Busacca: "Referees must be clever”

- Being the head of referees for the FIFA World Cup made you happy?

- It is a completely different task compared to the past, when I was a referee myself and was able to concentrate on the two or three games I got in a tournament. Now I had the role of a trainer, a coach. I worked for the referees, not for me. Every day I was busy with various scenes that occurred in a game, and yes, I was tense, because I wanted us to deliver the best possible services. 

- Were your expectations met? 

- At the end I was proud because I knew that the three years of preparation for the World Cup were not in vain, even if there were certain errors. But that cannot be avoided in 64 games. 

- Were you able to relax and enjoy the World Cup Final? 

- I tried it. Until an Argentinian goal was canceled due to offside and my heart was beating like crazy. Imagine if that would have been a mistake! We would have been broken, I cannot express it differently. During the second half, I left my place several times in the stadium, because I needed a TV to watch replays after some contentious moments. 

- Have you lived in Brazil with the constant fear of serious wrong decisions? 

- I was enormously tense. That is the life of the coach of a referee team but, in any case, no one laughed on the sidelines. There is too much at stake to have fun as a direct participant can. Who goes home earlier than expected will be received unfriendly by the whole nation, sometimes with scorn and derision. Nobody wants that. And if we make a blunder as referees, we have not only a country against us, but the whole world. In spite of that, I could still sleep peacefully, because I knew that I had made big efforts in preparing everything.

- Why are not selected the best referees from the best leagues for the World Cup? 

- Firstly, we had the best referees in the world. Secondly, it would be a lack of respect for other confederations if all referees must come from the major European or South American leagues. 

- What performances did you expect from your team at this tournament? 

- Good to very good. 

- But what happened in the opening game, when Fred pulled out a debatable penalty? 

- Yes, it was a debatable decision. There was a contact with the hand of a Croatian player on the upper body of Fred. The referee saw that, but he could not see the impossible, which forced him to act at the moment. 

- So you say that it was no obvious wrong decision?

- Yes. If the hand would not have been up there, we need not to discuss. But it was there, so I cannot blame the referee. There are situations that are black and white, and then there are situations that are not so clear. The opening match was the case. I have not criticized the referee after his decision, but supported it because there were arguments. 

- Discussions sparked the two goals of Mexico against Cameroon, which were cancelled because of alleged offside. What did you say to the referee in the analysis? 

- Even if we are only talking about centimeters, it was not correct. I could not say anything else to him but: if in doubt, it has to be decided for the attacker. That worked at this World Cup usually very good, because of the work done by my employee Manuel Navarro (former FIFA AR) with the assistants for three years. Now, concerning this one game, Mexico won. Fortunately! For me it's divine assistance, not happiness. I told the referee that it would be good if they would pray more in the morning because we, as humans, eventually reach the limits.

- Not a single team went home because of the wrong decision of a referee? 

- No. You can always discuss individual errors, but there was no scandal, not a single one. 

- At least the Brazilians shouted once, as Neymar was seriously injured in the quarter-finals by the Colombian Zuniga and the tournament ended for him. 

- It was an unfortunate situation. You can discuss a yellow card, but no more than that. 

- There were many different opinions and some said that a red card would have been mandatory. 

- As it happened, nobody could have said that for sure. And the players went on. 

- After you had seen the foul more than once, you still do not consider it as a red card? 

- No. The TV experts express themselves differently, according to their cause and their job. It is easy to imagine the camera with a microphone and judging. 

- Former World Cup referee and currently TV expert Urs Meier criticized FIFA, saying that referees lacked a clear line at this World Cup. 

- He saw it that way. I see it differently. Nowadays, the referees must show tact; they must be able to read the game. 80 or 85% can, but there are a few who are still working on it. The majority of the 1930 decisions taken by referees were correct. And this is impressive. If an expert has so many solutions for the refereeing, why is he working for the television and not for the referees? I take my responsibility seriously. 

- Also in the final, when Manuel Neuer rushed out of the goal and hit Gonzalo Higuain… No Penalty? No red? 

- Never. Firstly, the ball was played clear. Then there was an unavoidable normal body contact. It was a natural movement of the goalkeeper. 

- What was the bite of Luis Suarez against Giorgio Chiellini for you? Assault? 

- I did not quite see the bite even after three or four days. At first, I thought Suarez had pitched only with the teeth. The TV images allow for a different conclusion, but one thing is clear: the referee had no chance to see that on the pitch. 

- The Mexicans complained about the referee who evaluated the intervention of Rafael Marquez against Arjen Robben as a foul leading to an important penalty kick.

- And rightly so. And in injury time! It was a foul. 

- But Robben fell theatrically. 

- That was not necessary. 

- How much criticism do you accept? 

- I can handle it as long as it is constructive. My father always told me: "Forget about the polemic; ensure that you do your job well". 

- Why did you emphasize the importance of prevention in your work? 

- It is important in any job. We must anticipate, act; not just react. We, referees, are small, so small compared to the players. That means we have to be clever - not willing to compromise, clever. 

- Did the prevention work at the World Cup? 

- A few complaints, few unsporting conducts, only a warning for simulation, no card for exaggerated goal celebrations. There were situations where a referee could have cautioned a player strictly by the rule book, but he refused. Why? Because he felt that it was not necessary at that moment. Of course, that did not always work and we can still improve, for sure. 

- In what way? 

- Before the World Cup I was convinced that everyone has understood the ideas and plans I have, as the requirements are. But I made the experience that will be better in the future to work individually with referees not only in groups. In the second part of the World Cup we already did that. I chatted with referees on game days, looked at them, told them what to expect, especially with regards to tactical alignments of the teams. 

- Should FIFA inform the public better to promote understanding? 

- Yes. On the other hand, we must also be honest: the referee is shown interest only when mistakes are made. Do we get praised when we take the correct decisions, no matter how difficult it was to see? 

- That is the life of the referee. 

- I know. Nevertheless, I would hope that the referees will be praised, same as with the players.

- In Brazil, the referee had first aid. There was a spray for the free kicks and there was the goal-line technology.

- The investments have paid off. Let's just take the spray: We had not a single yellow card because a player has not complied with the distance. And the goal-line twice saved our lives in France - Honduras and especially the goal by Bryan Ruiz of Costa Rica against Italy. 

- Is it for this reason why there is not enough technology in football? 

- There are already limits, especially in regards to fouls. Take the penalty in Brazil - Croatia. The game is stopped, the referee goes to the line, consult the TV images. What does he see more than before? He cannot figure out whether the Croatian player has not drawn against the Brazilians from the pictures. The problem is not resolved. But for offside I can imagine the use of an auxiliary tool, similar to the goal-line technology. 

- Why for offside? 

- Because we just do not want to risk in a World Cup that a team is eliminated due to an incorrect offside decision. That would be disastrous. Therefore, it might be worth considering the technology even for offside.

Source: Tages-Anzeiger

Vitulano injured and replaced by Kulcsar

Italian referee Carina Vitulano suffered a knee injury in mid-sprint just a few minutes after kick-off between Ghana and Korea DPR, during the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. After falling to the ground, Vitulano held the back of her knee while grimacing as fans looked on in shock. She was attended to by medical staff before eventually hobbling off. She attempted to run back onto the pitch before the same lower-body injury caused her to fall to the ground again.

Luckily for FIFA, Canada was set to meet Finland at the conclusion of North Korea’s eventual 3-0 win over Ghana, meaning there were plenty of FIFA officials at the stadium. The Toronto crowd consoled the 39-year-old by applauding her as she was stretchered off the pitch, before fourth official Katalin Kulcsar from Hungary came on in her place. Vitulano most recently refereed at the 2013 UEFA Women’s Euro. Pushing 40, this tournament, considering the injury, might have been her last. 

Source: FIFA / Toronto Sun

Blatter: No age limits for referees

Englishman George Reader oversaw the crucial final match of the 1950 World Cup between hosts Brazil and Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 53. The best-known Final referee of all time, Gottfried Dienst (photo), was almost 47 when he awarded the famous ’Wembley goal’ to England in the 1966 decider. There were no age limits for referees back then, and it was only later that FIFA introduced a limit of 50. When several decisions came under scrutiny after Italy 1990, football’s world governing body opted to lower the upper limit for match officials from 50 to 45, but change is on the horizon.

"There is no compulsory retirement age in football, for players, coaches or all other club staff. The FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo in June voted down age restrictions and limits on terms of office by a large majority. Referees can also benefit from these significant freedoms. For the time being they are obliged to lay down their whistles in international football at the age of 45. This regulation is in stark contradiction of competitive principles, because performance must take precedence over age in all cases. The modern referee is a sportsman – a mentally and physically trained athlete. His fitness to practice his trade at the highest level is earned and legitimised by his performance in applying the Laws, and in physical and psychological areas. For especially demanding tasks such as these, practised skill and experience are indispensable qualities. Removing age restrictions would open new horizons in the direction of professionalism. Highly pragmatic considerations have obstructed this path so far. Why would anyone choose a profession which requires him to step down at the age of 45? I think it is high time to extend the resolution made by Congress to referees. This has to be discussed by the Referees Committee", said FIFA President Joseph Blatter.

Source: FIFA Weekly

20,000 signatures for O'Leary to be removed from the World Cup

Assistant referee Mark Rule, from New Zealand, doesn't want to dwell on his mistake at the football World Cup. Rule was on the receiving end of criticism for an incorrect offside call during a match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Nigeria at the World Cup in Brazil in June. Bosnian star striker Edin Dzeko scored to put his side 1-0 up against Nigeria, only for Rule to flag late for offside. Referee Peter O'Leary went with Rule's decision and the goal was disallowed. Replays later indicated Rule was in the wrong. Rule and O'Leary and the other assistant referee, Jan Hintz, copped criticism after Bosnia was knocked out of the tournament as a result of the loss. A petition for O'Leary to be removed from the World Cup received 20,000 signatures. Rule returned to New Zealand before the semifinals, but didn't want to speak about the only game the New Zealand trio got. "I just went back to our hotel and carried on tournament life as normal." The three Kiwis won't be taking holidays to Bosnia any time soon, but the experience hadn't knocked his confidence. "I'm fine, I'll live to fight another day. I did the Newcastle-Phoenix game since returning home the weekend before last and, from a personal point of view, it went really well." Rule and Hintz are two of four New Zealanders on FIFA's panel of senior assistant referees. With their reputation having suffered, Rule was uncertain about what the game would mean for his future officiating at the top level. "You don't know when the tournaments are going to come; I'm not going to guarantee anything". 

Source: Fairfax NZ

Webb: “Players appreciate that refereeing is a difficult job”

Former referee Howard Webb is adamant that a good relationship exists between players and officials at the top of the game. Webb, who took charge of the 2010 World Cup final and officiated at the recent tournament in Brazil, announced this week that he was retiring from refereeing in order to become technical director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited. And the 43-year-old, whose refereeing career lasted 25 years, says he has received numerous messages congratulating him on his new position.

“I got lots of nice messages from all sorts of people within the game following my retirement announcement”, said Webb. “I got messages from people involved in different roles within professional football and that’s pleasing, because it tells me they do value the job that we do. They know you are not always the most popular person and they understand it is a difficult job, it’s something they appreciate. Hopefully, my new role will be to continue sending that message out. The relationship (with players) is really good, and I don't want people to think I'm just saying this, I genuinely mean it. The relationship is positive on the field of play between the officials and the players. Sometimes emotions overspill because what we are involved in is important and matters to people but, by and large, it is a positive relationship, even more so away from that environment of the 90 minutes. We acknowledge mistakes now and again, in the same way a player might apologize to me for bad tackles they have made over the years. The job we do is a tough one but it is an important one and it’s one that, by and large, we are pretty good at”. 

Source: Sky Sports

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2014 – Group Stage (Matches 9-16)

8 August 2014
Ghana – Korea DPR
Referee: Carina Vitulano (ITA, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajova (CZE)
Assistant Referee 2: Chrysoula Kourompylia (GRE)
Fourth official: Katalin Kulcsar (HUN)
Referee Observer: Carlos Alarcon (PAR)

Germany – China
Referee: Quetzalli Alvarado (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Mayte Chavez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Shirley Perello (HON)
Fourth official: Yeimy Martinez (COL)
Referee Observer: Lee Harmon (COK)  

Canada – Finland
Referee: Sachiko Yamagishi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Allyson Flynn (AUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Sarah Ho (AUS)
Fourth official: Therese Neguel (CMR)
Referee Observer: Carlos Alarcon (PAR) 

USA – Brazil
Referee: Kirsi Heikkinen (FIN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tonja Paavola (FIN)
Assistant Referee 2: Anu Jokela (FIN)
Fourth official: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Referee Observer: Lee Harmon (COK) 

9 August 2014
England – Mexico
Referee: Finau Vulivuli (FIJ)
Assistant Referee 1: Jacqueline Stephenson (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Sarah Walker (NZL)
Fourth official: Salome Di Iorio (ARG)
Referee Observer: Michal Listkiewicz (POL)

New Zealand – France
Referee: Therese Sagno (GUI)
Assistant Referee 1: Tempa N’Dah (BEN)
Assistant Referee 2: Trhas Gebreyohanis (ETH)
Fourth official: Carol Anne Chenard (CAN)
Referee Observer: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS) 

Korea – Nigeria
Referee: Margaret Domka (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Veronica Perez (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Marlene Duffy (USA)
Fourth official: Michelle Pye (CAN)
Referee Observer: Michal Listkiewicz (POL) 

Paraguay – Costa Rica
Referee: Bibiana Steinhaus (GER)
Assistant Referee 1: Katrin Rafalski (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Marina Wozniak (GER)
Fourth official: Hyang Ri (PRK)
Referee Observer: Jacqueline Leleu (AUS)

Webb retires early to become Technical Director at PGMOL

Howard Webb has been appointed Technical Director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). In taking up the newly created position brings to an end his distinguished 25-year refereeing career. As Technical Director, Webb will be responsible for overseeing the technical direction and standards that govern the on-field performance of PGMOL’s match officials. He will manage the PGMOL training programme and coaching system and will work extensively on the successful development programme that provides a pathway for referees from Level 3 through to the Select Group. Additionally Webb will take a public-facing role, informing and educating on refereeing matters. Webb will report to PGMOL General Manager Mike Riley and joins his management team.

"I am very excited to start this new chapter in my career after a wonderfully rewarding 25 years on the pitch," Webb said. "I have spent over a decade with the best seat in the house for Barclays Premier League matches, been lucky enough to be involved in nine UEFA and FIFA tournaments, and taken charge of the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup finals. Refereeing has given me so much and it’s important that match officials who have had the rewards remain in the game to pass on their knowledge. I also have much more to learn about the business of refereeing and the best place for me to do that is with PGMOL. It’s an incredibly positive working environment and we all have a common goal of improving refereeing. Over the last five years in particular we have made huge strides in terms of our accuracy, fitness and professionalism. The current Select Group are the best referees this country has ever produced and I am thrilled that I not only get the chance to continue working with them but also the opportunity to help develop the next generation of Select Group officials.”
Riley is pleased that PGMOL will be retaining the knowledge and skills of Webb “the foremost referee of his generation and an inspiration for match officials in this country and around the world” and these will be shared with other officials. "While we will no longer see Howard’s commanding presence on the domestic and international stage, we have an excellent mix of experienced officials and some very talented younger referees in our 17-strong Select Group," Riley said. "We are very excited that Howard’s knowledge and skills are being retained and shared for them and the rest of PGMOL’s officials. The role of PGMOL Technical Director will strengthen refereeing in this country. The game in England does not stand still: clubs are always innovating and looking to improve, and that’s what we are about at PGMOL, too. Last season we trebled the funding for referee coaching and training and we will continue to invest in match officials from the Premier League down to the contributory leagues. We want to accelerate the development of referees from the semi-professional game so that we have an even stronger talent pool to pick from at the Select Group level. There is no one better to lead on that than Howard Webb.”

“Today is a special and sad day because one of the best referees in the world has brought his career to a close. Howard Webb was always serious and prepared for every game in a very professional way”, said Massimo Busacca, FIFA Head of Refereeing. “Without passion and natural quality you can not reach the highest level. Howard was always a great example for every young referee. I am sure he will be able to transmit his knowledge and experience to many referees in England and around the world in his new role. My advice to him? Be like you were on the pitch.”
Speaking to FIFA ahead of the latest World Cup, Webb cast his mind back to the game in Soccer City between Spain and the Netherlands four years earlier. “It was a great honour to be there. It was fantastic. That final completely changed my life. I remember walking towards the pitch, picking up the golden Jabulani ball and going past the World Cup Trophy. It was the shiniest piece of metal I’ve ever seen in my life: a golden statue with a globe on top and a green base. It’s incredible.”
Webb began refereeing in 1989 and progressed through the Northern Counties and Football League to become a Select Group referee in 2003. He has refereed more than 500 Barclays Premier League and Football League matches and officiated in every major domestic final. A FIFA Elite referee Howard has officiated in eight international tournaments, including two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships. In 2010 Webb became the first referee to take charge of the UEFA Champions League Final and the FIFA World Cup Final in the same year. In 2011 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to football.

Source: FIFA / Premier League