KNYSNA, South Africa -- The United States has won the hard-fought battle to the second round of the World Cup, but the competition has left some scratching their heads over controversisal calls by several referees. The 1-0 outcome of yesterday's match with Algeria would not have been such a nail-biter if Maurice Edu's goal was allowed in the previous match. Edu scored for the United States in the 85th minute of their 2-2 draw with Slovenia, denying them a vital win and sparking an outcry in the United States.
The referees have their own competition brackets of sorts: starting with 30 referees representing 28 different countries, refs are chosen to proceed to the next rounds of play depending on the quality of their decisions. In a game with no replays or recalls, a referee has to employ all his senses to make calls on the fly, and there are some understandable challenges.
Despite the challenges, some of the referee errors in the first round have been egregious. In a game played on Monday morning, Switzerland’s Valon Behrami was sent off in the 31st minute of their match against Chile on Monday for violent conduct. Replays show the player falling backwards after going high for a head ball and accidentally catching a Chilean player. French referee Stephane Lannoy also came under fire for sending off Brazil's Kaka against the Ivory Coast, while he allowed Luis Fabiano's second goal to stand despite a clear double handball -- and to add insult to injury, Lannoy was seen laughing with Fabiano after the incident.
Koman Coulibaly, the Malian ref that made the infuriating call against the US in the Slovenia game, has been left off their lists of refs for the next round of World Cup -- though because FIFA unveils referees gradually, Coulibaly won't necessarily be sent home. In 2006, FIFA sent roughly half the referees home following the group stages. FIFA said in a statement that the referee committee has not made a definite decision either way on if it will similarly excuse referees before the knockout rounds.
Referees can have a big impact on the livelihoods of players long after they leave the field. After he was sent off in the 33rd minute for violent play, Nigerian Sani Keita has received over 1000 email death threats. With authorities in the country now warned to protect Keita on his return, some ref-rating blogsasked if referees should take extra information into account when they hand out red cards.
FIFA says the process of selecting referees takes more than three years, and includes watching more than 100 trios within practical training, interactive sessions, and looking at past performances. The refs have to pass theoretical tests in English - which has been the lingua franca for FIFA’s referees for many years – to ensure appropriate knowledge of the Laws of the Game. Refs are paid $50,000 for their time at the Cup. Despite the first round controversy, FIFA's head of referees, Jose-Marcia Garcia-Aranda said Monday that he is satisfied with the referees' overall level.
The US team, ranked 14th in the world, will face Ghana on June 26 to fight for a spot in the quarter-finals.
