Do you play it safe?

So I was doing some research for SuperBowl commercials and came across this one from Nike ... the whole series is frankly hilarious. My personal favorite is here. This one is pretty good too.

While the focus was obviously about playing, it did lead me intellectually down the path of referees, and who would be more successful ... a perfect, by the book referee, or one who is willing to "flex" the Laws, have some fun, and take some risks.

If the former, how do you manage the very difficult situation?

If the latter, how far do you let things go, and what if you can't get it back?

A more perplexing question is how do we teach our younger referees in this regard? Punish the creative for not always being correct, or praise the consistent and see if they can adapt.

I have my answer ... what is yours?

No Hope for FIFA?

FIFA Election 2015: The presidential race that's not a presidential race

There's an election coming up. Well, to call the process of anointing (or re-anointing) a FIFA president an election would be to legitimize the sort of electoral shenanigans that go on in North Korea, Syria, Zimbabwe and Cuba. It isn't really an election.

In May, Sepp Blatter will stand for a fifth term as the grand poobah of FIFA, world soccer's Perpetual Crisis Machine which mass-produces controversy. Blatter, who joined FIFA in 1975 and rose to president in 1998, has been the engine of those crises and controversies. The pint-sized president has ruled with an iron (albeit tiny) fist. Any man to cross him soon feels the wrath of his immense, crooked power, but so long as you play ball with him, anything goes. Under Blatter's unwatchful eye, there have been endless scandals of corruption and graft during decades of hijinks and tomfoolery, culminating in the naked selling of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. ...

See the whole (excellent) story here, from FC Yahoo.

Kicking Back Comments: This is a great article and really lays out what has gone on for terms past and takes an excellent stab at what may happen in the next election.

One fact that did bother me was the US actively voted for this guy. I would have hoped they would have at least not voted at all. In a case like this when there is only one candidate, and lets face it the US really does not have anything to gain, why support this lunacy. 

That's Five ... But Who's Counting?

FIFA sheds sponsors as it heads into a dangerous decade

The news that three major sponsors have ceased their partnership with FIFA could potentially damage its reputation, and more importantly, its finances. Reports on Friday revealed that Castrol, Continental and Johnson & Johnson were no longer corporate sponsors of football’s international governing body. All three failed to renew their sponsorship contracts when they expired last year. This followed a similar situation with Sony and Emirates last year. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of theconversation.com.

Kicking Back Comments: While I have no hope for Adidas to sever their relationship, and Visa essentially sold their corporate soul to get this (I have a couple posts of the dishonesty they were called out on, along with FIFA in the dealings with Master Card), I would like to see Coke grow a set and drop them like a hot rock.

Maybe with the FBI hanging around Chuck's place there might be some material to ... persuade them?

We'll see.

The Comments Say It All

HOPE SOLO'S WORLD CUP STATUS IN DOUBT

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said on Monday it's possible that goalkeeper Hope Solo will not be on the team for this summer's 2015 Women's World Cup.

Last week, the 33-year-old keeper was suspended by U.S. Soccer for 30 days after her husband, Jerramy Stevens, was pulled over for DUI while driving the team van. Solo was a passenger in the vehicle.

The incident came just one week after a Seattle judge dismissed domestic violence charges against Solo. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ESPNW.

Kicking Back Comments:

This is a good article and comments from Julie Foudy. While the other day I was critical of Fagan for her "complex" comments regarding Solo, this article had no such bias.

I support the tack that US Soccer is taking, Solo has certainly earned the "right of redemption" given her service. I do hope however, this is it, no more nonsense from Solo or our she goes.

In reading the comments from the article, I am clearly not alone in my thinking that she should not be representing US Soccer if she can't act the part off the field.

Just as a brief comparison, Jose Carlos Rivero was the MLS referee arrested on multiple felony counts of fraud. He continued to referee matches until PRO found out about it, at which time he was suspended immediately. I was then, and remain still, of the opinion he should lose his refereeing job forever when discussing the matter earlier. Lets face it though, MLS referees are far more fungible than WNT goalkeepers ... and don't make US Soccer any money. That said, the punishment for bringing the game into disrepute should be exactly the same no matter what your role is in The Game.

HOPE-LESS

My obvious play on words relates to the 30 day suspension of US WNT Keeper Hope Solo. I do however personally believe that short of an epic meltdown by Solo during this period, she will be reinstated by Jill Ellis (with Sunil Gulati's influence) to the WNT just in time for the World Cup.

This suspension comes not from her domestic violence issue with her now husband back in 2012, nor domestic violence issue with sister and nephew in June 2014, which was recently dismissed, nor her recent nude photos that were made available after her phone was allegedly hacked ...

... it was Solo's husband, who was reported to be drunk, and driving a US Soccer vehicle with a reported hammered and belligerent Hope Solo in the passenger seat, that finally gave US Soccer pause.

I am surprised it took the DUI for Solo's husband to suspend her given the sensitivity surrounding domestic violence with the Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Kurt Busch incidents. This is particularly true given the attorney in Solo's recent case that should be thanking his lucky stars no one testified (weird huh), instead of doing a victory lap and making comments that case should never have been brought. 

Photo Credit: NY Times

That did not stop US Soccer from playing her however, despite the position of other leagues and a congressional inquiry for NASCAR on the same topic.

Let's face it, there is something amiss here and US Soccer is tinkering with a fragile image. Not sure what is more important to them, a possible 2015 World Cup victory, or a good wholesome image for US Women's soccer. With Solo on the team, I'm not sure the Federation can have both. Just look at the image during her arrest ... is that the one US Soccer wants 10 - 18 year old players to admire ... come on.

And please ... please ... don't make this about gender as Kate Fagan did in her recent article in ESPNW, describing Solo's behavior as "complex." Her behavior is boorish at best and criminal at worst. In either case, not worthy of representing the US in any way.

I hope US Soccer takes the long view on this one and dismisses Solo for the 2015 WC. If she can get her act together after that, and I genuinely hope she does, I would love to see her play again given her skill at the position.

On a lighter note before anyone accuses me of just letting off some pressure because of "deflate-gate", you are sadly wrong as I believe in a day or two we are going to hear that this was really all the fault of the NFL refereeing crew at that game and no fault of the Patriots at all.

Really ... I think we are going there next.

See Rule #95: Never Lift Your Bike Over Your Head

My reference today is to the fantastic site Velominati - Keepers of the Cog. This site, among other things, has a set of "rules" that each cyclist must follow.

In a recent recertification for Massachusetts soccer referees, I made the analogy between this rule for cyclists and for referees.

In my analogy referees should never "lift their bike over their head" as a form of public celebration ... the results can be disastrous.

It is my opinion referees should not openly celebrate their decisions as (a) it is a form of hubris no one wants to see as fans are there for the players, not the referee, and (b) these celebrations can be misinterpreted, badly.

Right on cue we have an incident last Sunday between the Bills and Broncos, where line judge John Hussey and umpire Carl Paganelli "fist bumped" each other after a Denver touchdown (video here).

Well as you can imagine this came closer to breaking the internet than other recent events as fans went wild with conspiracy theories about how the officials were openly celebrating the Denver score. (My personal favorite comment was "ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED")

Mike Pereira has a good analysis explaining what had happened.



Even the NFL’s vice president of communications, Michael Signora, had to make a statement telling the Associated Press that the fist bump was “an acknowledgment of good mechanics between the two officials involved in making the call.”

So where does this leave us?

If you make a good decision, don't do a happy dance right there. After the match celebrate with your other referees and family taking pride that you made a good, tough call. To do otherwise invites speculation that no one needs.

It was a damn fine bit of officiating, no doubt about it. It was also (sadly) wasted on the vast majority who saw the reaction, not the action.

As a lifelong Sox fan ...

... all I have to say is, go Cubs.

Some Sanity from IFAB

IFAB puts video challenges on hold, but rolls on with subs changes

November 27 - FIFA president Sepp Blatter's idea of bringing in video replays and permitting coaches to be allowed tennis-style challenges against refereeing decisions appears unlikely to be implemented in the near future.

Blatter first made the suggestion during FIFA's annual congress in Sao Paulo in June, raising eyebrows among delegates since he had hitherto been opposed to any video aids other than goal-line technology. The idea was discussed earlier this week at the annual business meeting of the International FA Board, which consists of FIFA and the four British associations and which was aided, for the first time, by two newly established advisory panels of experts given a platform to directly voice their views on the laws of the game. ...

See the whole article here from Inside World Football.

Kicking Back Comments: I am happy for this moment of sanity as I personally think challenges as Sepp envisions them will be disastrous to football. I can almost see a coach throwing a "red flag" or similar silly signal into the field to stop the match.

Recall the disaster that is challenges in MLB? Even the NFL is changing the way they are used. Somehow this is a good idea for one of the most fluid games on the planet?

If they MUST meddle, please for the love of Bobby Orr, look sat the NHL. It may be one of the best implementations of the use to modern sports.

At least they are not the Celtics ...

Revolution Returns to MLS Cup in a New Era of U.S. Soccer Fandom

The New England Revolution is still a clear No. 5 on the popularity power ranking of the region’s pro sports teams.

But the Revs will also become the only local pro team to play in a league championship game in 2014 (has it really been that long already, since Koji struck out Matt Carpenter?), when they take on U.S. soccer icon Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup final on Sunday at 3 p.m.

You know what that means: get the bandwagon ready. ...

See the whole article here, from Boston.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Bandwagons indeed. It's too bad too as the boys have played well this year, especially Nguyen and deserve more than a casual glance. It will be my prediction that this match will be on screens across New England this Sunday and not the Celtics.

After that however, I expect, New England sports to get back to "normal" and folks will tune in the Celtics ... as horrible as they are .... again.

US Soccer Grades and Path Forward

Kicking Back Comments:

With some of the recent changes to grades, this is a nice video that details both grades and advancement paths from US Soccer.

さようなら

Photo Credit: Reuters

For any who know Japanese, the translation for the title is "Sayōnara", or as an English translation, "goodbye."

This is exactly what Sony said to FIFA recently as the Japanese electronics company is dropping its $280M contract with FIFA it has had over the last 8 years. (source)

Let's face it, FIFA would not even need Sony given its reserve funds of ~$1.5B (source) and willingness of other companies to take their place.

I will say though that the optics look lousy. Of the (6) "Partners" FIFA has, as listed here, 33% of them want nothing to do with FIFA due to their corruption.

Graphic Credit: FIFA

To make matters worse, Coca-Cola may be next recently lashing out at FIFA. Yet in the face of all of these issues, Adidas has extended their sponsorship until 2030.

I have to believe they got  a good deal on this as at the rate they are going, they may be the only one left for a time.

Don't get me wrong, these guys likely get their money's worth and then some with this sponsorship. They wouldn't do it otherwise. All you have to do is check out FIFA's marketing organization to get a flavor of just how good they are.

The calculus that these companies are likely doing now is, can our brand take a loyalty hit due to FIFA's corruption.

Check out this video from WSJ that gives some insight on the topic.

No Doubt There

Mark Geiger named MLS Referee of the Year; Paul Scott voted Assistant Referee of the Year

Major League Soccer announced on Tuesday that Mark Geiger has been voted 2014 Referee of the Year, his second such honor, while Paul Scott was voted 2014 Assistant Referee of the Year.

Geiger had a standout year, participating in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in addition to his domestic duties. Geiger served as head referee in the Group C opener between Colombia and Greece, as well as a group-stage game featuring Spain and Chile. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of MLSSoccer.com.

Kicking Back Comments:

Based on the scoring alone in the article there was no doubt.

What was hilarious were some of the comments to the article. They ranged from speculation that the only reason Mark got it was due to his World Cup performance, to it should have been given to the referee who was recently arrested for filing false claims, to openly wondering if is given in the most sarcastic manner.

Funny stuff and continues to give me hope that the vast majority of fans out there are exactly that, fanatics.

Congrats to Mark and Paul. In my learned opinion both men are well deserving.

MLS v. US Soccer - Round 1

Jurgen Klinsmann firm on young player advice as MLS frustration grows

On Oct. 15, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber took issue with U.S. national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann for comments that were deemed "detrimental" to MLS.

Garber objected to Klinsmann saying it would be "very difficult" for U.S. internationals Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey to maintain their best form after the duo returned to play in MLS after extended spells in Europe.

Now it appears there was more to Garber's ire than met the eye. Seattle Sounders minority owner Adrian Hanauer, Philadelphia Union CEO and operating partner Nick Sakiewicz, and several other sources have told ESPN FC that there is growing frustration within the league over the advice Klinsmann and U.S. soccer staff are giving to youth national team and MLS academy players. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ESPN.

Kicking Back Comments:

Now when this matter first came up publicly abound mid-October seemed kind bad ... but honestly after thinking abut it from the larger perspective it is great for US players and still bad for US referees.

On the player side, why shouldn't a player who is good enough, and having a coach who has the connections, look at a chance to play in Europe? I would think the relative test is what is in the best interest of the player, right? 

I hate to say it, but European soccer is better than MLS and if the commish is looking to strong-arm the US Soccer coaching staff in not recommending looking abroad, same on MLS. Now, if that same staff is ONLY recommending playing abroad, that is another matter entirely. There seems to be no outward indication of this however.

For referees, the news remains bleak. Although there is an exchange program that is going on now within MLS (and has been for some time - remember 1997 when Japanese referee Toru Kamikawa officiated numerous MLS matches and American referee Tim Weyland officiated J-League matches?) I will be a believer when one of these guys comes over here for MLS, and one of these guys does a match on the other side of the pond.

Until then, or when the league gains more international acclaim (I think it has some now) referees in this country will continue to be discriminated against without regard to being very, very skilled in the art as Mark Geiger showed the world earlier this year.

FIFA: Hell to host 2026 World Cup

Breaking news: Fifa say Hell will host 2026 World Cup

Fifa dismiss concerns over soaring temperatures and lack of football culture in Hell as bid leader Lucifer pays tribute to 'role model' Sepp Blatter

Hell will host the 2026 football World Cup after a Fifa report found “no reason” to overturn the controversial underworld destination’s successful bid.

A 666-page report seen by The Telegraph concluded that Fifa had acted ethically in awarding its showpiece tournament, and suggested Lucifer be compensated with “a really nice wristwatch, one with diamonds and everything” for having been put through an “unnecessary and upsetting” grilling. ...

See the whole "damned" story here, courtesy of The Telegraph.

Kicking Back Comments: ROTF LMAO!!

Here comes Orlando ...

Purple huh (see them here) ...

Not a color I would have expected at all. In fact the only jersey I could find that was purple was the Man City 3rd jersey.

What was wrong with white with a nice yellow streak (a la the previous Miami Fusion). If you wanted to get crazy, how about "gator" green?

Maybe even some red and yellow ... uh hang on, that may have ticked off another Orlando resident ...

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Thank you Veterans ...

Photo Credit Glenn McCoy (www.townhall.com)

MLS Referee Arrested and Suspended

MLS referee suspended after workers' compensation fraud arrest

Jose Carlos Rivero will not work his scheduled MLS assignment this weekend after the Professional Referees Organization suspended him on Thursday for his recent arrest on two felony counts related to workers' compensation fraud.

Rivero, 33, was arrested by the New York State Police on Oct. 6 and released after being charged with offering a false instrument for filing and insurance fraud. He is alleged to have collected $14,000 in unlawful benefits through the New York State Workers' Compensation Board while gainfully employed, according to a release from the New York State Police earlier this month.

See the whole story here, from Fox Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: I am a huge fan of innocent until proven otherwise ... but ... when you are a public figure who is responsible for holding up the integrity of a public office, school, or sport (among other things), when you are legitimately accused of fraud, you need to go.

If I were running PRO, I would do the same thing here in suspending him immediately. Then when the proceedings are over, sever the relationship regardless of the disposition.

Seems horribly unjust you say? Maybe. But for a person in a trust position like a referee who is arrested and (likely) tried for multiple felony counts, I am not sure how you can get that trust back to remain effective in the position. We are not talking about a he-said she-said, we are talking about a multiple count felony indictment. Type and magnitude of the crime are material here. 

Recall that the authority from a referee is not from the LOTG, or the league, or some other 3rd source ... it is from the integrity of the referee themselves. I contend the source of ones' ability to manage a match inside the field is self generated and if you are not honest with yourself, you will have difficulty being honest in managing others.

Anyone every heard of Tim Donaghy? While the crime Donaghy was convicted and served time for is slightly askew from the crime Rivero is charged with, the damage to the integrity of referees and The Game is the same.

I wish Mr. Rivero good health and all the best in his next (non-refereeing) career because he should never see a MLS match again as an official.

By the way ... this whole soccer personality getting arrested reminds me of someone else I've been following in US Soccer circles. I Hope you stick around for that one.

The case of Dr. Turf and the Cowardly Judge

It sounds like something out of Encyclopedia Brown, but it is really an ESPN and Forbes article I caught the other day.

We of course are dealing with the case where the CSA and FIFA want to use artificial surfaces for the Women's World Cup coming up in 2015 and the ladies will have none of it. Honestly, they shouldn't either and I support their position. Every other World Cup has been played on grass, why not this one? The surface changes The Game without question.

Where this starts to get funny is the manner in which the matter is being brought ... as a gender discrimination case. Now the lawyer in me gets it as it would be really hard to make a legal argument around "Hey you are doing this because it is makes more economic sense as CFL teams play here too and its expensive to upkeep grass versus a synthetic."

Yes folks, shockingly this is about the money.

Now the ladies have a viable complaint as I said, albeit a poor vehicle to bring it as, I'm sorry, playing on a synthetic is not a gender issue as it affects both equally. There were a couple of other things that stood out to me in this brouhaha as well:

From this ESPN W article, even the human rights folks are cowering from this fight. From the article:

"Given the jurisdictional complexity of this case, I am far from certain that it would be possible to ... render a decision on the merits within a few months," Jo-Anne Pickel, vice chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, wrote in her decision Friday, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN.

For those uninitiated to double speak, this is saying the Human Rights Tribunal does not want anything to do with it as all, tacitly supporting my premise this has nothing to do with discrimination. If this was a real human rights issue, believe me, they would be a part of it.

Funniest part was FIFA charging to the rescue and providing an "expert" on the matter. His findings, and appropriate commentary, were found in Forbes in "FIFA Roll Out Their "Rug Doctor" In Women's World Cup Turf War". From that article:

To quote from Professor Harrison’s bio provided for the Geneva 2014 International Sports Convention he studied for a B.Sc. in Polymer Science at Liverpool University; was a Textile Technologist; completed a Ph. D at Loughborough; worked in Polymeric Materials; helped to develop Sport Surfaces (notice the capitalization) and worked in Industrial Flooring.

Rather than an expert who might be able to provide a balanced view FIFA instead opted for the equivalent of having Dracula speak on the need for more blood banks.

Don't wan't to provide a grass surface year round? NO PROBLEM! Provide a modular grass surface for just the World Cup. Anyone remember 1994 here in the US where FIFA refused to play on a synthetic surface? How did we solve that? We had octagons of grass that were pieced together for the matches and moved onto the synthetic surface. After matches, they were moved out in the sun to keep form. Problem solved!!

Let's face it, any World Cup should be played on grass. It's not about the gender, it's not about the money, it's about The Game and honoring it for how it was and should be played.

Can we all just agree on that? 

Up, Up, and Away

Emirates drops FIFA sponsorship over corruption allegations

Emirates is dropping its sponsorship of FIFA, becoming the first backer to abandon soccer’s governing body after allegations of corruption linked to voting on World Cup hosts and the group’s presidency.

Emirates, the world’s biggest international airline, said it won’t extend the contract that began in 2006 and concludes this year. ...

See the whole story here, from National Post.

Kicking Back Comments:

It warms my heart to see companies like Emirates (and as rumored Sony) taking action  by severing ties with FIFA as a premiere sponsor. What is sad however is companies like Samsung are ready and willing to fill the voids that are created.

While Visa and others has (to me) just made some noise about being ethical, blah, blah, blah, they apparently need Sepp doing a perp walk and splashed all over TMZ before they take action.

I hope I'm wrong, and as details about the corruption from the "Blazer files" come to light, these companies rethink their position.

Giving Rats a Bad Name Since 1996

Soccer Rat! The inside story of how Chuck Blazer, ex-U.S. soccer executive and FIFA bigwig, became a confidential informant for the FBI

New York City's Blazer, a former member of the FIFA Executive Committee and a top boss for CONCACAF, gathered information on some of international soccer's most powerful figures.

The most crucial Olympic ring of the 2012 London Games was a simple keychain, wired for sound and presented to top international soccer executive Chuck Blazer — a cooperating witness for federal law enforcement agents.

The corrupt and corpulent Blazer, once the sport’s No. 1 powerbroker in the United States, is alleged to have collected untold millions during his 20-year reign — running up a staggering $29 million in credit card charges to help fuel his extravagant lifestyle, which included a pricey Trump Tower apartment for his cats. ...

See the whole article from the NY Daily News here.

Kicking Back Comments:

I have to say honestly that while Mr. Blazer may get absolved of his legal crimes for this assistance I have no love for a man, any man, who steals so much, from so many, while parading around saying its all of the good of The Game.

His ends of trying to catch the equally corrupt thieves at FIFA do not justify the means of his own stealing. Particularly in the face of such arrogance as this.

Now part of me feels for the man as well as he has recently been diagnosed and is undergoing treatment for colon cancer. In fact, some reporting went too far in tracking Mr. Blazer down to a medical facility were he was being treated for the disease.

That said, it's not as if Chuck is the benevolent, albeit bumbling hero Jack Ryan (played by Chris Pine) in Shadow Recruit, who tries to infiltrate the bad guys by going under cover. He very simply got caught, and in order to survive, had no other choice it would seem than to help the investigation.

He reminds me more of a Walter White of Breaking Bad fame where his current job just was not able to support his family and as such turned to a life of crime to create the life style he wanted. 

I hope he helps the FBI to get all the corrupt elements of FIFA ... then Mr. Blazer himself has to pay back each and every cent he stole in the name of The Game.

Fantasy I agree, but a worthy one.