Championships, English football has got to set new, better examples,'' Taylor said.
``There is room for improvement in the standards of behaviour from players, even though we all know what a tough game football is.
``The guidelines have been laid down for all to see and the warnings for everyone are clear.''
($1-.6645 Pound)
Mutiny F Diallo suspended for one game, two others fined
August 5, 2000
TAMPA, FLORIDA (TICKER) -- Tampa Bay Mutiny forward Mamadou Diallo, the leading scorer in Major League Soccer, sat out a suspendion for tonight's game against the Dallas Burn for his actions after Wednesday's game against the Chicago Fire.
Diallo was suspended for confronting the referee following Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Chicago. Already suspended from that game for yellow card point accumulation, Diallo also received a $1,000 fine.
Carlos Valderrama and Dominic Kinnear of Tampa Bay were fined $1,000 and $500, respectively, for confronting referee Misail Tsapos. The midfielders were arguing a penalty kick call in the 67th minute that resulted in the only goal of the game.
Diallo leads the MLS with 18 goals and 38 points overall. He tied an MLS All-Star Game record with five points, including two goals, as the East defeated the West, 9-4, on July 29.
The Mutiny survived without Diallo as Manny Lagos picked up the slack with both goals in a 2-1 victory.
Similar uniforms delay start of MLS game
August 2, 2000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The MLS game between D.C. United and the New York/New Jersey MetroStars was delayed 33 minutes Wednesday night for an unusual reason -- uniforms.
Referee Marcel Yonan thought the teams' jerseys were too similar when he saw them in pre-game warmups about 70 minutes before the 7:30 p.m. start.
Soccer tradition says the home team should change jerseys, mainly because of convenience.
United sent someone to retrieve different jerseys from their practice site about 40 minutes away, but he became stuck in traffic
United had planned to wear their ``third'' jersey, a black base with one thick white vertical strip on the left and right sides. The MetroStars have a white jersey with black vertical strips on the front, back and sides.
After changing to their regular home jerseys of solid black with some white horizontal stripes, United came out on to the field about 7:58 p.m. and were greeted by the roar of an impatient crowd.
The game began at 8:03.
Jul 28, 2000
My favorite postgame remark toward a referee has long been the one uttered by Ron Atkinson when he coached West Brom in a losing UEFA Cup effort.
"It has always been my policy not to comment on referees, and I'm certainly not going to make an exception for this idiot," he said.
Recent U.S. coaches have tended to be diplomatic with their comments on game officials. Bob Gansler used to brush off questions, saying referees were like the weather - you can't change them by complaining.
Bruce Arena, after his team lost to Costa Rica on a controversial penalty kick, approached referee Peter Prendergast at midfield. His anger was obvious from afar. And he revealed later that "I told him he cheated us."
Arena also said that the refereeing in the first two U.S. qualifiers was "terrible."
Arena's honesty has always, in my opinion, been admirable. And from my Saprissa Stadium seat, seeing Prendergast point to the penalty spot came as a complete surprise. (I was equally surprised when he didn't point to the spot after Frankie Hejduk's sloppy slide on Austin Berry moments earlier.)
Telling the press one's opinion about a referee is one thing. But running onto the field to tongue-lash him amid a throng of your players can't be condoned.
Arena says thatpeacefully walk off the field would , considering the "highway robbery" that occurred, expecting his players to be unreasonableband at Prendergast.. Claudio Reyna, he says, was 15 yards away when he threw his captain's
Still, blaming a setback on the refs threatens to obscure the other reasons for a loss by one goal.
The Americans need to win three straight home games to get 10 points - which should wrap up passage to the final round.
The sooner they accept responsibility for their own shortcomings, the better.
Spartak claim bias refereeing after CSKA loss
MOSCOW, July 31 (Reuters) - Spartak Moscow have filed a complaint with the Russian Professional Football League (RPFL) over the refereeing in Saturday's 2-1 defeat by city rivals CSKA.
``We have received a protest from Spartak concerning the officiating of Alexander Kozhukhov, which we will review in due course,'' RPFL competition director Andrei Sokolov told Reuters on Monday.
Spartak officials blasted Kozhukhov for what they said was ``bias and one-sided officiating,'' claiming he had also cut the game two minutes short.
Kozhukhov sent off four players, two from each side, and cautioned five more in a highly-charged Moscow derby.
``The game was relegated to second place because of the totally inadequate and very biased officiating by Mr Kozhukhov,'' Spartak assistant coach Vyacheslav Grozny was quoted by newspapers as telling a post-match news conference.
Saturday's defeat was Spartak's third loss in succession.
Referee suspended pending investigation
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) July 26, 2000 -- A referee was suspended until European soccer authorities conclude an investigation into accusations that a Romanian team tried to offer prostitutes to the official.
The Romanian federation says it was not informed by Florin Chivulete about the team's attempts to bribe French referees in charge of the July 15 game.
Chivulete, who holds a FIFA card, was accompanying the French referees and one German observer during their stay in Romania, for the game, the Cotidianul newspaper said Wednesday.
UEFA said the issue was raised by the organization's delegate to the game between Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt and Austria Vienna in Romania.
Chivulete told Antena 1 television that the French referee who filed the complaint is beginning his career and ``just wants to establish a good name for himself as being incorruptible.''
Chivulete said the four women were mistakenly described as prostitutes by the French referee, adding they are actually members of a folk ensemble and had been accompanied by four men.
``When the four men in the ensemble exited the room to change and put on their folk costumes, the women asked permission to drink a coffee, which they did at the other end of the very long table we were sitting at,'' Chivulete told the Libertatea newspaper.
``At that point Moulin stood up and said he wanted to go to the hotel,'' Chivulete said. ``We all left. I was told later that he complained to the observer for `excessive hospitality.' If I had been told then and there I would have been able to clarify things.''
Players face 12-match bans for jostling referees
LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - League players who jostle or hold referees will be suspended for at least 12 matches, the English FA said on Wednesday.
Players whose offences were missed by officials during a game would have them reviewed by a new advisory panel of former professionals, referees and managers who would consider video evidence, the Evening Standard newspaper said.
Clubs whose players were involved in either mass intimidation of officials or a mass confrontation on the pitch would be fined up to 250,000 pounds ($379,100) for premier league teams, with up to two points being deducted in serious cases, the newspaper said
Jamaican referee justifies call that gave Costa Rica 2-1 win over U.S.
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -July 25, 2000 - Referee Peter Prendergast said Tuesday he was justified in awarding a controversial penalty kick that gave Costa Rica a 2-1 win over the United States in a World Cup qualifier last weekend.
Prendergast, 36, said television replays confirmed that American defender Gregg Berhalter had handled the ball in the penalty area, which led resulted in a Costa Rican penalty kick by Hernan Medford that broke a 1-all tie.
``In my opinion he propelled the ball with his hand, hence the decision,'' said the Jamaican referee, who has officiated over more than 60 international games. ``Viewing it from different angles confirmed my decision.''
Berhalter appeared to have been struck in the face and shoulder by a cross from Paolo Waunchope in the final minute of injury time.
U.S. captain Claudio Reyna protested and had to be restrained by teammates when he angrily approached Prendergast after the match. U.S. coach Bruce Arena said his team was ``cheated.''
The Costa Rican team also had criticized Prendergast for making questionable calls. In the 87th minute, U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk appeared to trip Costa Rica's Austin Berry in the penalty area, but there was no call.
Soccer question: folk music or prostitution?
NYON, Switzerland (AP) July 25, 2000 -- Sex or song?
European soccer authorities are investigating claims that a Romanian team tried to offer prostitutes to referees. However, the women in question may have been members of a folk ensemble.
UEFA said the issue had been raised by the organization's representative at the July 15 game in Romania between Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt and Austria Vienna.
``We are certainly investigating,'' UEFA spokesman Thomas Giordano said.
The Romanian newspaper Pro Sport quoted Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt manager Gheorghe Stefan as saying he was not with the French referees in the restaurant where the offer supposedly took place.
``The only thing I found out is that the manager of the (restaurant) wanted to offer a folk program, and that when the girls in the ensemble came in, the referees stood up and left,'' Stefan said.
``I am not afraid,'' he added. ``We did nothing wrong.''
Sorin Satmari, spokesman for the Romanian soccer federation, said he had no comment.
Giordano said UEFA expected a decision within a week.
The game ended in a 2-2 tie. Austria Vienna won the second leg 3-0 to advance.
World Cup final referee Puhl retires
BUDAPEST, July 24 (Reuters) - Hungarian Sandor Puhl, who refereed the 1994 World Cup final between Brazil and Italy, has retired.
``I guess it's a cliche but the top of my career has to be the game between Brazil and Italy in the United States,'' Puhl, 45, said on Monday.
``I reached everything that a pro referee could.''
He has refereed 225 Hungarian first division games since 1984. His first international came in the same year when he refereed a friendly between the then Czechoslovakia and Norway in Bratislava.
Puhl's first major international tournament was the European championship in Sweden and the following year he refereed the UEFA Cup final between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.
He also officiated at the 1997 European Cup final, also between Juventus and Borussia Dortm
Referee Kenny needs to -- Whistle! -- let MLS play By Grahame L. Jones - The Sporting News
You'll have to bear with me as far as the way this column is going to be presented, at least at the beginning, because there . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . is a point I'm trying to make. What I am attempting to show is that the standard . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . of refereeing in Major League Soccer is not up to snuff. It's not that the referees, individually or collectively, do not know the rules . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . of the game, but that their enforcement of those rules is so inconsistent and that there seems to be a general lack of "feel" for the sport among too many U.S. officials. There was a game I watched the other afternoon between Miami and . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . Los Angeles in which no fewer than 50 fouls were called. In a 90-minute game -- or in this case a 94-minute game -- that equates . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . to one foul every 112.8 seconds. In other words, the referee stopped play once every two minutes. Is it any wonder that the players . . .
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. . . grew increasingly frustrated as the disjointed game wore on? Is it any wonder that the fans in the stands at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale were left . . .
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. . . wondering just what on earth was going on? There was no flow to the game, no rhythm, no pattern and no cohesiveness. Despite the fact that eight goals were . . .
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. . . scored, despite the fact that there were some impressive individual skills shown by both teams, it was a sorry spectacle as a sporting event. Had the referee . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . shown any evidence of a feeling for soccer, he might have handled it in a different manner, with a word here or a gesture there, not that foul whistle. But this guy was a whistle-blower extraordinaire. He apparently . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . believed himself to be as important a performer on the field as the players themselves. It has always been my belief -- one that has been reinforced by discussions with referees of the highest caliber -- that the best . . .
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. . . referee is the one who goes completely unnoticed. The referee should be like the conductor of a great philharmonic orchestra, the game itself should be like music that flows, uninterrupted, save for the . . .
NOEL KENNY WHISTLE
. . . occasional pauses between movements. Instead, in this particular game the conductor behaved as if it were a practice session, constantly tapping his baton loudly on the podium and bringing everything to . . .
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. . . a sudden halt. It was awful.
Just as difficult, in fact, as trying to read the above few paragraphs, with interruptions every other sentence or so.
And yet MLS would have us believe that nothing was wrong. Just listen to Ivan Gazidis, the league's executive vice president, trying to explain away the inexplicable:
"Noel Kenny is one of our best referees, who consistently gets the highest grades of all of our referees," Gazidis said.
"The referees that we have are gaining experience in the same way that the players are. The problems with MLS and its officiating are not solely confined to the United States. You could look at virtually any one of the European Championship games and find refereeing decisions that affected the outcomes of those games and people who felt that they were terrible decisions.
"I think that's the nature of the game. Soccer is a game that turns on one or two incidents and on the views and judgment calls that are made by one man in the middle who has a very difficult job to perform.
"Our referees, in my view, are getting better year by year. Our referee pool is getting smaller, and that helps us to improve the quality of our refereeing. We see where we bring in referees from overseas on our exchange programs that the quality of overseas referees is not always better than the guys that we have.
"I think that refereeing problems are common to all of football. The problems that we wrestle with are not unique to us. I think our referees are generally better than they're given credit for. When our referees go and referee internationally, they get very good grades.
"I think the momentum of referee-bashing has got a little bit too out of control and I think that while there's always room for improvement -- we're always looking seriously at ways to improve our referee pool -- it's not as bad, compared to the rest of the world, as people believe it is."
That said, what's to make of by-the-book Kenny's performance in the Galaxy's 5-3 victory?
Perhaps he simply had a bad day. Perhaps he is one of best in MLS (a scary thought). Perhaps he might have made different decisions with the gift of hindsight. Who knows?
But he did blow that damn whistle 50 times. And he did issue four yellow cards. And he did extend play by four minutes when there did not appear to be half that much time wasted on injuries or substitutions.
And it was during those added minutes that all hell broke loose when the Fusion's Pablo Mastroeni -- a player of limited ability -- grabbeed the Galaxy's Mauricio Cienfuegos -- a player of limitless ability -- by the jersey and threw him to the ground.
That brought the Galaxy's Ezra Hendrickson -- as volatile as he is tall -- charging out of the back to bump into Mastroeni and get into a beef with the Fusion's Jim Rooney.
The result was a red card for Mastroeni and another for Hendrickson, red cards that will cost them both a game, thereby upsetting the respective coaches, too.
And it could all so easily have been avoided.
There is no bad blood between Los Angeles and Miami. The game was not especially dirty. It was just that instead of being allowed to play and enjoy -- a word too often forgotten -- their game, the players had to endure the incessant whistling by Kenny that turned the game into 94 minutes of non-soccer.
Tempers gradually rose with each stoppage and, in the second half, with each goal that Miami scored in trying to erase its 4-0 halftime disadvantage.
Kenny should have read that and understood.
A quiet word to a player here and there, off of the ball, might have settled things. If that didn't work, a couple of double yellows and an ejection would have signaled his displeasure and gotten the players' attention.
Instead, all he did was to keep blowing that infernal whistle, spoiling the game for everyone -- the players, the coaches, the fans in the stadium and the national television audience.
That can't be what MLS has in mind. Surely.
Grahame L. Jones, a regular contributor to The Sporting News, is a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times .
Three Portuguese players suspended, federation fined
By ANDREAS EVAGORA
Associated Press Writer
July 2, 2000
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Three Portuguese players were suspended by UEFA Sunday and the federation was fined for attacks on game officials during their Euro 2000 semifinal loss to France.
Defender Abel Xavier, who touched the ball which led to an overtime winning penalty goal, was suspended for nine months of international play. Top scorer Nuno Gomes, who received a red card for protesting the penalty, was banned for eight months, and Paulo Bento, who verbally accosted the officials, was suspended for six months.
The fine was $107,000 for the federation, which will organize the next European championships in 2004.
FIFA is expected to adopt the penalties too, in which case the suspensions will coincide with the opening games of the Portuguese qualifying season for the 2002 World Cup, robbing the team of three starters.
``I'm deeply shocked and disappointed,'' Xavier said. ``I didn't expect a punishment of this nature. I did nothing wrong.''
The suspension ``does great damage to my career, because at the moment, there were clubs which were interested in me, clubs which are involved in European competitions,'' said Xavier, who plays in England for Everton.
The suspensions also apply to Champions League and UEFA Cup games. The Portuguese federation has until Wednesday to appeal.
``The referees were pushed and harassed by Portuguese players, suffering bruises and scratches of some consideration,'' UEFA said in a statement about last Wednesday's match.
After the penalty, Portuguese players were furious, blasted the referee and his assistant who first spotted the handball, for the penalty that sent them out of Euro 2000 in a 2-1 loss to France.
``Almost all the Portuguese players ran toward the assistant referee who was pushed and insulted,'' UEFA said. ``An unidentified Portuguese player spat at him.
``Nuno Gomes gave the referee a violent push in the chest and Abel Xavier grabbed him by the arm. The referee then showed the red card to Nuno Gomes, whereupon Paulo Bento tried to take the red card from him by grabbing his arm.''
UPDATE 16-Euro2000-France v Italy match incidents
ROTTERDAM, July 2 (Reuters) - Match incidents at the France v Italy Euro 2000 final on Sunday: 2 - Henry breaks clear on the left but his dangerous cross fails to find a team mate. 4 - Totti nearly connects with corner from Fiore. 6 - Henry clips post with speculative shot from just outside the area which appears to catch Toldo by surprise. 8 - Good cross from the right by Fiore but Delvecchio cannot make effective contact. 17 - Albertini hits curling free kick over the bar from 20 metres. 31 - YELLOW CARD. Di Biagio for pulling Henry's shirt. 39 - Henry half-hit shot goes to Djorkaeff but he fails to get any power into his effort from eight metres. 40 - Totti has a chance when ball falls free to him just outside the area but his shot goes wide. 42 - YELLOW CARD. Cannavaro for foul on Henry. Zidane puts resulting free kick over the bar. Desailly appears to elbow Cannavaro in the face as Zidane takes the kick. 50 - Henry beats Cannavaro and cuts in dangerously from the left but no one can connect with the cross. 53 - SUBSTITUTION. Alessandro del Piero for Fiore. 56 - GOAL. Italy 1 France 0. Pessotto crosses from the right, Desailly misses the ball and Delvecchio stabs home 58 - SUBSTITUTION. Sylvain Wiltord for Dugarry.
YELLOW CARD. Thuram for foul on Totti. 59 - Totti puts Del Piero through with a good ball but he wastes the chance, shooting wide. 62 - Wiltord, put through by Zidane, shoots straight at goalkeeper. 65 - SUBSTITUTION. Massimo Ambrosini for Di Biagio. 69 - Zidane finds Henry with a good free kick but Toldo blocks the striker's effort from close range. 70 - Totti puts Delvecchio through but his shot finishes in the side-netting. 76 - SUBSTITUTION. David Trezeguet for Djorkaeff. 77 - Henry makes another good run into the Italian area but Toldo blocks the shot. 84 - Ambrosini sets up Del Piero but Barthez makes an excellent stop. 86 - SUBSTITUTIONS. Robert Pires for Lizarazu Vincenzo Montella for Delvecchio. 89 -
YELLOW CARD. Totti for kicking ball away. 90 - GOAL. Italy 1 France 1. Wiltord finds himself free in the area as Cannavaro heads ball in his path and beats the keeper from 10 metres for dramatic equaliser.
EXTRA TIME 94 - Barthez has to race out of his area to make spectacular clearance as Del Piero closes in. 95 - Toldo saves a shot from Pires but Trezeguet following up catches the keeper on the face, causing a nose-bleed.