news archive 4th quarter 2000
Graham and Wenger question refereeing decisions
LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Tottenham Hotspur boss George Graham settled for a share of the spoils after their 1-1 draw in Monday's derby, although both managers were unhappy with refereeing decisions over the goals.
In spite of Arsenal's 89th minute equaliser, Wenger had little to celebrate on the night as his team had been hoping to eat into Manchester United's six-point lead at the top of the English premier league.
Instead, they had to settle for a meagre point in the rain at White Hart Lane after substitute Patrick Vieira's late strike.
Wenger admitted: ``Of course we are in the end happy with the draw because we came back from 1-0 down. But, as well, we feel that we dropped two points because we had the chances to make the difference early on.''
However, Wenger was clearly vindicated in his decision to send on Vieira midway through the second half, despite the French midfielder having been suffering from hamstring trouble.
``I decided not to play him, and only if really needed, but I had no real choice,'' Wenger explained. ``And I think it was a good decision because he came on, scored the goal and had no problem after the game. But he was nine days completely without training.''
Graham, who won a series of trophies as Arsenal's coach from 1986 to 1995, was disappointed more by the manner of Arsenal's equaliser than the fact they had denied his side victory.
FAIR RESULT
Asked it if was a fair result, Graham said: ``I suppose you could say that. To hold arguably the second best team to a draw. I think we deserved at least a draw.
``I was really really pleased with the first half -- the result more than the performance. To go 1-0 up I was delighted. But we knew that Arsenal would go forward a lot more, which they did, and they pinned us back.
``Unfortunately, we just couldn't get out as well in the second half.''
Both coaches were unhappy about the goals. Wenger pointed the finger at Spurs striker Les Ferdinand, who was in the penalty area as Darren Anderton's shot came in -- the England midfielder's effort being parried by Arsenal 'keeper Alex Manninger before Serhiy Rebrov subsequently nodded in the rebound.
``You're never happy when you concede an off-side goal in such an important game,'' Wenger said. ``It's difficult to understand that the linesman never lifted his flag because I felt that from early on, Ferdinand was off-side and interfering with the shot.''
Graham said that shirt-pulling had prevented Ferdinand from marking Vieira as the ball came over for the Frenchman's equaliser.
``It's unbelievable, it really is, you've got to have a look at it,'' Graham said. ``I've seen it a couple of times, how the goal stood I can't believe it.''
Four African players banned over threats to referees
ACCRA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Four players have been banned for a year from all continental club competition after threatening attacks on referees in African club competition matches.
Two of the players -- Bertand Moucaye and Herman Trules -- come from St Louisienne on the French-controlled island of Reunion. They were found to have verbally threatened the referee during the club's defeat in African Cup Winners' Cup semifinal match against Zamalek of Egypt in October.
Also banned were Khaled Shebli of Libyan club Al Ittihad for a similar attack during the Cup Winners' Cup semifinal against Canon Yaounde of Cameroon and Cesar da Costa from Senegalese club Jeanne d'Arc in Senegal.
The Confedeartion of African Football also imposed a fine of $10,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for a lack of security during the CAF Cup final in Algiers earlier this month.
Fans invaded the pitch at the end of the second leg, which saw home team JS Kabylie edge out Ismailia of Egypt on the away goals rule. Egyptian players were harassed and some of the players' kit stolen.
Ismailia were fined $5 000 after their players refused to go up and collect their runners-up medals.
English FA charges referee for ``insulting language''
LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The English Football Association charged premier league referee Paul Taylor on Wednesday for using insulting language towards a player.
Second division Notts County complained about Taylor's behaviour during their match against Wigan on October 14 when he sent off Andy Hughes and Mark Stallard.
``The FA today charged the referee Paul Taylor with misconduct,'' a spokesman said. He declined to comment on the precise nature of the remarks.
Taylor has 14 days to respond to the charge and could face disciplinary action.
Dec 14, 2000
What does MLS referee boss Joe Machnik do in the offseason? He’s orchestrating ways for the league to address four major issues.
SOCCER AMERICA: One of the most obvious problems for MLS referees must be the amount of abuse they took from players last year ...
JOE MACHNIK: The first focal point addresses the outrageous amount of dissent in various forms that has become almost characteristic of many of our games.
It was great to hear, during our meetings at MLS Cup 2000, coaches and GMs say that it’s out of hand and that this is a matter that can’t just be left to the referees, but that must also be dealt with in the locker rooms.
SA: So what do you do?
JM: We’re putting together a videotape, which players and coaches will see before the preseason, demonstrating the behavior — verbal or visual — that will draw cautions.
Also, there’s been an unwritten rule that players don’t get second yellows for dissent, and they’ve taken advantage of it.
It will be made clear that cautionable dissent will draw a yellow card, and even if the player already has been cautioned, he will get his second yellow — an ejection.
I’ve also suggested that we increase the penalty points for dissent cautions, in order to increase the chances for suspension, because I believe that the threat of suspension, much more so than fines, discourages misbehavior.
SA: The second focal point?
JM: Protecting attacking soccer. Too many times last season referees gave the benefit of doubt to the defenders.
There were probably a dozen incidents in 2000 when, instead of the defender getting the ejection he deserved, there was only a caution, a foul but no caution, no foul, or the attacking player getting called.
SA: The third?
JM: Despite the fact that we think we’ve improved, there were still maybe 15 goals called back for offside that were bona-fide goals. Replays keep proving that situations that looked offside were not, and we will encourage assistant referees to keep their flags down.
SA: The fourth?
JM: There is a greater need for teamwork. We have noticed decisions being made where the referee probably should have consulted the assistant referee or even the fourth official.
FIFA now calls linesmen assistant referees, and that’s because the culture needs to be changed: assistant referees shouldn’t be afraid to raise their flags. And sometimes it’s the fourth official who has the best view of a situation. We will stress that referees should use the input of their assistants.
by Soccer America executive editor Mike Woitalla
Getafe fire coach after incident with referee
MADRID, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Spanish second division side Getafe have sacked coach Juanjo Enriquez after a scuffle with a referee, the club said on Monday.
The reported incident followed the Madrid side's 1-0 home defeat against Jaen on Saturday.
``We have taken the decision to fire the coach because we believe that referees must be respected and their decisions cannot be questioned constantly,'' said club president Felipe Gonzalez.
``We have sent a letter of apology to the referees committee,'' he told reporters.
Enriquez protested his innocence: ``I did not assault the referee and I think the club's decision is unjust.''
Getafe are 18th in the 22-team division.
Bulgarian referees banned
SOFIA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) banned two referees on Friday for talking to a club's president during a cup match.
The BFU referees' commission suspended match referee Georgi Narlev and the fourth official Biser Marinchev for three and five months respectively.
The punishments followed furious protests at refereeing decisions by Neftochimik Bourgas president Hristo Portochanov in his club's 3-1 home defeat by CSKA Sofia in the Bulgarian Cup third round, second leg, last Saturday. CSKA won on away goals.
Portochanov called Narlev to the touchline after a goal was disallowed 10 minutes from time. Both were seen speaking to each other.
Narlev said later that Portochanov had threatened to pull his team out of the premier division after the winter break.
The BFU fined the Neftochimk president 10,000 levs ($4,500).
Paraguayan player banned for 90 days for pushing referee
ASUNCION, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Guarani striker Hugo Ovelar has been banned for 90 days for pushing a referee in a stormy Paraguayan championship match, the Paraguayan Football Assocation said on Wednesday.
Ovelar was sent off for the push as outsiders Guarani were beaten 1-0 by Olimpia last week. Olimpia went on to win the championship by beating the same opponents 3-1 on Sunday.
Guarani claimed they were denied a penalty, had a goal wrongly disallowed and that Olimpia should have had a defender sent off in the first match.
Ovelar said he was considering taking the matter to court as the suspension could ruin his attempts to move to a club in Mexico.
Wenger says FA are overruling referees too much
LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday that the English FA should not punish players for incidents referees see but decide not to act on.
Referring to Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, who may face disciplinary action based on video evidence of incidents during Arsenal's defeat at Leeds United last week, Wenger said: ``I feel the FA are overruling referees' decisions too often.
``The Patrick Vieira decision doesn't bother me, but obviously if we lose him it will bother me. I'm not going to get carried away just yet, but if the player is dropped I will feel very sorry for him.''
The FA has requested a video of events at Elland Road where Vieira appeared to kick Leeds midfielder and fellow Frenchman Olivier Dacourt in the face. The match referee Dermot Gallagher took no action though it is not clear whether or not he saw the incident.
Arsenal lost the match 1-0 and are now eight points behind leaders Manchester United at the top of the English premier league.
``I think the FA can challenge what is not being seen by referees, but the decisions which are seen by the referee should be final,'' said Wenger.
``If the referee has seen it, I don't think the panel should get involved unless they change the rules.''
Arsenal had seven players cautioned in the game, which takes them up to at total of 31 red cards and 429 yellow cards since Wenger became coach.
After the game Wenger said he thought the refereeing had been unfair but on Friday he backtracked.
``We did not blame the referee. I just said a few of the yellow card decisions were a little bit harsh and I don't think there is anything wrong with me saying that,'' he said.
Looking ahead to Saturday's home clash with Southampton when they will bid to end a current run of three league games without a win, he said: ``I believe that we have had three tough away games of which one I admit was dreadful against Everton, but I did pull a lot of positives out of the game at Leeds.
``However the ability of the team is still there and we can catch Manchester United. Despite all the frustrations, we still have a lot of determination.
``We lack offensive aggression -- not only among the strikers, but in general. When you don't score you lose, but we have to find a little bit of belief in ourselves.''
Italian match abandoned due to crowd trouble
ROME, Nov 26 (Reuters) - An Italian first division match between Reggina and Brescia was suspended and then abandoned on Sunday after home fans through flares, staves, fruit and plastic water bottles on to the pitch.
The match was halted briefly at the start of the second half when Brescia's Czech goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek was hit by a firework thrown from behind his goal. He was only slightly hurt and the match soon restarted.
But when Reggina went 2-0 down in the 70th minute fans again threw objects on to the pitch prompting Pierluigi Collina, Italy's most respected referee, to halt the game for four minutes.
Brescia scored a third goal in the 81st minute and again the Reggina fans hurled objects from the terraces.
Riot police intervened to restore order and Collina abandoned the match and led the teams to the dressing rooms.
It was unclear if the 3-0 scoreline would stand but Brescia appeared certain to be awarded the victory
Juve's Davids calls on refs to protect Zidane
MILAN, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Juventus midfielder Edgar Davids has called on referees to give greater protection to his team mate Zinedine Zidane.
The Dutchman believes that Zidane, a World Cup and Euro 2000 winner with France, is being constantly provoked by opponents in Serie A and that referees need to take action.
``Referees need to give better protection to Zidane and other players of great talent like him,'' said the combative Dutch international.
Davids cited Sunday's goalless draw at Brescia as the latest match in which the Frenchman suffered provocation.
``I noticed loads of niggling fouls on him and it seemed as though they wanted to wind him up and he did very well to rise above it all,'' said Davids.
Zidane has been sent off twice for Juventus in the Champions League this season and on both occasions appeared to be reacting to a series of fouls on him.
The Frenchman was dismissed for head-butting an opponent in the Champions League defeat to Hamburg and Davids himself was dismissed minutes later in the same match which nine-man Juve lost 3-1.
Without their two key midfielders Juventus went on to lose to Greek club Panithinaikos and were eliminated from the Champions League, even missing out on a ``consolation'' place in the UEFA Cup,
Davids, who was booked for protesting Zidane's dismissal and then dismissed for a rash late challenge, said he feels responsible for Juve's plight in those games.
``I could only sit there and see my team mates struggling and suffering as a result of our numerical inferiority.''
The Dutchman dismissed suggestions he is considering a move away from the Turin club.
He said: ``There are three years to run on my contract. I'm happy at Juve and I believe in this squad and that we can return to winning ways. I've got no intention of leaving.''
Bermuda player banned for 12 years after referee attack
HAMILTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A Bermudan player who attacked a referee, sparking a referees' boycott, has been banned for 12 years by the Bermuda Football Association.
The BFA's disciplinary committee slapped the ban for violent conduct on 36-year-old Kacy Simons who attacked Perry Scott in a league match between North Village Rams and Tuff Dogs last Saturday.
Bermudan referees announced on Thursday they would strike until at least December 1 because of the attack.
The BFA confirmed that all senior men's and women's matches scheduled for this weekend have been postponed. Youth matches, however, will go ahead.
Media reports say Simons was given a yellow card by Scott in Saturday's match. The player made an obscene gesture to the referee and was shown the red card.
Simons walked off the field but then came running back and punched Scott in the face. The referee was taken to hospital for treatment
Bermuda's referees strike after on-pitch attack
HAMILTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Bermuda's soccer referees have stopped work indefinitely after an official was attacked in a weekend match.
Referee Perry Scott had to undergo surgery for an injury to his nose when he was attacked just 12 minutes into a league match between North Village Rams and Muff Dogs on Saturday.
President of the Bermuda Referees Association Tyndon Raynor said on Thursday Scott had filed criminal charges.
A Pembroke man was arrested following the attack and police expect him to appear in court soon
Leeds manager O'Leary criticises referee
LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Leeds United manager David O'Leary criticised the referee on Sunday after his team conceded a late equaliser in their 1-1 English premier league draw with Chelsea.
``I might get the book thrown at me, you never know, but I thought the ref really made a bad decision,'' he said.
``The ref listens to the crowd, gives a free kick and that's where all the pressure comes for the goal. Those are the things that change games.''
Leeds had taken the lead through Mark Viduka in the 62nd minute of the game at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea's Gustavo Poyet equalised in the 78th with a header following a corner after Chelsea's free kick was tipped over the bar.
Leeds captain Lucas Radebe gave away the free kick after referee Graham Poll ruled he had fouled Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as they both went for the ball in the air.
``I thought Radebe headed away cleanly and there was no reaction off the referee until the crowd went...'' said O'Leary.
Referees to carry shirt sponsorship in Spain
MADRID, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Referees in Spain will wear shirt sponsorship for the first time after reaching agreement with digital televion network Quiero TV.
The deal, announced on Monday, will run from January 2001 to the end of the 2004-05 season.
No details were available about the money the referees' association will receive from the deal
Boca call for change of referee in World Club final
BUENOS AIRES, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Boca Juniors coach Carlos Bianchi has called for a change of referee for the World Club Cup final against Real Madrid in Tokyo.
Bianchi wants Colombian official Oscar Ruiz to be replaced to avoid any suspicions that the Argentine side, which includes three Colombian internationals, might be favoured in the November 28 clash.
``Let them change the referee,'' Bianchi was quoted as saying by Argentine newspapers La Nacion and Clarin on their websites.
The papers said Bianchi was reacting to remarks by Real coach Vicente del Bosque that Ruiz might favour Boca. ``There are too many Colombians in their side,'' del Bosque was quoted as saying.
``Perhaps he (del Bosque) said it to influence referee Ruiz. Now we'll ask him to be changed, to avoid suspicion,'' Bianchi said.
Boca's goalkeeper Oscar Cordoba, centre-back Jorge Bermudez and midfielder Chicho Serna are all Colombians.
The Argentine side will be looking for their second world club title since 1978 when they beat European Cup runners-up Borussia Moenchengladbach over two legs.
Bianchi, who steered Velez Sarsfield to a 2-0 victory over AC Milan in the 1994 final in Tokyo, will also be going for his second world crown.
TSV 1860 coach fined for criticising referee
BERLIN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - TSV 1860 Munich coach Werner Lorant was fined 7,500 German marks ($3,300) by the German soccer federation (DFB) on Tuesday for having criticised the referee after a 4-0 defeat by Kaiserslautern last month.
Lorant was suspended for two matches for a similar offence in November last year.
Referee has hospital tests after 'bizarre' performance
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A digest of African soccer stories in recent days:
MALAWI - Officials in Malawi took a referee to hospital for blood and alcohol tests after a controversial performance in a Super League match at the weekend when he awarded both teams two penalties and attacked a photographer.
Referee Dinner Nathaya, who serves on the FIFA panel, was found to be sober despite allegations from both Telecom Wanderers and Silver Strikers who described his performance on Saturday as 'bizarre'.
Police fired tear gas as fans fought in the stands and the game was halted for 20 minutes after the awarding of one of the penalties in the second half.
Nathaya also hit a photographer who attempted to take his picture as he left his dressing room for the start of the second half, Malawian newspapers reported.
``Officiating in this country has left a lot to be desired in the past but honestly I have never seen anything as bad as this,'' said Super League chairman Hastings Kapenuka, who took the referee for the tests after the game.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
ZAMBIA - Rwanda were surprise winners of the four-nation tournament held in Lusaka on Sunday and Monday on behalf of the COMESA free trade zone, made up of countries in east and central Africa.
The tournament was supposed to feature 12 countries but got underway belatedly with just three full international sides and a B team from Kenya.
Rwanda beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in Monday's final, just 24 hours after a shock 2-0 win over their Zambian hosts which sparked rioting by angry home fans. Police had to fire tear gas to disperse crowds who stoned passing cars.
ZIMBABWE - In the battle for domination in the premier league at the weekend, Bulawayo's Highlanders lost their first home match of the season to hand the lead to city neighbours AmaZulu.
Highlanders were beaten 2-1 by Railstars, another club from the country's second city, to give AmaZulu a two-point lead.
AmaZulu, who have played one match more than Highlanders and are left with just two games in their league campaign, were easy 4-1 winners over Lancashire Steel.
However, they will now be without ex-international defender Matambanashe Sibanda, suspended for the last two games after being sent off on Sunday.
GABON - The new league season in Gabon, where a financial crisis has disrupted previous campaigns, will get underway next month, officials said.
Gabon's league will also receive sponsorship from the government. Two years ago, the league was halted because of a lack of cash and several clubs, including defending champions Petrosport, folded after sponsors pulled out.
The new league starts on the weekend of November 25-26, officials said on Tuesday.
NIGERIA - Officials of the Nigerian Football Association are scheduled to travel to Cameroon this week in an attempt to arrange two friendly matches next month between the two countries.
The matches are planned for Lagos and Kanu, officials said on Tuesday, and designed to provide preparation ahead of World Cup qualifiers in January.
Cameroon upset Nigeria on post-match penalties in Lagos in February in the final of the African Nations Cup
Parent shoves soccer referee
October 29, 2000
HEBRON, Maine (AP) -- A parent ran on the field and shoved a referee who made a disputed call at the end of a middle school soccer tournament game, sparking a mini-melee.
The referee pushed the man back, and a woman then slapped the referee in the face as spectators swarmed the field, according to Maine State Trooper Kyle Tilsley. Holy Cross beat Monmouth Middle School 1-0 in the title game Saturday.
The National Association of Sports Officials receives two to three reports a week of violent parents at sporting events. The main targets of the rage are coaches and referees.
In one highly publicized case, in Reading, Mass., a father unhappy with the way his son's hockey coach was handling a practice was accused of beating the coach to death in July.
Besieged referee abandons Peruvian match
By Brian Homewood
RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - A Peruvian championship match was abandoned in the first half on Wednesday when protesting players besieged the referee.
Universidad Catolica extended their lead in the Chilean championship to nine points while Romario was on target again in Brazil.
PERU
The match between Sport Boys and Union Minas was called off one minute before halftime following vehement protests from the away team over a twice-taken penalty.
Sport Boys goalkeeper Johnny Vegas, his team's regular penalty taker, saw his effort saved by his opposite number Luis Zanabria but trouble broke out when the refeee ordered it to be retaken.
The furious Union Minas team surrounded the official and in the confusion that followed, three of their players were shown the red card. At that point, the team walked off the pitch.
Union returned 15 minutes later but the referee and his assistants refused to come back, declaring the match abandoned due to what he described as ``collective rebellion.'' The score was 1-1 at the time.
Union, a small team from the Andean mining town of Cerro de Pasco who play their home matches at 4,300 metres above sea level, remained fourth in the second stage of the tournament. ``Everyone knows that Union is a small club, but now we are in the top four, they are always sending off our players, I don't know why they don't let us progress,'' said coach Jose Torres.