By Nigel Low


USA’s Clint Dempsey protesting against Koman Coulibaly after the disallowed goal

Mention the names Koman Coulibaly, Jorge Larrionda and Roberto Rosetti to some fans of the World Cup, and you might just be bombarded with a spew of vile expletives.

These referees have no doubt etched their names into the World Cup folklore with questionable decisions in their respective matches that undoubtedly drew the ire of many vociferous fans alike. Yes, many of us have lamented the poor refereeing standards of this World Cup, but please let us take a step back here, shall we?

Some of us watched in utter horror as the appeals for a goal from Frank Lampard’s chipped shot were dismissed. Others cringed as Carlos Tevez pummeled in a shot from a blatantly offside postion against Mexico. Uncle Sam might have turned over his grave when Maurice Edu’s perfectly legitimate goal was ruled out for some shoving in the penalty box.

It might have been the easiest job ever to spot that the ball had bounced across the German goal line, or even point out that there were no infringements in the Slovenia penalty box that justified Coulibaly’s claims. We might even complain that Tevez’s offside goal could be seen from a mile off.

One thing that is clearly evident however is that we are merely fans. Not the FIFA certified men whom officiate. We do not run full-length pitches at a considerable pace for 90 minutes. We do not have to calm fraying tempers, or instill discipline in grown men, or most importantly make decisions that could potentially have dastardly consequences. We are mere fans.

Yes, at the highest level, the highest standards are expected of match officials. But could we be jumping the gun and making them scapegoats before we look at the larger picture?

These high-profile blunders might just indeed be a cry for an ever-increasing need of technology in the game.
Refereeing mistakes of this stature have been all too common in all the editions of the World Cup. The Englishmen might attest to that, with the infamous “Hand of God” scored by Diego Maradona coming to memory. Some still wonder till today if the Geoff Hurst’s “Phantom Goal” had crossed the line or not. What about the farce that we experienced in the 2002 edition in South Korea and Japan? Top nations Italy and Spain were inexplicably eliminated after a string of bad calls.

Mind you, these bad calls might have been avoided totally with the help of technology. Over the years, we have seen the rise of the Hawk-eye technology and television replays in other sports like tennis and rugby.

The recent errors all but confirm one thing; we are to experience all of these once again in every edition of the World Cup until the FIFA hierarchy allows for the introduction of tech aids for the referees.

Ever too often, we hear of referees being dropped from the World Cup after poor performances. Punishments like these albeit necessary to appease all aggrieved parties, are harsh nonetheless to the men.

Especially so, since the FIFA higher-ups meting out justice cannot seemingly be punished themselves for their glaring errors in judgment by repeatedly ignoring calls for improvement in the game.

President Sepp Blatter has finally been moved to progress further with discussions regarding technology in football. For the sake of these poor referees,I hope these talks make headway. We don’t need another buckling under the pressure of a costly error à la Graham Poll.