Upgrade Kudos

As we have done here in the past, I would like to congratulate Richard Williams and Moulay Ridaoui, who have recently been upgraded to Grade 7 (Referee 1st Class).

Well done!

All that and live images of the lunar eclipse

Only a slap?

Lamine Diack, Issa Hayatou: Only a slap

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Two senior African members escaped without serious sanction from the IOC on Thursday in the ethics scandal that led to the resignation of former FIFA president Joao Havelange.

IAAF president Lamine Diack of Senegal received a warning and African soccer head Issa Hayatou of Cameroon was given a reprimand after an investigation by the Olympic body's ethics commission. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of ESPN.

Kicking Back Comments: So from the IOC report, and the article, it would seem that timing matters greatly here. As the bribes were taken before these folks were IOC members, it is okay and the IOC is choosing not to act.

I said it the other day ... what a world we live in where integrity is a luxury, not a requirement in such positions. How very sad a state indeed. Allowed to continue in their position even with such ethical transgressions in their recent past.

This part of the article really caught my eye:

The ISL case was the subject of a Swiss criminal trial in 2008. FIFA has blocked the court in Zug from revealing which officials repaid $6.1 million in kickbacks. The officials repaid the money on condition that their identities remained anonymous.

Nice.

Any guesses who is on that list?

From one who knows directly

Blatter under pressure – again!

The past few weeks have not been good for FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Firstly he became involved in the racism issues which involve two high profile Barclays Premier League players – Luis Suarez of Liverpool and England and Chelsea captain John Terry.

His suggestion that that racial discrimination could be settled with a handshake might have been non-controversial in most countries but in England, where these cases are still being investigated by the FA and feature prominently in the media, it lit a blue touch paper of outrage. ...

See the whole story here, from the blog of George Cummings.

My dad made me do it

Wayne Rooney father’s arrest to be used in Football Association's plea for clemency over Euro 2012 ban

The Football Association is considering whether to inform a Uefa appeal panel on Friday that Wayne Rooney’s father was arrested on the day before the game in which he was sent off for kicking out at an opponent as it seeks to have his three-game ban reduced. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Telegraph.

Kicking Back Comments: Are you *beeping* me? This boarders on "my dog ate my homework!" 

Now, if the arrest was for something traumatic like a crime of violence, or something that could result in great harm for his dad, I think the lawyers who are preparing his case have a reasonable shot.

After all, and this is a good lesson, everybody takes baggage into the field with them. If they can deal with it and play (or referee) is the hallmark of a pro. We are fools to think that everyone leads such a charmed life that "real life" does not impact matches. There are a few fools from previous administrations of US Soccer and others, who have washed out referees thinking they knew better than the referees who were dealing with off the field issues.

That aside, what was Roo's dad pinched for? Betting on soccer matches. In fact he was only detained.

From the article:

... Rooney’s state of mind was affected by the arrest, on the eve of the match, of his father, Wayne Snr, by police investigating alleged betting irregularities in football matches.Rooney Snr was one of eight men detained on conspiracy to defraud and was later released on bail.

... and THAT should give Rooney a pass for kicking someone in the way he did? Please.

IMHO, if he really wants to be a leader, take the 3 matches and say "sorry." I also recognize that it is likely not his decision, and the FA "wheels of justice" are turning over Roo where he will sit and look good, and have a canned response crafted by FA lawyers when called on.

I do believe however that at the end of all of this the ban is going to get reduced. Why?

Money.

Any way you cut it Roo is a punk (for now), and a great player, and UEFA wants butts in the seats.

My question is, if a substitute did this (I won't even go down the referee route), would the FA send 4 lawyers to actively work the case, or just be quiet and let the lad hang for 3 (or more) matches?

Simple answer.

The air gets thin up there

As a follow up to Babak Rafati, the FIFA referee who tried to take his own life right before a German 1st division match take a look at, "Bundesliga referee Babak Rafati diagnosed with depression", from Goal.com. In it we see one look into the pressure facing a FIFA referee who stated through his lawyer:

"Growing pressure for him to perform as a referee and the media pressure linked to that, combined with the constant fear of making mistakes, became a bigger and bigger burden," a statement from lawyer Sven Menke read. "This burden, at some point, made everyday problems seem insoluble and, in the end, he no longer felt able to cope with it."

Now when asked to speak about what it was like to a National and Professional League Referee for the time I did, I sometimes describe it as breathing "rarefied air", or sometimes "very thin air." There is a tremendous amount of pressure to perform regularly at these levels and one needs to be mentally prepared for that as they step onto that stage. There is no getting around this fact.

I say this as I recognize that it took great courage for Mr. Rafati to confront his condition head on and give such a clear statement about how he felt. It is rare to have one be so honest and personal about what they are going through, especially when one must act as a pillar of strength for those who rely on him.

While it is my genuine hope he will return to The Game in better health, it is also my sad suspicion he will not, as there is no getting around the very palpable, and very intense pressures bestowed on referees at that level, and sadly the stigma that generally accompanies mental conditions. You think its cruel when players call your gender into question ... imagine calling ones mental state into question. It may be a bridge too far.

Air at that level gets very thin, and ones survival is conditional on acclimating quickly or descending before getting hypoxic. Of course there are two ways down, under ones own power, or another's. The latter generally occurring without consent of the party descending and usually leads to great suffering.

Another Day, another FIFA corruption probe

Joao Havelange, FIFA Pillar, Resigns From Olympic Commitee Amid Corruption Allegations

Joao Havelange, a president of international soccer’s governing body for 24 years, stepped down from the Olympics after serving there for nearly a half century.

The Associated Press reported the resignation Sunday, and it was confirmed on Monday to the AP by the International Olympic Committee and Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA. There are more reports here, here and here. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of the WSJ.

Kicking Back Comments: I'll be honest, I used to revere Dr. Havelange. He was the man in power when I was just discovering the international game and I saw him for the position he represented. I was so smitten with The Game at that time I probably would have forgiven him if he was guilty of something. Based on the story, it would sure seem that way. I'll be honest too that there is no place for corruption, but I have no need to see a 95 year old man dragged through the mud. He may deserve it for what he had done, but I am more reflective about the man's age. A double standard possibly as Sepp is no spring chicken to be sure and I have made my position clear that I have no use for the man in his official capacity.

However, Ricardo Teixeira is another matter completely. Leading the 2014 World Cup and alleged to be taking bribes ... hmmmm. Some have even said if the games go well he is a clear successor to Sepp after 2014. Well, like Sepp, I have no use for corruption in The Game, and if this investigation bears out that Teixeira was indeed taking bribes, I would think sane minds would automatically exclude him from the FIFA presidency, or for that matter continuing as the heads of 2014.

Then again I live in a state when things like this are a regular happenstance, and all is forgiven.

Interesting times indeed when integrity is a luxury and not a necessity.

The Xbox 360’s FIFA Phishing Continues Unabated

Since October, we've heard anecdotal accounts of Xbox Live members finding suspicious purchases on their credit cards and learning their accounts had been recovered to another machine. Now it's happened to a games writer—just this past week. Dan Crawley of VentureBeat provides a detailed rundown of exactly what happened, and in the process asks some detailed questions of Microsoft. ...

See the whole article here, courtesy of Kotaku.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Rumors that Sepp himself is the party responsible for phishing for credit card numbers via the XBox game are of course, false. He is after all far too busy scamming others in far more lucrative ways, IMHO.

An interesting story however for those of us who play in the electronic world as well as the real one.

I was just kidding, but somehow knew ...

... video would be out there of the topless protest.

VIEWER WARNING: CONTENT IS EXPLICIT AND CONTAINS NUDITY.

Here is the actual protest from Inside World Soccer, You Tube video is linked at the bottom of that article.

Can we get some video please?

Ukrainian Activists Go Topless in Prostitution Protest Ahead of Euro 2012 Soccer Draw

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian women's rights activists went topless Friday outside Kiev's Olympic Stadium to rally against alleged attempts to legalize prostitution during next summer's Euro 2012 soccer tournament.

Five half-naked demonstrators from the Femen group held up signs saying "Euro 2012 without prostitution," "Euro 2012 attacked our gates" and "F*cking Euro 2012," in front of the entrance to the stadium, while miniature soccer balls dangled on strings attached to their underwear.

See the whole story here, courtesy of Fox News.

Kicking Back Comments: Let me state that I too support "Euro 2012 without prostitution", as well as the creative method of messaging the point.

Transparency my a$$$$$$$$$$$ ...

Anti-corruption watchdog cuts ties with FIFA

KIEV, Ukraine—Global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has ended its working relationship with FIFA because past allegations of wrongdoing in world soccer won't be investigated.

Sylvia Schenk, TI's sports adviser, said Thursday she was "just astonished" that its conditions for joining a FIFA panel overseeing anti-corruption reforms were not accepted. ...

See the whole story here, from Boston.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Election over. Blatter wins. Send in the (FIFA) paid mouthpieces. 'Nothing to see here', they say. 'Move along', they demand.

Amazing. Simply amazing. 

#Blatterout

... and while we're on Law 4

So yesterday we asked the question about the use of helmets and the effect of Law 4 on them in, "Soccer is bad for your health?"

Well here is a twist on this question ... can a referee wear a helmet if they want to? Or for that matter other equipment that may be dangerous to another? How about hats or long pants?

The answer dear friends, is no. And it's even in the LOTG.

First, take a look at my previous post of "What's a snood, and why is FIFA banning them?" Pretty straight forward, yes?

Now, please take a look at "Snood, You Lose", from HK Referee, and we are treated to pictures of FIFA referees, yes FIFA referees, wearing snoods.

Now, besides the fact that they look silly on a referee, why not wear them if practical you may ask?

Well first, it immediately sets up a "do as I say, not as I do" paradox between the players and referee. After all, why shouldn't the referee follow the LOTG as well? After all, they are responsible for enforcing them.

A better answer is actually in the LOTG itself. Take a look at the interpretation section which states:
"Referees are also prohibited from wearing jewelry (except for a watch or similar device for timing the match)."

Why would that be you ask? Likely to protect players from harm in a collision with a referee. So here, not only would jewelry apply, but also a dangerous item like a snood.

I would opine that the same applies to the dress and appearance of a referee. It would seem hypocritical to have it any other way. HK Referee and I agree on this one.

After all, we are there to enforce the laws by example first, and action as needed, second.

Soccer is bad for your health?

Regularly Hitting Soccer Ball With Head Linked to Memory Problems

Nov. 29, 2011 (Chicago) -- Using your head in soccer may not always be the best thing.

Regularly hitting a soccer ball with your head -- even just a few times a day -- has been linked to traumatic brain injuries, researchers report.

In a preliminary study, 32 amateur soccer players who "headed" the ball more than 1,000 to 1,500 times a year, the equivalent of a few times a day, had abnormalities in areas of the brain responsible for memory, attention, planning, organizing, and vision. ...

See the whole article here, from Web MD, and another here from USA Today.

Kicking Back Comments: So riddle me this friends, how can a player reasonably protect themselves from harm from such an issue? Not playing is certainly an obvious answer. How about a helmet?


Can a player wear a helmet?


If some of the Massachusetts legislature had its way, they would. Just take a look here, and more recently here for a far more reasonable approach. 


Really though, can a player wear a helmet under the LOTG?


Well, we are under Law 4, and it is clear that a player, "must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or another player." The interpretations to Law 4 further on make it clear that, "Modern protective equipment such as headgear, ... made of soft, lightweight padded material are not considered dangerous and are therefore permitted."


Very clear indeed. So any type of hard helmet is absolutely out, where something like the F90 Headguard should be allowed without even a second look.


It is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Don't believe me, or the statistics in the captioned articles? Check out this story from Grant Wahl, Concussions take toll in soccer too.

More of the Same in Brazil

Ronaldo denies call to head Brazil World Cup committee

SAO PAULO (AP) -- Retired Brazil striker Ronaldo said Sunday he hasn't received an invitation to replace Ricardo Teixeira as the head of the country's 2014 World Cup organizing committee.

Teixeira, president of the Brazilian football federation, has recently been making changes to how the sport is governed and a Brazilian newspaper said he would leave the presidency of the organizing committee to make way for Ronaldo. ...

See the full article here, courtesy of SI.com

Kicking Back Comments: This is a particularly interesting read (and I recommend doing so) as it continues to paint the picture of who the next FIFA president may be if Brazil 2014 goes well. It also speculates on the level of corruption that is going on within the countries themselves. Take a look at the list of issues and investigations here ... and you start to wonder where there is smoke ... there is a corrupt politician.

Continues to be a sad commentary as to what The Game is about at this level ... $$$

It's Baaaaaaack ...

... or maybe it never left.

Goal line technology has apparently had a busy week being put through its paces. FIFA spent part of last week looking at Hawk-Eye, already used in tennis and cricket. Up this week is Goalminder. Both are UK based companies.

What is interesting about these systems is they are both camera based. It would seem from the intel I have seen, and the direction FIFA seems to be going in, that the "sensor" based technologies are history, as from my sources who have used them, they are too flakey.

In the case of Goalminder you have cameras in both the goalposts and the goal line itself. It ain't cheap though as an install is in excess of $50,000 per goal.

While the systems are being tested in secret, it would sure seem that we are going to have goal line technology at least in a trial in the near future ... I hate to say.

Check out these articles that go into a little more detail about what our FIFA friends have been up to.

Fifa eyes football fans’ goal software from the Financial Times, and

Goal line technology back at top of the football agenda from the Football Trade Directory.

Too Good Not To Share: William Shatner on Turkey Fryers

Damn it Jim, I'm a Doctor, not a rôtisseur.

2011 Turkey of the Year Award: Sepp Blatter

So as many of you know, today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. I was originally going to write a fluff piece about how much I was thankful of so many things, which I am. But ...

Asia Pacific had its awards ceremony last night in Kuala Lumpur which is (was?) Mohamed bin Hammam's former stronghold before receiving a life ban from FIFA due his recent bribery charges. Mr. Blatter apparently could not contain himself taking several verbal shots at the disgraced leader in front of his former "subjects". You can get a taste of the comments from the AFP piece, FIFA president Blatter steals show in Asia. Here's one from the mouth of Blatter that made me laugh out loud:

"It's discipline, respect, fair play and if you put it into an organisation like the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) then you come to unity, solidarity, democracy, and finally it's a question of trust and confidence."

Now maybe its just me, but here is a guy who has been shown to have less than impeccable morals as the head of FIFA. Corruption, bribery, and recently, racism, are adjectives that are swirling around not only FIFA, but Blatter himself. You can bet your last Swiss Franc I have been researching Blatter's latest stellar example of why he should not be leading FIFA with his recent gaffe on Al Jazeera. How can this realistically continue?

Hopefully it will not for long if @FakeSepp has anything to do with it. Even he has turned from hysterical satirist to straight evangelist in some of his recent tweets.

So while I think Sepp is my 2011 Turkey of the Year, I can only hope by this time next year, we will be free of him. More importantly The Game will.

That I will be thankful for.

MLS Referee and AR of the year ...

NEW YORK – MLS announced on Thursday that Mark Geiger has received the Referee of the Year award for the 2011 season. Corey Rockwell was named Assistant Referee of the Year.

Geiger has appeared in more than 90 regular-season matches since 2004, his first season as a referee in MLS. He has also taken part in five playoff games, most recently refereeing Houston’s 2-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City in the Eastern Conference Championship.

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

Les Jeux Sont Faits for the (not so) "Super Committee"

Paul Levy wrote about the recent "super committee" mess in his recent post of Choice: Eat or throw tomatoes. He writes most eloquently what I state here gutturally, these folks are so bogged down in politics and self interest, they are useless in finding a solution. So much so their opportunity to actually do something has passed.

I have no use personally for such lack of action, or political grandstanding from them or POTUS in blaming one side, not leading and blaming both.

I was thinking though, what if referees who were trained to act as needed were put in such a situation. Can you imagine Congress filled with referees? Something certainly would get done ... and probably a number of cautions given along the way and likely an ejection or two. Who would go first I wonder??

Made me think of this commercial from NexTel, which is right on point:

They are more than fellow referees ...

Photo courtesy of persianfootball.com

As some may have heard, 41 year old FIFA referee Babak Rafati, attempted to commit suicide on Saturday prior to a Bundesliga match between Cologne and FSV Mainz. This match was canceled 40 minutes prior to kickoff.

Now, one of the recently reported facts on the matter is that his refereeing crew is being credited with saving his life.

See, Referee's life saved after suicide attempt, from the Independent with the gory details, including:

"Rafati was found in the bath of his Cologne hotel room by the officials after he had slit his wrists in an attempt to commit suicide two hours before the game."

Now, far be it for me to comment on any particular aspect of this story as frankly it would be irresponsible. There are a couple of general comments I will make however.

First, referees are humans, and suffer the same as every other human on the planet. While I have not always thought this way, thinking at times in my life they suffer less, and sometimes more, I certainly know now that we are all hopelessly human. I wish the man well on his long road to recovery both physically and emotionally.

Second, referees share so much with each other, especially at the highest levels. It is somewhat unavoidable as with so few matches, and so few high level referees, you see the same faces time, and time again. So often these men and women are far more than colleagues, they become friends, and sometimes close ones for life for what they go through together on the field, and off.  It is my sense that Holger Henschel, Frank Willenborg and Patrick Ittrich were close to Mr. Rafati before this tragic incident, but certainly will be now as they too are surely suffering as well.

Next time you are out, consider the part of life you are sharing with your "regular crew", and the team will be better for it, as it puts far more emphasis of why you are there, which is far more than simply refereeing a match.