Too Much Dabbling?

Yesterday I reported on Jerome Chanpagne's candidacy for FIFA presidency, and also praised him for at least wading into the waters of trying to make a referee's life easier by creating an "orange card" that would have the effect of putting an offending a player in a "sin bin."

He has also suggested a variety of other changes that can be seen at the article.

In the face of all of these suggested changes, and that of MLB approving expanded replay in 2014 and the NFL tinkering with the thought of eliminating the point after touchdown (PAT), are leagues going too far to change the game they represent?

I think so. Instead of tackling the real issues in sport like PEDs, corruption, professional referees, the respective administrators of their sport want to tinker with silly elements that have been, or not been, part of the game for a long time.

If you want to look at a pioneer for changes to the game, look at Sir Ken Aston with the truly meaningful changes he made throughout his life.

Some changes are necessary with time, such as helmets for football players, and eventually as a result in 1956 penalties called "facemasks" were introduced.

Or maybe in gameplay itself as when icing was introduced in 1937 to speed up play and promote attacking hockey.

As I have stated here before I am not a fan of all the technology into the game to "assist" referees. Man has not evolved to the point that another man can't detect if they are cheating or not, as hard as they may try. Changes to the respective games today seem to be toward the introduction of these technological "advances" to "assist" referees.

While there is a case to be made for the technology assistance from some, fundamental changes to the game, such as how the game is scored should be left alone. Last time something like this was changed in the NFL was 1912 when a touchdown was increased from 5 points to 6. Now 100 years later we need to change this for some reason?

In this day and age, changes to the game are not made for the sake of the game itself I feel, but rather to appeal to the widest television market a sport can attain, or correctly said, allow for as many advertisers as possible. I suspect the NFLs motivation is more in this vein.

While an argument has been made that (in the case of the NFL) these PATs are "automatic"and one notable coach names these as "non-plays" and there should not be "non-plays" in the game, it has been part of the game for a long time, and one that still provide some drama, however rare. Currently the last PAT missed was back in December of 2012. In the current season the conversion is hovering around 99.97%.

Not all that long ago (1932) the conversion rate for PATs was around 67% and teams in needing these point developed specialists to nab the PAT. Why take it away? Why not take away the 2 point conversion as well then? Field goals? Forward passes?

Like any game, I want it to be exciting, and some trains of thought may see the PAT as a non-exciting element of the game today. I respectfully disagree. In fact it heightens the drama as you should want to be there for that moment a kicker misses, or a team produces a trick play and runs it in.

How about this for a change to make the PATs more exciting ... make a touchdown worth 4 points ... a filed goal 3 ... retain the 2 point conversion ... and a PAT worth 1.

Yes the scores will be lower, but that PAT will mean a whole lot more.

Clearly it is unlikely they  will change the point value for a touchdown. Why? Certainly tradition.
So they why change the PAT?

Getting back to soccer, a very nice synopsis of law changes can be found here, courtesy of FIFA. Trust me, FIFA has done some dumb things to the LOTG as well, and at times has used the MLS as its petri dish.

I can sum this up in a word (from the early days of MLS):

Rampage.

For those who don't know about it ... imagine a set of (5) kicks per team, a goalkeeper in their net, a player at the 35 yard line, and the rest of the team at midfield. Everybody is in place and waiting. The JAR drops their flag and 22 players run at the ball in an effort to score or defend a score.

It was so absurd and so short lived I can't even find any video evidence of it.

FIFA and MLS quickly got the point how stupid it was, and abandoned the practice.

Tinkering is fine, kick ins for example were actually a cool idea and made sense for the game played with the feet ... but goofing around with the fabric of the game is not.

Just leave it alone guys, please.

Champagne for President!!

For any who have not heard Jerome Champagne will challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in 2015. If he runs again, this would be a 5th term in office Sepp would seek, at age 78.

Mr. Champagne, aside from a fabulous name, has some very interesting ideas about where to take international football next. Many can be seen in this article from the BBC.

One that really caught my eye, was that of an "Orange Card."

Now, let me be clear, the first use of that term I ever heard (and to great effect) was from Herb Silva, the man behind the curtain at US Soccer literally, who has been incredibly influential and effective as making the professional leagues work.

His use, is stunningly different from that of Mr. Champagne, and is that in between card, when you give a yellow and just a bit more, but not quite send the player off. The term has reached such understanding that I have actually said (while holding up a yellow card) ... consider this orange. Trust me the particular player understood.

Now, the use Champagne has in mind is a bit different, but honestly, not bad. I have to give the man credit for actually considering referees in their approach in controlling matches in mind. It is the first time in a while, I have heard a FIFA bobble head actually give a referee some thought.

I look forward to Mr. Champagne's candidacy with great anticipation.

Your Superbowl Referee ... Terry McAulay

So right on the heels of (3) US Referees being names to the 2014 World Cup, we have the announcement of Terry McAulay named to head the refereeing crew for Super Bowl XXXIX. His crew for the upcoming Super Bowl will be Carl Paganelli (umpire), Jim Mello (head linesman), Tom Symonette (line judge), Scott Steenson (field judge), Dave Wyant (side judge) and Steve Freeman (back judge).

In researching Mr. McAulay you get the pretty standard stuff. Was a high school and college official, married, couple of kids, went to LSU, and has a computer science degree.

Where I really got interested is his involvement was the fact that he worked (2) previous Superbowls (LXIII and XLVIII) and in "bottlegate" on December 16th, 2001. A match between Cleveland and Jacksonville. From Wikipedia:

"The Browns were driving toward the east end zone for what would have been the winning score. Browns' wide receiver Quincy Morgan caught a pass for a first down on 4th and 1. After quarterback Tim Couch spiked the ball on the next play to stop the clock, McAulay announced that they were going to review Morgan's catch, saying that the replay official had buzzed him, indicating for a replay review, before Couch spiked the ball.[7] 

In reviewing the play, McAulay determined that Morgan never had control of the ball, thus the pass was incomplete, and the Jaguars were awarded the ball. However, fans in the "Dawg Pound" began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects directed at and striking players and officials. McAulay then declared the game over and sent the teams to the locker rooms. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue called the game supervisor to override McAulay's decision, sending the players back onto the field after a thirty-minute delay, where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris.[7]"

If you want to see some crazy behavior, take a looks at the You Tube clip from that incident below:

So honestly I'm not sure what's worse about this whole thing from the following choices:

1. The fan(atics) pathetic and frankly dangerous behavior.
2. TV announcers of this clip making asses of themselves by not only thinking, but actually saying that "... the ref should take control ... of the fans ... by explaining his decision." Soon after saying the referee should end the game, then after he does criticize him for it. I don't even know where to start with that one.
3. A stunningly stupid move by then commish Paul Tagliabue in ordering his refereeing crew back out into the field, in a hail of beer bottles (yeah but there're just plastic says the announcers), and directly into harms way, to play the last seconds.

I was stunned somewhat speechless by this. 

Not the fan(atics) ... I almost expect this type of behavior at times. Certainly not be the announcers as a rule they spot drivel. However in the commish's decision was really poor to put teams and referees in harms way.

Now very interestingly, I actually read the rule on this (here) and was really surprised at what I saw.

From the law:

Under no circumstances is the referee authorized to cancel, postpone, terminate, or declare forfeiture of a game unilaterally.

Yipes!!

A referee must contact the comissh office to get direction. A referee can not do it on their own.

I can almost, almost, see the point when it comes to weather, but fan disorder like this, and you have to call a guy x miles away watching on TV and he says "get back out there."

That seems a little crazy, and even worse, distrustful of the assessment of the refereeing team. After all, they trust them with an outcome of the game, but not a decision to continue it or not?

As referees, do we have this authority? If so, where in the LOTG does it lie?

Well for those who did not know, we do, and it can be found in Law 5 which states a referee has the power to:

Stop(s), suspends or abandons the match, at his discretion, for any infringements of the Laws.

This is true for all levels of the match and it happens at nearly all levels of the match. Just take a look.
I would think this one ended well before the military helicopter landed on the field.

How far would you tell the commish to pound sand if they said "get back out there" in this case? 

For Immediate Release: Northeast Regional FUTSAL Tournament

Once again Massachusetts is host to the largest futsal tournament in the US with over 150 teams!!!

On January 18, 19, and 20 2014 the Northeast Regional Futsal tournament will be held at University Sports Complex in Hanover (645 Washington St, Hanover, MA 02339).

Matches will start at 8:00 am and finish by 9:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. 
Monday will be the finals.

Check here for updates!!

In the mean time to see some amazing futsal action, take a look below.

Congrats to US Referees Geiger, Hurd, and Boria

Referee trios and support duos appointed for 2014 FIFA World Cup

The FIFA Referees Committee, meeting in Zurich yesterday (14 January 2014) under the chairmanship of Jim Boyce (Northern Ireland), has appointed 25 referee trios and eight support duos representing 43 different countries for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

FIFA has implemented a comprehensive programme to ensure that the referees for its flagship competition are in peak condition come 12 June. ...

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

Kicking Back Comments: While not unexpected, it is always welcomed to see a US face in a World Cup. Hearty congratulation to Mark, Mark, and Eric.

This is an accomplishment that so few will ever have. Enjoy the fruits of your hard work.

To look at the full list of referees going to Brazil is not so shocking both in geographic location, and by name. The full list of referees and alternates can be seen here (.pdf).

Put an asterisk by his name too

I'll begin by saying, as I have in the past, I am not a "baseball guy." I have demonstrated this several times and been rightly corrected by JAFO on a variety of topics. With the whole A-Rod steroid thing, I just can't help myself though.

My ire is not for A-Rod, who while completely unlikable, is accurate in saying he did not test positive for PEDs. This is however similar to the NFL policy on recreational drugs, as a well announced test after training camp that you would have to be a dope (no pun intended) to fail.

I'm also not living in a fantasy world as one of A-Rods lawyers implied David Ortiz was using PEDs. My response is the same ... duh, of course he is.

I could go off again as I did in the Lance Armstrong affair and talk about robbing due process and other procedural issues that really let the leagues ... if they want ... investigate such matters.

Problem is of course, they don't want to, unless it suits them.

This is where my vitriol lies today ... to Bud Selig, the current commissioner of MLB.

To me, it seems clear that part of the reason why A-Rod is being singled out so severely is to preserve Bud Selig's name as he retires as commissioner. While conjecture on my part, the timing does line up.

After all, he is 100% sure that he is retiring in 2014 and is looking for a "Mariano Rivera-esque" 30 ball park farewell tour. (I'd be careful with that one Bud, you may not get what you are looking for) Selig has been the MLB commish for 21 years and stands as the 2nd longest tenure in the game.

He is certainly not without his controversy, including his Brewers ownership and was an active participant of removal of the, then seated, commissioner, Fay Vincent. (source)

Vincent certainly helped define Selig's tenure however when in 2006 with the Barry Bonds PED controversy swirling he stated Selig was "... an observer of a forum beyond his reach." (source)

Selig from that point forward owned the issue, and was seen as essentially neutered to deal with it due to the strength of the PA.

Now to his credit, he got the players (or their union) to agree to drug testing over time, over their very loud objections, and again to his credit, started to build some credibility back into the game itself. Some of this is an illusion of course as the testing protocol was hardly strict ... or unknown to the players ... but it was progress.

Enter around that time Michael Weiner the new MLBPA by all accounts both had no ego about his position, and put the game first. A man after my own heart, an one that tragically succumbed to a brain tumor and recently passed away. Before he did however he recognized PEDs were bad for the game, potentially worse for the user and worst for the non-user who's struggling with the question "to do it" or "not do it." He allowed the staunch anti-PED player to have a loud voice. Selig had no confidence of the players, Weiner did. (In a separate note, if you want to research what a man of integrity is like ... look up Michael Weiner.)

In the agreement reached with the PA and the league, a mainstay was confidentiality regarding any details of infractions and outlined a play by play protocol for any such issues.

Buddy blew it big time when he went to 60 Minutes on the A-Rod stuff.

I am struggling to even understand why MLB went to the media other than Bud's ego, and desire to "put a stamp" on "his legacy."

Really, MLB admitted to buying, even possibly stealing evidence and trashing a man and whatever due process rights and reputation he had all while violating the standing agreement with the PA.

For the good of the game, or for the good of his ego?

Similar to players who rightly should have an asterisk by their name for breaking a record when using PEDs, so should Mr. Selig for feathering his ego before protecting what he is charged to do. He may never have taken PEDs, but his performance was certainly altered by them.

A NHL Life

Often times I use other sports as a way to make a general message. Today is no different.

The NHL produced a series of video starting in November of 2013 called NHL Life. They are available on You Tube and at NHL.com.

Episode 2 in the series focuses on Tom Kowal based out of Calgary who has been with the league since the 1999 season and is below for your enjoyment.

This is well worth the 5ish minutes to view there are some powerful messages in there.

What I found funny was a few of the comments from You Tube shown immediately below. Many folks who are interested in getting to the professional level sometimes think there is some secret sauce that gets dabbed on folks. I'm here to tell you, there isn't.

You want to be a professional, yes you have to practice your craft more than anyone else to be the very best you can, but, you have to be an open, thoughtful, compassionate human when doing so.

Without these traits, it will be hard, if not downright impossible, to be the professional you may want to be.

Don't worry Mr. Akram, Sepp puts me to sleep too

Don't become the show

If your a geek like me the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a place to see the new and upcoming as well as hear from some of the sectors CEOs like Yahoos! Marissa Mayer.

During the show, Samsung had scheduled an unveiling of its new 105" Ultra HDTV, and contracted Michael Bay (see here for full credits), director extraordinaire, to MC the introduction, along with Samsung Executive VP Joe Stinziano.

Take a look at the video below to see the results.



Now, while this could be a discussion about preparation, which is what I personally believe caused this meltdown. Or a discussion about lateral thinking, which there was none here, as when asked the question what were your thoughts, he could have simply said that Transformers (the movie series he directs) would look *awesome* on this TV.

My comment is about Mr. Bay becoming the show, when that is the very last thing he should have done. Now, in this case I also don't believe that it was intentional, but none the less, based on some of the reports, talk is not about the TV, it is about the person. See Samsung's 4K HDTV Reveal Upstaged by Michael Bay Meltdown, as an example.

Being a good referee requires being visible only when necessary, and not making the show about you. Folks are there at all levels of The Game to watch the players, not the referee. Now there are times when the referee inadvertently gets more attention that they should, and I believe that the able is just such a case. When you discover this, work to become invisible again as soon as you can.

There are also cases for very short periods of time a referee must be the focus to take some energy out of the game, and serve as a check valve for some of that pressure.

There are however for more insidious cases however when a referee make The Game about themselves from start to finish. For me, such a referee does not serve The Game at all, only their own egos.

If your goal is to stroke your ego by being larger than The Game, my advise is to try a new line of work, because you will not last long as a referee.

A New Year ... and then some

I have to say I am mostly happy to be back ...

Mostly because it was great to unplug for a few weeks and "take a breath" and also evaluate our year ahead.

I leave 2013 with very mixed emotions as it would have been my last year on The List should I have attained such an honor. It also reminds me just how full of crap FIFA is to cap the age at 45 as I think a pretty compelling case can be made (actually based in science) why the very best referees should be able to work to 50 ... as FIFA used to allow. We will save that for later this month.

It did force me to reflect on my career as a referee and what would have been my forced retirement and my actual retirement from the collegiate game and celebrate Jr. getting geared up to become a referee in early 2014.

It also was a time of recognition from an active career as a referee, to one of a referee coach, assessor, and instructor. It is clearly time to give back for me.

Now before I get all misty, I am still refereeing, actively, just not as much as I used to. Also, my *focus* is no longer my refereeing, but others.

Kicking Back is going to change a bit too in this regard as in looking back at my musings over the last years, it has increasingly stepped away from analysis, and more toward bashing (FIFA).

While I don't intended to stop that practice, especially with some of the lunacy coming from Sepp these days, I think it is important to get back to what Kicking Back was initially intend to be, a thoughtful commentary on sport and how that intersects with refereeing of all types.

To accomplish this however I will be writing a little less in an effort to go a bit deeper in topics so please bear with me as we change form right before your eyes.

I do however reserve the right to rant on occasion about the lunacy that is going on on the international stage ... in fact ... Fridays are that day ... Free-for-all Friday's where there will be little content and big rants.

It is a World Cup year after all, so let's see where we go.

Next up, year 5.

Programming Note

Friends,

Over the next several days I am going to be out and about and generally unavailable.

We would like to wish all our readers of Kicking Back a happy, safe, and mindful holiday season.

We'll certainly be back at for a recap for 2013 and into 2014 with some major changes.

Thanks for reading!

Remember ... it's not a forcefield in a can

Referees to use vanishing spray for free kicks at World Cup

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter says the vanishing spray being used to designate distances for free kicks will be used at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

The spray, which was developed in Argentina and Brazil, is currently being used at the Club World Cup in Morocco.

Blatter says ''we started using it in all (our) competitions this year and at the World Cup we will definitely keep on the same path.'' ...

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

Kicking Back Comments: Referees will still only get 7 - 8 yards per free in my opinion even with the vanishing spray. It will however help with encroachment when the player is running yup to the ball.

I think I am too old school ... I would look to get 11 yards on a free and that way when the players encroached the yard they always do, we were at 10.

I am waiting for a player to grab the can of spray from a referee in dissent and write something inappropriate on the pitch. I've seen it with a caution ... when not the spray.

Is soccer like sex??

Dutch prostitutes demand same pension perks as soccer players

Dutch prostitutes are demanding the same retirement tax benefits as professional footballers because of the "hard physical work" they do, according to news reports.


The campaign to secure better retirement rights is being run by Freya, a company that wants to run a number of brothels in the central Dutch city of Utrecht.

Wil Post, a lawyer for Freya told Dutch newspaper Volkskrant on Tuesday that "Footballers and prostitutes both do a difficult physical job that they cannot do their whole life. Therefore, they would like to be able to save as much as they can." ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of NBC.

Kicking Back Comments: What was interesting to me about this article was the analogy. I know football is demanding and requires "hard physical work" as detailed in the article, but was curious why that was the first arrow out of the quiver to make the argument.

I don't think the intent was to liken the two, albeit both professions are legal in the Netherlands. I also don't know how else to go at the argument ... construction workers ... dock workers ... ship builders ... I dunno.

It may have genuinely been an attempt at flattery as it is clear that soccer players are a treasured class in the Netherlands, as athletes from the "Big 4 Sports" are here in the US.

Either way, it certainly got me to raise an eyebrow.

Much Better FIFA

FIFA bans Croatian defender Josip Simunic for 10 matches, including Brazil's World Cup, after Nazi chant

Australian-born Croatia defender Josip Simunic will miss the World Cup after being banned for 10 matches by FIFA for his pro-Nazi chants that marred his country's play-off victory over Iceland last month.

Football's world governing body confirmed on Monday that Simunic's ban will start at the World Cup in Brazil, and that he will also be banned from entering the stadium for any of his country's matches. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Age.

Kicking Back Comments: I think FIFA got this one right honestly. What have I been saying about being draconian? From the article:

"Croatia's Football Federation said it was ''shocked'' over FIFA's ''draconian sanction'', warning the move could mean the end of Simunic's career in the national squad."

The CFA is right, it is draconian ... and should be. Yes, it may end this player's career, but will serve as a warning for others to not cross "that" line.

With a player missing the World Cup due to their comments, do we think that others will be so stupid as to try similar? If so, FIFA must now hold the line and deal with each as sternly.

I am sad to say, I think it is the only way.

I'm a nice guy ... just ask me.

SWISS COURT BANS CARTOON BOOK – BECAUSE ‘IT WOULD DAMAGE BLATTER’S GOOD REPUTATION’

Thin-skinned Sepp Blatter has persuaded a Zurich court to ban a book of jovial cartoons about him.

The power of Blatter to bully Swiss justice officials was revealed when his lawyers wrote to the court insisting that the cartoons, by former footballer and noted graphics artist Olé Andersen, were so damaging that they should issue an immediate ban urgently before actually hearing any arguments from him.

Blatter’s lawyers claimed that he ‘has a good reputation and if the cartoons were published he would never be able to repair the damage.’ ...

See the whole story here (and the court complaint), courtesy of Transparency in Sport.

Kicking Back Comments: Long live the Freedom of Speech and the Press in the US and abroad. I just hope The Platter Cartoons are available in the US soon and I would just love to help 'the cause.'

A Final Tribute

Friends,

As we have shared, Our friend, Ernie Branco, has left us. I'll be honest to say that for the last week I have been remembering the times that he and I have interacted, and the things I learned in the process. Even just last night Madam X and I spoke about this in depth as she too knew Ernie well for nearly a decade.

First time I can recall actually meeting Ernie was in Easton at a youth tournament. I was about 15 at the time I think, and was a very young, and very cocky, grade 8 referee who had all of one other tournament under his belt.

I was there with my dad who had met Ernie before and we were introduced. As the story goes, my dad was pretty unimpressed with me at the time as I was wearing an earring as many at that age did. He was really on me about it saying that the top referees don't wear one, and if I wanted to get there I should not.

Enter Ernie ... literally.

At Oliver Ames High School, where the tournament was held, Ernie was most certainly the most experienced referee there, and was well on his way to becoming one of the very best in the state. When we met, he knew about my dad not liking the earring. His approach was simple though ... he looked me up and down and said something to the effect of, "I like your earring, but the players may not. You may want to take it out, just for the match."

I did, and never wore it again ... inside the field.

It was a beginning to a very long relationship that saw us move from mentor, referees working together, to co-workers, back to a mentor relationship.

State Cup was always a hoot with him. I remember fondly what has come to be known as "The Cornstarch Affair."

I remember him singing happy birthday to Tom Supple and I, along with the Massachusetts FIFA and National Referee core, after a training session in Norton or him calling me "My Boy" at the top of his lungs when he would see me at a clinic.

We spent hours together in his office at BHS talking about MLS matches, and life.

So many times at matches at Foxboro Stadium we saw each other and I relished every interaction. Those were some of the most stressful times in my life, and to get a word of encouragement, or see him at the 4th Official table on the touch line always put me at ease. He was always the last person I spoke to before I went into the field.

Today is the day we say our last goodbye.

Tomorrow and all our tomorrows are when we remember the man and remember his caring and energetic way that lead to a zeal life should always have.

I for one, will miss him terribly.

As detailed earlier a scholarship fund has already been set up in his honor, and can be accessed on line at the EB Scholarship Fund.

Our friend, Ernie Branco, has left us

Ernie Branco, September 2013 - Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise

The Massachusetts Refereeing community, and the soccer community at large is saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Hernani (Ernie) Branco.

Long time Coach and National Referee Emeritus, he has been a beloved icon in the soccer community for over 40 years.

A mainstay, top referee at the Needham Memorial Day Tournament, since its inception in 1977. Ernie was lauded with the Needham Tournament Distinguished Referee award & the prestigious, Spirit of the Game Award, from the Mass. State Referee Committee an award saved for one of the highest honors a referee can be bestowed within the state.

Ernie served most recently as the MLS liaison to the New England Revolution and made sure that all referees that pass thru those doors were always well taken care of.

Words can not adequately express the loss. For me personally it is devastating as he had touched my life in so many ways as referee, coach, co-worker, friend, and just all round spectacular human being.

Universally, so many others have expressed these similar feelings through all walks in life when experienced with Ernie. Just a few of these expressions can be found in the linked stories.

BROCKTON ENTERPRISE STORY

ATTLEBORO SUN CHRONICLE STORY

NEW ENGLAND SOCCER TODAY STORY

STONEHILL ATHLETICS STORY

We mourn his passing here and throughout the refereeing community, and send our deepest sympathies to his family.

Services for Ernie will be held Saturday, December 14th and Sunday, December 15th between the hours of 1 - 7PM at the Waitt Funeral Home, 850 North Main Street, Brockton. A funeral mass will be held Monday, December 16th at 9:00AM as St. Edith Stein Church, 71 East Main Street, Brockton.

Ernie's obituary can be found here.

Please note in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Ernie Branco Scholarship Fund, Harbor One Bank.

If mailing a donation be sure to include "Ernie Branco Scholarship Fund" on the memo line of your check and mail to:

Harbor One Bank
Ernie Branco Scholarship Fund
P.O. Box 720
Brockton, MA 02303

MLS Cup is over ... Was it the right referee?

The 3rd Yellow - Why Isn't Mark Geiger Refereeing MLS Cup 2013?

Before I get too far into this, I want to make one thing very clear. This is not an article meant to disrespect the officiating crew that was selected for Sporting Kansas City-Real Salt Lake in the 2013 MLS Cup Final this Saturday from Sporting Park.

Hilario Grajeda is also a solid referee, was in the center for the MLS All Star game vs. Roma, and was recently named the MLS Official of the Year, something that he deserved throughout the 2013 MLS season. Ismail Elfath was the runner up for that award (Baldomero Toledo was third), and I like Elfath as well, despite my opinion of his performance in the second leg of the Revs playoff series vs. SKC. Elfath is 31 years old, and has a pretty impressive resume for a referee who made his pro debut in 2009 in the NASL. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of SB Nation.

Kicking Back Comments: First let me say that the crew on Saturday did a great job. So as Jake had stated, the question is not a reflection on them.

There are a couple of points I think he misses on why not Geiger?

I think he touches on the over-exposure point slightly, but not well enough. Over exposure is killer, and can lead to just too much familiarity between teams and a referee. This can reach a fever pitch by the time something as critical as a MLS Cup rolls around.

Second, as was stated, Mark and crew are at the Club World Cup. Lets face it folks this one cuts both ways in the same direction. As a referee on the World Cup "short list" there are matches you have to do, and matches you have to avoid.

There is little doubt in my head that other World Cup prospects were invited by Brian Hall for this tournament, and their absence would mean a death knell to any thought of actually going to a World Cup. Also, lets say that the games did not meet on the calendar and Mark was available ... would it have been a good idea for him to referee the MLS Cup final? I would hope that some folks put some thought into that as a mistake on that match ... which, I'm sorry folks ... does not hold a candle to international play, or even many higher level leagues IMHO ... could kill an opportunity to go to a World Cup as well.

Listen, I'm a fan of Mark just like the author, but, I also recognize that missing a well placed match is not such a bad thing, and in fact may be totally intentional, calendar aside. 

US MNT In Some Trouble in 2014

Full draw results from last night can be found here.

One thing is clear, Group G is the hardest group in the whole draw. Portugal, Germany, Ghana, and the US. My thinking is that Portugal and Germany advance, in that order.

Klinsmann put on a brave face when ask saying "... this is what the World Cup is about."

He's right of course, but even for a talented side is is turning the US into, it's a tall order.

But enough about that ... bring on the referee selection!

See you next year? ... Lame.

World Cup 2022: Fifa to decide on date switch next year

Fifa says a decision over whether to switch the dates for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be made in December 2014.

Sepp Blatter, the president of football's world governing body, announced in October that a taskforce would look at alternative dates.

That stemmed from concerns over the extreme heat in the Gulf state during the summer months, when temperatures can reach 50C.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter: ''There should be a consultation"

Qatari organisers says they can host the tournament at any time of year.

But the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee added that it would listen to the will of the international football community if a decision to move to a new date is made.

After meeting in Brazil, Fifa's powerful executive committee have announced a "road map" for the consultation process, which is being led by Sheikh Salman - the president of the Asian Football Confederation and a Fifa vice-president ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of BBC.

Kicking Back Comments: This farcical delay is not a surprise as FIFA needs to "study" the process. Here is is ... June is too hot, Winter Olympics in February ... so no go for those ... Looks like November.

I really hope US TV drops them like a bad habit.

Saddest part of the article was here:

"The governing body wants Qatar to provide an update on their progress over the issue (of migrant worker abuse) by March 2014."

Four months away for an update ... when people are dying to build their stadiums ... and they are accepting waiting four months for an update. How very predictable of FIFA.

It's all about the pot

World Cup: FIFA reveals pots plan for Friday's tournament draw

FIFA has announced the allocation of pots for Friday's World Cup draw, with England, as expected, unseeded for the tournament in Brazil.

The host nation will join the top seven teams in world football, according to FIFA's official rankings as of October, in Pot 1.

The two unseeded South American sides will join the five African qualifiers in Pot 2, with teams from the Asia, Oceania and CONCACAF regions making up Pot 3. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Sky Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: Let the games begin ...

You touch a ref, you get ejected?

So I think this comes down to referees having to get some thicker skin and less "rabbit ears."

This post was inspired by the incident involving Chris Cook of the Minnesota Vikings against their match against da Bears on Sunday December 1st.

An excellent video of the "contact" is here from Bleacher Report.

I think this is a crap call personally ... for a few reasons:

• Consistent punishment.

Take a look at this article from SB Nation. It has a number of recent events where a player intentionally contacted a referee. When you roll over each .gif take note that only Cook was ejected.

So you mean to tell me Tramon Williams contacted the referee by accident (as he offered). That one was the worst of all when the back judge(?) was pushed out of anger and frustration. Yeah it got a flag, but no ejection there?

We can just get absurd too when Cordarrelle Patterson as part of a touchdown celebration, high fived a referee (again a back judge?). Clearly intentional, and not even a flag. Why was this contact OK, but other were not?

• "Zero Tolerance" approach

Like I have said many times, I don't like zero tolerance anything because it gives zero latitude for a governing body and eventually requires odd twists in logic to rationalize the actions of punishing one, but not another in a "zero tolerance environment."

• Referees need to buck up and recognize it is a contact sport

This may be more controversial that most want to hear, but a good bump can be a great wake up call for a referee. Now don't get me wrong a referee is not a pincushion for abuse and should not take any contact that is threatening or puts anyone is real danger. But honestly, a nudge, pull, tug, bump ... give me a break. Yes it is a form of dissent, and as I have said before based on the sport it can be interpreted differently ... but there is some latitude in there.

By way of a personal story:

My very first game as a MLS referee was in San Jose, the Earthquake was playing Colorado. So on either side of the ball I had guys like Eric Wynalda along with Marcel Balboa. Welcome to MLS Pete.

So about 30m in, it was a bit ... tense ... and the teams new I was green, green, green, and took advantage. In one particular spot near midfield, when going for a ball, I got in a passing lane, and Marcel flattened me ... ran right through.

He could have avoided me ... he didn't ... and he knew it. He was sending a message, and I got it.

PK Before his first MLS Match

It would have been insane for me to send him off. Not just because of the fact he was the reason why folks were there, paying to see, but because he wan't trying to do anything more than communicate.

It was a fabulous entrance into MLS honestly. He was saying "If you want to stay, you have to toughen up."

He was right.

I went on to make a few more mistakes in that match and by all rights should have failed the assessment for failing to send a player off for a nasty tackle in front of the benches. 

I did not, but can assure you it was a very long flight home from San Jose.

Now, I have had the displeasure of being assaulted many times, and knocked around a fair amount, and frankly understood it was part of the deal. These touches are not that type of communication. They are a visceral way of saying "come on ref" and not much more.

Now, there is an argument to be made that this small stuff leads to bigger stuff later, and there is truth to that. But the league, any league has to understand that they can legislate all actions of emotional beings and expect an entertaining result. I think allow players, and yes, referees to emote in this way is a good thing.

It can of course get out of hand as it did below:

Then again, you don't even need physical contact for something to get out of control.
Viewer warning of explicit language. Note, not a hand was placed on this umpire by the manager.



You want to referee in the bigs boys and girls ... you have to be able to take a little grab now and then.
Deal with it without resorting to throwing a piece of brightly cloth, or showing a piece of plastic.

Send in the lawyers

Sports Law Practice Launched To Take Advantage Of 2022 FIFA World Cup And Other Middle Eastern Opportunities

The FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in Qatar is still 9 years away. However, based on the recent flurry of attention paid to the future event and its hosting country, one may think the eventual event is fast approaching. There are concerns about the living and working conditions for migrant workers commissioned to develop the country’s infrastructure in advance of the 2022 World Cup and less-serious discussions concerning the contemplated design of the future stadium that will host the games. Lawyers are typically called upon in periods of controversy, and it is largely based on the increased scrutiny attached to Qatar along with an anticipated massive investment in the country’s infrastructure (one estimate obtained by FORBES states that the total cost is expected to reach $220 billion by the time the 2012 FIFA World Cup takes place). ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Forbes.

Kicking Back Comments: This is really fascinating to me actually. Now on the surface this would seem a bit transitory, or at least a significant hedge of a "post World Cup" effect ... which is very real. Take a look at US history for an example. In 1994 the World Cup was played here, a deal made with FIFA in 1988 that the US would have a viable professional league. In 1996 MLS launched, and by many accounts is still going strong. Hard to believe it will be 20 years soon.

Now for Al Tamimi & Company to set up a firm dedicated to such matters is interesting, but would seem speculative on only a World Cup ... there is this however:

"However, there are additional promising signs including but not limited to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report that pits the Middle East as a prime emerging sports market worth in excess of $40 billion based on annual revenues and with an estimated growth rate of 4.6% (sponsorship being identified as one of the fastest growing segments). The time may be ripe for a specialized Sports Law practice."

Yeah, that's Billion with a "B" ...

It's a fascinating prospect honestly. It also makes me wonder if FIFA will use their services to act as their "strong arm" in the "FIFA Courts" that will be set up in the region as well.

Either way, it's good business.

Another Example of FIFA Condoning Racism?

FIFA Wants Tougher Actions Against Racism In Soccer, But Reportedly Rejects Black Couple In Brazil

This week, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was “sickened” to hear supporters of Spanish soccer club Real Betis racially abuse their own player. TV footage recently released shows Betis fans appearing to make racist gestures and noises at defender Paulo, a Brazilian player who is black, as he left the field after a loss to city rival Sevilla.

On his official Twitter account, Blatter publicly condemned the incident and stated that it was “nonsense to fight racism with fines,” a practice that has long been used by FIFA. “This has to be tackled by ALL competition organizers,” he added. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Forbes.

Kicking Back Comments: What's funny of course is in the update at the bottom of the article, FIFA is quick, very quick, to blame the organizer of the event, and shed FIFA of any responsibility whatsoever.

This of course is laughable that FIFA ceded any control, but is a far cry from racism either.

There is an interesting question lurking around here though ... Should FIFA have intentionally chosen the couple of African descent to show "FIFA is not racist?"

Isn't that racism defined, to prejudice a decision based on race? (Some call this reverse racism, to me it is just racism)

FIFA is honestly in a no win situation here, where if they go out of their way to accommodate the couple of African descent, they are pandering. If they accommodate the couple of European descent, they are racist.

So where do you go with that?

Maybe you do give up complete control to an independent selection committee, state same publicly before hand, and go from there. Or possibly be public about the selection criteria, such as independent polls or popularity scores ... whatever you use ... just be objective and public ...

FIFA by opting for any type of "quota" system, as the article describes Brazil doing, may do more harm than good.

For US jurisprudence on the topic take a look at Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003), and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978).

This one is a lot harder than the article gives it credit for. What is NOT hard however is how FIFA should respond to actual racism, a video if which is linked to the article. As I have said in the past ... be draconian. Don't just fine people who have the money ... or if you do, make it really hurt.

Official FIFA Apps Announcement ... But Stay for the Comments

FIFA launches official apps for iOS and Android

With the 2014 World Cup Final Draw only days away, FIFA has launched official apps for both iOS and Android. Available now, the app provides live score updates for "85 of the world’s top leagues" (including MLS in the United States) according to FIFA. Thankfully it offers news, standings, statistics, and photos / video for even more teams: in total, 197 leagues across the globe are included. Users can expect news on "hundreds of competitions, thousands of goals and over a million minutes of football every single week," FIFA says. ...

See the whole announcement here, courtesy of The Verge.

Kicking Back Comments: Yawn. No surprise on this. This app is mediocre at best right now.

What is spectacular however, are the comments in response to the article. My favorite is below. I have never seen a coach go Super Saiyan before ... plenty of players and even a referee or two. Never a coach.

Some priceless stuff in there worth looking at.

Professional Referee Organization names Hilario Grajeda referee for MLS Cup

Professional Referee Organization names Hilario Grajeda referee for MLS Cup

On Sunday night, we learned who will play in MLS Cup. On Monday morning, we learned who will referee the league's marquee match.

The Professional Referee Organization (PRO) announced that Hilario Grajeda will referee Dec. 7's final between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake at Sporting Park, with Ismail Elfath as the fourth official and Paul Scott and Bill Bittmar patrolling the sidelines. ...

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

Kicking Back Comments: This is a bit of a "dark horse" assignment for me. Not because the crew is not deserving ... or "getting a shot," But more because Hilario referees the All Star Game this year.

Assignments (in all walks of life) are sometimes "political treats" given to some who are from a particular place, or have done particular favors for others. Also, and frankly, it is hard to pick from so many good folks ... or in other contexts ... equally skilled folks. So what can happen is the folks who decide, go with who they know best, which is often someone close to home.

This is true in life folks, and is certainly not limited to soccer.

But, I don't think this is the case here honestly ... in fact MLS and PRO have seen to go the other direction to a pure meritocracy for the referee by assigning Hilario to both matches.

Selection of Bill Ditmar to the final I think is terrific as well. He is a class referee who I have enjoyed working with several times and certainly did well this year in a field of very talented ARs and he too worked the All Star Game this year. Also, while I have not watched Paul, I genuinely have to believe that he falls in to the same paradigm detailed above.  

Finally, I am truly happy for Ismail. Being a 4th official on a Professional League final is an awesome responsibility that I can attest to personally. As a young professional referees, I am certain it is an event he will never forget in his life.

Best Black Friday Ad EVER!

So for any who follow me regularly, I am a huge advocate of Skratch Labs, not just because they have, in my opinion, THE BEST sports hydration mix on the planet, and (2) tremendous cookbooks that have a great take on sports nutrition, but because of how they choose to run their company.

Excellent products, on time delivery, personal, handwritten notes, a great sense of humor, and a sane approach about life are just some of the hallmarks of why I believe they are tremendous.

An outstanding example came when I went to their site on Friday ... saw that it was closed ... and was treated to the following ad for Black Friday ... just tremendous ... and a shining example of why I will continue to use Skratch Labs.

Tragedy Strikes 2014 World Cup

Two die in Brazil World Cup stadium accident

Two people have died in an accident at Sao Paulo's stadium, which is due to host the opening ceremony of the 2014 World Cup finals, police say.

A senior local fire official said crews were called to the Arena Corinthians after reports of a collapsed crane.

It fell on top of a metal structure, destroying part of a facade.

The arena was due to be completed at the end of December to meet a Fifa deadline. Brazil has admitted it is struggling to have all 12 venues ready. ...

See the whole story here, from the BBC.

Kicking Back Comments: While I have absolutely no evidence, it is my personal feeling that pressure from FIFA, and the Brazilian government themselves was part of the cause of this catastrophe that took the lives of (2) men. It would not be the first time for such an event. Another notable one can be found here.

Our deepest sympathies to the families of those killed.

Thank You Readers!

Friends,

As today is Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to take just a second and say Thank You to the readers of Kicking Back. From humble beginnings back in 2010, we find ourselves here today with hundreds of thousands of views grumbling about a variety of stuff, and every once in a while coming up with something somewhat perplexing.

We can't do it without you, so please accept our humble thanks for your readership. After all, it's what makes Kicking Back go.

Just Doing My Job

It's Every Fan's Job to Police FIFA and the Olympics Committee

Neither World Cup nor Olympics authorities seem to mind Qatar's and Russia's human rights violations, so it's up to consumers, players, and sponsors to take action themselves.

Ever since FIFA, the global soccer governing body/alleged cesspool of corruption, appointed Qatar the host nation for the 2022 World Cup, the association has repeatedly found itself on the defensive: It has vociferously rejected widespread allegations of vote-buying by the Middle Eastern nation, and it has turned a blind eye to criticism of Qatar's antediluvian views on homosexuality. Most recently, the country revealed its planned "gay test" for players and fans during the World Cup, which reportedly could include a forced penile plethysmography test or forced anal examinations. But even more damning news came November 17, when Amnesty International released a report that's sobering, by any measure: The 2022 World Cup venue, it reveals, is being built with slave labor. ...

See the whole story here, from the Atlantic.

Kicking Back Comments: There are times when I agree with Mr. Simpson, and times that I don't. But boy howdy I am with him here ... and not.

I am in firm agreement that FIFA and to a degree the IOC are entities to make money ... and I think that's fine personally. Let's face it, sport is business and folks have been making a buck on it for years, nothing wrong with that given the amount of work that goes into managing, hosting, and promoting such an event.

Now, where I get off the bus is when an organization, like FIFA, "For the good of the game" knowingly engage in activity, or condone activity they are aware of that is illegal, immoral, or otherwise repugnant to the values they espouse for their own personal benefit.

I was shocked ... honestly ... when the link to the above article spoke of a new "gay test" for players and fans for the 2022 World Cup coming into Qatar. FIFA knows this, yet has not condemned it in its most basic terms despite receiving pressure, and having an ability to "implement their own law."

After all, this behavior is in direct conflict with FIFA Statute, Article 3 which states in whole:

"Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion."

Seems pretty clear to me FIFA should not engage or at least sanction Qatar for such ... or as they have done in World Cups past, suspend sovereign law.

For regular readers, some may cry FOUL! as I am suggesting FIFA suspend the sovereign law of Qatar, as they are able to do, to prevent any such abuses. I suggested the same for the 2014 World Cup when it came to the "Great Beer Row" for FIFA leave the people of Brazil to make their own laws without impediment by FIFA to appease a sponsor.

So why the reversal on my part ... or at least the clear inconsistency?

Because there is a whopping difference between suspending a law to appease a sponsor and curtail a legitimate safety concern (of drunk fan(atics)), and suspending a law to prevent discrimination against another human when harm may come to them due to that law.

Yes, I am playing the hypocrite again ... although at times I would prefer to be seen as debating the Prime Directive.

In all events, for us common folks to rail against FIFA and the IOC for such is a reasonable activity to remind them they can't suspend their principles to make a buck, and even worse, as in the case of FIFA, pretend to be doing what is right.

This constant drumming, I would hope, get the notice of the World Cup sponsors. While they made some noise back in 2011 during the claims of corruption, led by Adidas, it also seems the buck is trumping as that same company signed a partnership with FIFA until 2030.

It makes me wonder ... what is it going to take ...

MLS Cup ... almost set

MLS Cup final matchup set: Sporting KC to host Real Salt Lake at Sporting Park on Dec. 7

After four weeks of MLS Cup Playoff action, we now know the two clubs that will contend for the MLS title on December 7: Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake.
WATCH: MLS Cup final, Dec. 7, 4 pm ET, ESPN, UniMas, TSN2, RDS

The 18th edition of the MLS Cup will hosted by Sporting KC at Sporting Park, in Kansas City, Kan. SKC host due to their superior regular-season record .

Sporting KC earned their berth in the final after coming back to beat the Houston Dynamo, 2-1, on Saturday night in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship. The two sides played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg. ...

See the whole story here on MLS Soccer.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Any bets for who the referees will be in 2013? Here is who has worked it in all time history. My money is on some "dark horses" this year ... but we will see.

It's all Qutar's fault now?

FIFA slams Qatar over labor issues

Pressure on Qatar to improve the labor conditions for migrant workers building 2022 World Cup projects increased on Wednesday with FIFA president Sepp Blatter describing the situation as unacceptable.

FIFA issued a statement after Blatter met International Trade Union Confederation president Michael Sommer and agreed that ''fair working conditions must be introduced quickly, consistently and on a sustained basis in Qatar.'' ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Fox Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: While I agree that Qatar allows the practices, FIFA needs to intervene ... and is. Sepp has named Dr. Theo Zwanziger to take "concrete action" on the matter. An interesting choice to say the least.

Well, I'm not sure of this is a good thing for the Dr. as he was very, very vocal about playing 2022 in Qatar in the first place. 

A chance to clean things up, or maybe punishment for opposing Sepp.

Et tu, Brute?

FIFA should be appalled

Fifa must address abuse of 2022 World Cup workers in Qatar, Amnesty says

Fifa, international football’s governing body, must urgently address Qatar’s exploitation of migrant workers that has become “routine and widespread”, a new report warns.

Amnesty International has confirmed accounts of thousands of migrants trapped inside labour camps having been “deceived” into joining the country’s construction frenzy ahead of the 2022 World Cup. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Independent.

Kicking Back Comments: For those who have the time, I strongly urge you to read the Amnesty International report here (pdf). It is dense at 167 pages, but very well done in documenting the crimes being done to these migrant workers.

FIFA's response (on page 167) from the Secretary General (Valcke) [I guess it didn't even get Sepp's attention] was pathetic ... basically saying ... thanks for the info ... we take human rights seriously ... we are busy with 2014 and 2018 right now ... but promise to talk with the host nation soon to sort this all out.

I'm serious, read the letter on p. 167 ...

Fortunately the host countries letter (immediately before FIFA's completely inadequate response) was much more thorough it its reply.

If you don't have time for the whole read, at least take a peek at pp. 17 - 30 for one company's practices.

I was recently asked why I have such a axe to grind with FIFA. Was it because I never made the list? Was it because I was bitter in finishing my career? Was it for some other yet unexplained reason?

While none of those ... I simply said that FIFA has the ability to do so much good if they really wanted to. Here is a case they can make a real difference in the lives of these migrant workers and get between the host committee and the workers and say NO MORE.

Qatar is the richest country per capita on the planet earth ... FIFA is among the most influential organizations in the sporting world and in not too long from now are going to make BILLIONS on a World Cup held there ... people can't look at me with a straight face and say that his highness Sepp (not the Emir of Qatar) is powerless to do anything meaningful?

Yep, he visited Qatar in early November and pledged and promised ... as people are dying in building stadia to line his pockets.

I don't like FIFA because it has lost its way from being an ambassador of good will for the world, to being an ATM machine for a very few.

For that it should be appalled ... at least the good people there ... my fear is they are not.

Fabulous Story from NRAH

Blog purveyor extraordinaire, Paul Levy, shares a great story regarding how a referee can really ruin a moment if they let the LOTG and a lack of common sense get in the way.

Check out Paul's story, Sportsmanship Supreme, at his blog, Not Running A Hospital.

It is a classic!

Standing Room Only?

Court battle could delay delivery of WCup stadium

SAO PAULO (AP) -- Brazil risks missing the deadline for the delivery of its World Cup stadiums because of a court battle over the supplier of seats for Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba.

FIFA wants all 12 stadiums completed by December, but Arena Pantanal may not be ready because of the legal dispute involving two companies.

One of the companies has asked a judge to void the bidding process that awarded its rival the right to provide the seats, which are already being installed. If the judge accepts the request, work at the 44,000-seat stadium in the wetlands may have to be halted with less than two months left before the FIFA deadline. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Sacramento Bee.

Kicking Back Comments: Why in the 11th hour is it now a surprise? Did the supplier (who has supplied seats before to a WC venue) think that something had changed. FIFA I am certain has been clear about the dates it wanted these ready (as unrealistic as they may have been).

Then again, none of that really matters as seats will appear magically at the very last minute and be installed by the attorney working the matter himself if I read the article somewhat tongue in cheek.

After all, it has to get done, because there is no Plan B:
"Despite saying it will not accept delays in the remaining six World Cup stadiums under construction, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has said there is no Plan B regarding the venues and none will be replaced or excluded. He said changes can't be made now because tickets have already been sold."

Great planning guys ... well done.

FIFA: The price of racism is $38K

FIFA fines Croatia, Greece over fan racism

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA has warned and fined World Cup playoffs teams Croatia and Greece for fans' racist behavior at qualifying matches last month.

FIFA announced the sanctions Saturday but did not order full or partial stadium closures for the playoff matches starting next week.

FIFA fined the Croatia Football Federation 35,000 Swiss francs ($38,000) for incidents during its 2-1 loss against Belgium in Zagreb on Oct. 11. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of USA Today.

Kicking Back Comments: I've said it before, and I'll say it again here ...

FIFA, for this topic, be draconian ... shutter the stadiums. Fining a club or national association $38K does nothing, and is not punitive in any way.

You want folks to take you seriously, take the topic seriously, please.

FIFA Goal of the Year in 2013 ... Have your say now

Just go here to the FIFA You Tube Channel and have a look, and vote.

I have to give credit to FIFA here as there were a couple in there they had to dig deep for, and was wiling to put them up to vote on. In other words, not every goal here is from a mens international or club match. While I expect such a goal to carry the day, it was refreshing to see something else too.

They are all spectacular however.

Thank You Veterans

Kicking Back thanks the veterans of all branches and nationalities for their service and sacrifice.

A sobering article of how every day should be Veterans day can be found here, from the NY Post.

I for one agree.

True Class

Coach Steve Bonastia: Seckman High

Imperial, Missouri: As soon as the ball was hit, Seckman (Imperial, Mo.) High School softball coach Steve Bonastia knew his team had just given up a tie-breaking two-run home run.

And he knew that with the game being in the fifth inning, there wasn’t much time left and his team was likely in line for a loss. What he didn’t know, though, was that the umpires – all of them – had seen the ball differently and ruled that the ball bounced over the fence. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Good In Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: This story touched me on several levels. First was the fact that a coach was willing to truly correct an error that was made by a referee ... and I don't mean the type that we usually face from a coach, without regard to the actual decision, advocates for their team ... as they should.

This was the story of a team of referees who made a mistake, and a coach, to his and his teams detriment, offered a correction.

Now I say offered here, as the refereeing crew was certainly under no obligation to accept the information. Which lead me to the second touch point ... they did.

How willing are we are referees to overturn a decision to "get it right?" Are we even willing to do that? Some are not and don't even consider it at all. Some may be too easy and at the slightest bit of resistance, reverse a decision.

What about the magnitude of the play ... a lot of time is spent on incidents that result in scoring, which is the whole reason we are using GLT now. But what about the other decision that lead up to it? The penalty that was not given, the ineligible substitution that was made, a foul at midfield that prevented an attack from developing?

Where is the line that we should accept, and act on, such advise?

My friends, it is a slippery slope, and can come down to one word ... fingerspitzengefühl.

Hat Tip to FIFA

FIFA completes first-ever development course in South Sudan

Eighteen months after South Sudan became FIFA’s 209th member association, a programme for top referees and assistant referees in the country finished in Juba on Thursday. It was FIFA’s maiden development course in South Sudan.

Thirty participants – 28 male and two female – from all over South Sudan gathered in the country’s largest city for the five-day programme, which aimed at upgrading the theoretical and practical knowledge of referees and assistants referees on the interpretation of the laws of the game. The course was opened by the President of the South Sudan Football Association, Chabur Goc Alei, and it sparked great attention from the local media. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of FIFA.

Kicking Back Comments: As I have said before, FIFA has a great opportunity to do some real good in the world. Here is another case that they truly have.

What I found interesting is that FIFA wanted no time in telling us that they have spent $426+ million over the last 13 years for Africa. This is not surprising as an article of this type should tell us that, as it is truly significant.

Where I get suspicious is how much is lining the pockets of officials (which I recognize is also a "legitimate" way to do business), and not going toward the end goal of helping the people of Africa. With a number that large however (Almost half a Billion dollars), you figure some significant amount is getting through.

For the goal of getting The Game, and help to Africa however, all credit where credit is due.

An Opinion on "Participation Trophies"

Earning It

About this time every high school soccer season, I'd begin thinking about the awards that we coaches would give our players at our season ending get-together.

I had a tradition that, every other season, I would find a toy, token, or object that fit each player and her abilities, attitudes, or interests. Sometimes they would be obvious, sometimes not. They were always meant to be fun, even if they were occasionally a little ambiguously mean.

The superstitious player who wouldn't abandon her soccer boots at the end of the season, choosing to use duck tape on them instead, received a big roll of tape for the next year. The elegant winger who ran like a colt and cursed like a sailor was given a Princess Leia doll with a tiny bar of soap in her mouth. The player who consistently "forgot" to bring her running shoes to practice got another pair of her very own for the next season. ...

See the whole story here, from Keeping Score

Kicking Back Comments: This is a great story, and one I happen to agree with (as I picked up Little Ms. from her last soccer match on Saturday with her new ribbon she received).

I know that it has been said that 80% of life is showing up ... and there are times I agree with that philosophy ... but I also happen to believe that luck is the residue of hard work.

To just show up and get rewarded for it seems a bit vapid for some things. Work as an example ... now I appreciate service awards as I happen to be a recipient of a 10 year award the other day ... but a "thanks for showing up to work" award seems weird to me.

Youth soccer is kinda the same to me ... a "thanks for playing" award? Just odd.

That said, I believe there should be NO awards at those levels. Just come out and play ... and love it. That is the reward ... not a piece of plastic. How are folks inspired to do their best for that?

Then again ... shouldn't that inspiration to excel come from within? 

Want to see how this went?

As usual @dutchreferee does not disappoint with his questions on Twitter. 

I certainly took the time to answer there ... which apparently brought a few laughs?

It's a good question though ... what are folks doing for their "retirement" from refereeing?

I have my answer ... what's yours?

Just read the commnents

Referee Mark Geiger among PRO crew selected to officiate FIFA Club World Cup next month

Major League Soccer will have a presence at next month's FIFA Club World Cup after all. Sort of.

A three-man crew from the Professional Referee Organization — the governing arm that oversees officiating at the professional level in the United States and Canada — has been selected to officiate matches at the international club championship, PRO announced on Monday.

Referee Mark Geiger (above) and assistant referees Sean Hurd and Joe Fletcher were selected to take part in the event, which takes place Dec. 11-21 in Morocco. The crew, which worked in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011 and the Olympic Games in England in 2012, will be one of five officiating crews at the annual knockout tournament. ...

See the whole story here, on MLSSoccer.com.

Kicking Back Comments: This is a fabulous assignment for these guys and one that is well deserved. What was funny to me was the comments to the story, that (as of this writing) were solely positive toward Mark ... as they should be.

Generally however, when a referee is the subject, it does not generally go that way.

High marks for the "public at large" to appreciate Mark for his skill as a referee.

What a faker ...

So as I have whined here before several times, football referees are employed often to be drama critics of players taking dives ... and feigning injuries. Here are some highlights:



That last one looked like a fire safety video for "Stop, Drop, and Roll."

Well over this weekend there were a couple of college (gridiron) football matches that seemed to have some faking of injuries ... which similar to football ... serves to stop momentum of a team, and even in some cases preserve "timeouts" which are limited.

In the NFL however things have been interesting. There was a rash of such incidents of feigning injuries, one of which that was particularly blatant can be seen here.

So in 2013, the NFL came out and tried to put the clamps down on such activities by sending out a preseason memo saying the league would not stand for it. Only problem, it has backfired totally as there have been several players who have been actually really hurt, yet were "under investigation" from the NFL as if they had feigned the injury. See here, here, and from Dead Spin, here.

All credit to the NFL for taking the pressure off their referees and have the league do the work. We however have to judge for ourselves if a player is feigning or not.

Now, BE CAREFUL, as getting this one wrong can be costly. There are very few of us out there who are trained physicians or similarly skilled to diagnose an injury, so honestly, we shouldn't ... and even if an MD you can not discharge both duties at the same time.

There are times we have to take some things on faith, call a trainer (who may be in on the game) and get a player the attention they need ... or at least act like they need.

Now at any level except professional or international, getting help should be AUTOMATIC, and even in some cases for pros and internationals it should be automatic (e.g. head injuries). There is very little wiggle room for judging injuries wrongly ... as the NFL is discovering.

So make it easy on yourself ... and don't judge ... just get the trainer.