My Prediction: Uno a Dos

I hate to make that prediction, but the USA MNT is just not playing well. Despite the emotion swirling around the match later today, and whenever the US plays Mexico at any level, I think the US, while playing at the Rose Bowl is essentially playing an away match.

Don't get me wrong, it may be close for a bit, but ultimately I think MEX will pull it out. If it is not even that close ... well ... that is really bad.

I'll say too ... if the US does not win today ... I think Jurgen is in some deep crap as coach. Yes I know, Sunil has said he is on board through the next World Cup, but realistically, I think the time is now if we make a move on a coach.

Uno a Dos, por Mexico.

Reaction and news on same tomorrow.

Good Riddence

FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Other Top Officials Suspended

The leadership of world soccer’s governing body plunged into chaos on Thursday as three of the game’s most powerful figures, including Sepp Blatter, the longtime president of FIFA, were suspended amid a corruption investigation by the Swiss authorities.

In addition to Mr. Blatter, Michel Platini, who is a FIFA vice president and the head of European soccer’s governing body, and Jérôme Valcke, FIFA’s secretary general who was already on disciplinary leave, were “provisionally banned” from the sport for 90 days by FIFA’s independent ethics committee.

By Thursday evening, Mr. Blatter, who has led FIFA since 1998 and worked at the organization since 1975, had been driven away from the organization’s headquarters in Zurich — perhaps for the last time — having filed an official appeal against what he contended was brusque, and unfair, treatment. 

See the whole story here, courtesy of the NYT.

Kicking Back Comments: Well ... we knew the day was coming and I for one can only hope Sepp never returns to FIFA again. It is my hope at the end of the 90 days (January 8th 2016) he is in leg irons somewhere. All of them, in leg irons.

My thoughts are turning to what is next however. I'm not sure that everyone expected such sweeping actions (kudos to the US DOJ for starting the first domino) as we are left with a substantial vacuum in place.

These next steps need to be considered carefully as how the deck is stacked over the next year or so will significantly determine how the next 40 years of football are governed ... close to the the reminder of my lifetime.

Where It All Starts

Recently we were treated to a fantastic perspective from Paul Levy regarding High School athletics in his article "Part of the school day." In this article he details the scenario where as referees we may occasionally run into a coach, who is also responsible for athletes that are students, and acts in a way contrary to what they should be teaching as educators. It is a worthy read that I commented on as it is a hot topic as we entered the high school soccer season.

I bring this up because, as a juxtaposition, I have recently been witness to an event that we as referees should remember when it comes to dealing with players ... many coaches take their role as educators very seriously.

There was a recent event with a player on Jr.'s high school team where a player was admonished by a referee and cautioned. While I was not there, from what was described to me, the caution was for dissent.

Now for many you would think the story ended there (and as a referee sometimes I left a field thinking it did) boy would I have been wrong in this case.

Just the other day I received an email both from the parent and the coach of the player making an apology and assuring the whole team (or family as he called it) knew the behavior was not acceptable and we (the team) will work together on it. I was truly heartened by the notes. Keep in mind, I was not the referee, Jr. is a teammate to this player!!

It was amazing to see a group of people own up to what happened, not make any excuses, and gather themselves to make it better next time out. No one in their right mind could ask for anything more.

I was personally humbled by the comments shared as it showed respect for the referee for being subjected to the behavior, solidarity for the team to work together, and compassion for the individual player who can learn from the whole thing.

As referees we need to remember that when we share 80 minutes of the road with some of these young men and women, we are not seeing the whole picture. We are not the first nor last line of defense when it comes to guarding the integrity of The Game. Today I was again reminded parents and coaches have a significant hand to play in there and are far more involved than we are in our role as referee. #respect

Botched or Brilliant?

By now for anyone who is even casually connected to American pop culture, you have heard of the "blown call" from Monday Night Football. Some may even now know who Greg Wilson is.

Much has been made about the rule that was apparently violated Rule 12, Section 4, Article 1(b), where a player may not "bat" a ball out of the end zone (I am simplifying here).

Take a look at the video here from SB Nation and a spectacular shot of what the Back Judge Greg Wilson saw.

Public outrage aside about how "bad" a call this is, I think there are a few obtuse points worth mentioning that most have not stated so far.

• Mega kudos to Kam Chancellor, who delivered the hit to cause the fumble and do so before the ball crossed the plain of the goal line. This was a great football play and a rules controversy is sadly overshadowing a phenomenal play in crunch time. #respect

• It is more clear than ever to me that the players, coaches, and staff at that level do not understand the rules of football, with a few notable exceptions. Stories are out now that the guilty player himself did not know the rule, there was no uproar on the sideline about it, or talk of it in the locker rooms until well after the fact, and the TV analysis, when they finally caught on was ... embarrassing. Note to all younger referees, the words "I used to be a pro" mean absolutely nothing in so far as knowledge or application of the LOTG go. This was proven painfully true again last night.

• I happen to think Greg Wilson is a great referee for making the right call. SB Nation allowed for only two possibilities on the matter. (1) Wilson didn't know the rule. or (2) Wilson incorrectly felt that Wright's strike of the ball wasn't obvious. This article also notes that the Director of Officiating was ducking under #2 ... and for him that was really the only choice. I believe there is a 3rd option that existed ... and it was Wilson in essence played an "advantage." Now, understanding that no such construct exists officially in the NFL rules, we see it exercised all the time with fouls like pass interference, some are flagged, most are not and this largely goes to if an advantage was gained or not. Here we have the case that the ball was on the way out from the fumble. There was little doubt that was the case. Even with the players batting the ball (and he did bat the ball) it would have made no difference to what would have occurred next. Why then, if the foul would serve to give a significant and inappropriate advantage to the team who legitimately fumbled the ball, would we do that?

For me Wilson actually did the game (royally speaking) a great service by not punishing the trivial or obscure to many and as such altering the outcome. Most are seeing it the other way, including my friends at FootballZebras ... some even saying that the odds shifted ~%75 with this call ... for me it was courageous and on the grander scale completely correct.

Most clearly do not feel that way, but to me, they are dead wrong.

Upon Further Review ...

Hope Solo's domestic violence case reinstated

Hope Solo, star goalkeeper of the U.S. Women’s national team, will face domestic violence charges after an appeals court on Friday reversed a decision to throw out the case.

Controversy about the charges flared during the World Cup, when Solo helped lead the team to the title and responded by saying she was the victim in the incident and the case had been dismissed. But now she will be facing charges yet again. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of USA Today.

Kicking Back Comments: This was a completely predictable outcome and while I called it such at the time, it crystallizes Solo's lawyers mumblings after the initial dismissal as the drivel I knew it to be. Dismissal on procedural grounds ... and clearly poor ones given the restatement above ... is not innocence of any type.

Solo like any other is due her day in court but I can only hope this spells the end of Hope representing the US National Team if she is found guilty. I also hope US Soccer does not contort itself into a pretzel again to make sure she plays in the Olympics if she is found guilty.

Her lawyer did a good job of laying down enough smoke for Sunil to get her on a 30 day suspension. If she is found guilty however, I hope he dismisses her ... best goalkeeper in the world or not.

Dear @CocaCola @McDonalds @Visa @Budweiser please grow a spine and defund @FIFA

Coca-Cola and McDonald’s lead calls for Fifa’s Sepp Blatter to stand down

Four of Fifa’s leading sponsors – Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Visa and Budweiser – have demanded that its embattled president, Sepp Blatter, step down immediately in the face of a continuing corruption crisis.

The dramatic intervention on Friday night from four of Fifa’s biggest backers hugely increases the pressure on the 79-year-old after Swiss prosecutors last week opened criminal proceedings against him. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the Guardian.

Kicking Back Comments: Dear big money sponsors ... if you want to get Sepp to step down, suspend all funding until he does. Full stop.

Enough screwing around. If you are going to threaten, follow through, don't just hang it out there as if you do you will take the risk of being seen as inept as Blatter's leadership.

Frankly, I don't blame him ... well maybe a little

Brazilian football referee pulls GUN on the pitch after row over red card

A Brazilian referee is facing disciplinary action after he reacted to a dispute with players by pulling a GUN.

Gabriel Murta was kicked and slapped by players from lower-league Amantes de Bola, while the manager invaded the pitch demanding a red card, it is claimed.

Murta, said to be a policeman by day, reacted by racing to the changing rooms and returning with a firearm. ...

See the whole story (and video) here, courtesy of Mirror.

Kicking Back Comments: I have to say frankly that part of me wonders why this does not happen more, where referees lash out physically. There have been a number of recent incidents that come to mind where a referee has been killed as a result of player violence. See here, here, here, and here (warning very graphic content). This last incident saw a referee killed, quartered, beheaded, and his severed head placed on a pike near midfield. There have been dozens more assaults and hundreds more of provocations by players. See here for some other examples. So what is stopping referees from fighting back? Duty? Honor? Respect for the craft?

I do agree that brandishing a weapon is not the way, and in fact if this occurred in the US it would be considered a crime, not self defense as the referee went back into the locker room to retrieve the weapon and come back out to confront the player who assaulted him.

How long before we see a referee provoked into assaulting a player?

A Must Read From Football Zebras

How rampant are outside influences in crew decisions?

Something odd struck a few officiating observers during the surprise onside kickoff to start overtime in the Rams-Seahawks game. Beyond the fact that an onside kick was attempted and beyond the difficulty in enforcing the proper penalties, something was clearly not adding up.

After the possession and enforcement were set, I called a former official about the decision that was made on the kickoff for clarification. In the discussion, I said, “it looks like they reversed their decision because someone got in their headset and told them.” This official, who had yet to see the play, said “I’m sure someone guided them. How do you get from [the kickoff being kicked] ‘into the ground’ to ‘didn’t touch the ground’ by discussing it?” ...

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

Kicking Back Comments: This is a brilliant insight and frankly a real problem. As we know from our sport, with products like RefTalk, we are now subjected to outside information all the time. I expect with MLS "leading the way" (cough) with video replay that we will see more interference of referees decisions and "input" (cough - cough) from folks other than the referees inside the field.

Now some would rightly say that I am a purist and I would agree, but there is a larger issue at play here and it has to deal with the consistency regarding the officiating. There may be times that a 3rd party dispassionate view of things may be warranted. Goals are a good example. Either it crossed the line and was between the posts and under the crossbar - or it wasn't. There is no gray here - only black and white.

Beyond that, sorry folks, is gray, and should not be up for debate by anyone except those inside the field. Why you may ask? Well my answer is both simple and complex all at the same time.

They are the only ones who can truly feel what is going on at any time and need the freedom to manage that emotion how they see fit.

For any referee who thinks it's all about "the rules" ... think again.

Upgrade Kudos

Congratulations to the following Massachusetts referees for their significant accomplishments to upgrade! May their success continue well into the future.

Nabil Benchekroun, Tyngsboro, Grade 6

Leonard David, Malden, Grade 7

Andrew Rogers, Somerville, Grade 7

Mark Stern, Somerville, Grade 7

There's Rule #95 Again

Not all that long ago I spoke about referees not violating Rule #95 to Never Lift Your Bike Over Your Head. This was in reference to a call that two NFL officials openly celebrated during play and were incorrectly chastised for it.

This time however, the NFL official who foolishly chose to lift his bike over his head has earned the ridicule he is getting for it. Enter Mark Baltz.

Photo Courtesy LarryBrownSports.com

Mr. Baltz recently went onto a sports program and stated how he was always suspicious of Jim McNally, one of the locker room attendants related to #deflategate. He continued by saying that he visited New England 10 - 15 times and the conduct was so strange he reported same to the NFL.

Now the reality is very different than the story shared by Mr. Baltz where he was apparently in New England (3) times for a Brady game and there was no report filed to the NFL, per the NFL themselves.

So what the heck is going on here?

Constructed in a way most favorable to Mr. Baltz, maybe he just forgot how many times he was in New England ... heck I have lost count with the number of times I have been in particular stadiums.

The report to the NFL? Maybe he legitimately told someone and expected it to be filed. I could almost see that in some cases.

That said, while these may be a stretch, one thing is not, that Mr. Baltz intentionally put himself in the "line of fire" by agreeing to answer any questions of the type in the first place and detail his experiences for no other reason than to fan the flames of a recent controversy.

In short, he wanted his 15 minutes of fame and he lifted his bike over his head.

Only problem is, he has either been caught lying through his teeth or was so out of touch with the facts as to be not believable. I am not sure which, and I am not asking either.

Please, lets leave the playing to the players. If Mr. Baltz did indeed have questions or concerns, leave it between the referee and the league. Why is there a need to "tell all" in a hyped story?

Ultimately it has disgraced him and the craft we all share.

Your 15 minutes are up sir, please exit the stage now.

An Ode To Bear

An Ode To Bear

Ursus Arctos is an odd name for a Canis.

Then again so is Australian for a dog from Spain.

This dog can run from Maine to the Alleghenies,

and not even break a sweat in snow, sun, or rain.

Loving and gentle as any knowing thing could ever be.

Wisdom for so few years locked behind brown eyes and smile.

Fierce as any warrior for his friends, he would die to save them.

Sadly he had to leave us before his time, of that we must agree.

A new chapter awaits to let him run mile, after mile, after mile,

to show the world and those fools who spurned him he is a gem.

Kicking Back Comments:
The world is a little bit darker today for my family and I as we see one of our own move onto the next challenge in his life. He will thrive as he always has. Caring and fierce to serve those who love him. So many lessons he taught in such a short time. May he teach his next home too.

More arrests for FIFA

U.S. Attorney General Expects More FIFA Arrests, Maybe Even Sepp Blatter's

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Monday that she anticipated “pursuing additional charges against individuals and entities” in the government’s ongoing probe into corruption within FIFA and soccer more generally.

Lynch made the statement at a joint news conference with Swiss authorities in Zurich, where she touted the breadth of the investigation as well as the cooperation with other authorities ...

See the whole article, linked above, courtesy of Deadspin.

Kicking Back Comments: I gotta say, seeing Sepp paraded out in his jammies in the early morning Swiss hours would be kind of great.

He is already afraid to come to the US and Canada ... and with the Swiss probe on (take note of the location of the news conference) we may see this sooner than later.

Heck ... what am I going to write about when he is jailed?

It was hilarious until 1:20

So I caught this truly funny mock presser from a FIFA 16 match courtesy of Metro. You can see it below too.

It is a hilarious concept and was done fairly well, until 1:20 when the "manager" called the "referee" a racist.

Now before everyone starts screaming at me that it was all in jest, I get it. It was all in jest. There are some things that just aren't funny though and accusing a referee (or anyone) of racism just is not funny. Sorry.

Just to be fair I would be reacting the same way if this was something that had occurred between "players" as we see is typically the case in real life. So here we don't even have art imitating life.

It's not funny.

You want to say the referee was crap or gave a penalty that they shouldn't ... great. That's funny ... it's a computer program.

But claims about racism ... not funny.

Honestly though, if you exclude that 10 seconds of video, it is truly brilliant. For me, they *just* missed on this one.

Oh it's on now Mexico ...

... and if the US plays like it did again Brazil ... we are done for.

Never Forget

Photon Credit: Telegraph/Reuters/Lucas Jackson

On second thought ... #deflategate is a pretty big stain ...

Take a look at the #deflategate decision here, courtesy of the Boston Globe.

For those even casually acquainted with legal circles a few things shown through.

First, Tom Brady was not suddenly declared "innocent" (this was not a criminal trial anyway), the process used to determine his punishment was fatally defective, nothing more.

Second, that process was so poorly handled it defied "fundamental fairness" and let me say that you really have to screw up to miss that bar given the CBA in place at the NFL. While not expressly stated it seems clear these were not a series of mistakes. If they were ... wow ... just wow.

Third, Judge Berman's decision was akin to an AMRAAM attack on an anthill. It was a complete and utter evisceration of many of the principles in the CBA regarding punishment for players. In short, the NFL is going to have to fundamentally change directions on how they handle same. With this decision, the NFL should be on notice. This will serve as a negative to legitimate wrong doers as well, who will use the defective process to skirt appropriate punishment. That too is just as bad as using poor process on an individual who does not deserve it.

Finally, the NFL has gone after one of its best marketing assets. It has tarnished the image of the "Golden Boy of Football." Tom Brady is an ambassador for the NFL and has worked hard at that image. For the league to pursue the cause to begin with and continue it until this point (I believe they will withdraw the appeal ... and the fact they did not ask for a stay was telling too) seems completely opposite of the goals of the league which are to (a) make as much money as possible and (b) appear a wholesome lot while doing so.

Tom Brady allowed both, and the NFL in their infinite wisdom just $h!t all over him.

You think #deflategate is a "stain" on the NFL ... wait for this ...

What Soccer Referees Should Learn from #Deflategate - Part 5 of 5

For months now we have heard from the NFL and various pundits that the "integrity of the game" was violated in #deflategate as the closer you get to the field of play, the more serious an offense gets.

Let me please add my voice to the few have said this is complete and utter bull crap.

Integrity does not have a proximity setting, it does not bound itself by space or time, nor scenario. Situational integrity is an utter fantasy as well. "I had to in this case ... ." Bull crap. It was convenient.

Having integrity can be hard. Doing the right thing no matter what is a grueling exercise that at some point in ones life is bound to fail ... and that's okay ... because its how we learn. I've learned a bunch and am sure I will continue to.

J.C. Watts famously said, "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught."

Look at the state of sport today ... not just the NFL, although that league is a particularly (bad) example (look here for the USA Today arrest database). Players, coaches, management, owners, referees all ... what a mess. You have HOF players giving advice to basically get a "fall guy" for the screw ups you are going to have.

Here's a novel idea ... DO THE RIGHT THING.

Yes, it's hard sometimes.

Yes, it's inconvenient sometimes.

Yes, you may lose out sometimes.

But, you will be better for it.

Now, some may say, well that's great Mr. Goodie Two Shoes, but everyone screws up.

Yes, I agree, and am in the front of the line in that department. In such a case you have to own it. Fully. Completely. Unconditionally. You also have to sincerely apologies for he screw up, not this "I'm sorry if I offended anyone" crap.

Anyone remember Jim Joyce? Here is a reminder, with his response to a screw up from him:

If you ever need an example of owning it and doing the right thing, here it is.

Integrity of the game is a myth ... it is the integrity of the individuals that are involved in the game that counts.

My #protip in this area is BEFORE you give a player a second caution, CHECK TWICE. To accidentally give a player a second caution when they did not earn it has tragic results. I know, because I have done it before. Check before you do, and if you screwed it up, take it back right there. Don't punish a player for something they did not do. Own it. Apologize. Move on.

You will earn the respect of all involved and maintain your integrity in the process.

What Soccer Referees Should Learn from #Deflategate - Part 4 of 5

In thinking about this post, I was recalling this scene from Red Planet, and how true it is.



In the particular scene, the Mars Explorer has crashed and they are an unknown distance from "Hab," their temporary habitat when on the surface of Mars. You have a small team of experts on the surface of Mars to solve this issue. There are others in orbit, and several back on Earth, but the team can't talk to them.

There is one obvious analog here with both #deflategate and our refereeing lives and it is a need to think laterally to solve a given problem and rely on your whole team to do so.

I commented yesterday that it was pretty clear to me the opposing sides on the #deflategate issue each has their own goal which do not overlap, with the exception "to win" for each individual. "Winning" however is in the eyes of the beholder.

As a referee you have to put faith in your team that they are doing their job and are there for the betterment of The Game, The Players, The Team, and themselves, in that order. I think both sides in #deflategate could have used changes to their roster as it also seems clear to me that not everyone is on the same page in what the best interests are and their relative priority. There are more than a couple of actors in that story that are all about "ME."

It can happen in refereeing too, and it is critical to keep a well honed team together for the duration of the match with a clear eye to what is critical ... The Game, The Players, The Team.

As a #protip a referee is empowered to dismiss a teammate under extreme circumstances. This is beyond the more regular practice of adjusting positions to avoid a possible conflict. A dismissal is a very difficult thing to do and requires courage and a clear set of reasoning why it must be done. I have had the unfortunate task of doing so only once in my career, and hope it never happens again. If you have to do this, make sure it is for all the right reasons, and be sure to make a report to the competition authority as to the why and the facts surrounding the dismissal. If at all possible though, work as a team to try to figure it out using every possible problem solving method and knowledge source you have.

What Soccer Referees Should Learn from #Deflategate - Part 3 of 5

All too often this is a lesson folks forget about generally and referees, being human are subject to this as well.

Check your ego at the touchline.

#Deflategate is filled with BIG egos, and it is my opinion that if a few of these folks on both sides get over themselves, a compromise can be reached. Take a look here and here for two opposing examples. Same is true for referees both on and off the field.

In this vein it is critical to remember that The Game belongs to the players, and yes, some of them too have massive egos, but it is incumbent on the referees to see through that (much like the Honorable Richard M. Berman).

Consider the judges role in this contest ... he is sitting between two ego fueled parties, none of which has a common goal among them, except to win (all for different reasons). His Honor is trying nothing more than to get these folks to work with each other to come to a managed solution and do so without exerting his (substantial) power in the process.

Sound familiar?

Yes folks, that's refereeing. It is managing a match to a positive conclusion knowing one party will likely be the losing one.

Judge Berman recognizes that he is not the show. People are not lining up to hear him pontificate about the Natural Gas Law, or how long it takes a typical male to use a bathroom, or if a ball can be deflated in that time.

His Honor is there to broker an agreement between the parties if at all possible and if not, apply the law straight down the middle based on the facts. That's it. He is seasoned enough to check his ego at the robing room because to do otherwise is counterproductive to resolving the issues. Also, frankly it would be unprofessional and undignified ... just as it would for a referee.

Trust me, referees have egos, and there are rare times when they can come out and use it effectively as while the larger egos may not belong to the players, no one is coming to see the referee do their job. Ask Zlatan ... and everyone else watching this match shown below.

This leads me to my #protip for the day (I learned this one the hard way):
It's okay to show a little ego, just don't be a jackass about it because it will backfire.