America's World Cup referee makes his bow in Qatar - Ismail Elfath and his crew will control Portugal against Ghana in Group H. Let's analyse the decisions beneath this post.
Game 15 - Doha (17:00 CET)
PORTUGAL - GHANA
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Kyle Atkins (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Corey Parker (USA)
Fourth Official: Stéphanie Frappart (FRA)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Karen Díaz (MEX)
Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal (USA)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
Offside Video Assistant Referee: Alessandro Giallatini (ITA)
Support Video Assistant Referee: Shaun Evans (AUS)
Standby Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Elvis Noupue (CMR)
Purple kit for Elfath
ReplyDeletePurple only for Ronaldo and Messi 😀
ReplyDeleteOrsato gets Arg v Mex
ReplyDeleteSiebert for Tun v Aust
Marciniak for Fra v Den
Sampaio gets S Arb v Pol
Damn, I predicted Siebert and QAT-SEN and Lahoz in TUN-AUS, they are swapped; I predicted Orsato in FRA-DEN and Marciniak in ARG-MEX, of course they are swapped again :((
DeleteIt would be ridiculous to appoint Orsato now again. When will they appoint Makkelie and the English refs. Pure favoritism
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI wonder why they are holding back Makkelie, Taylor and Oliver. I suspect one of those 3 will be appointed to Germany vs Spain.
Delete@Matei But Marciniak on ARG-MEX was a no-go beforehand right, being the same group as Poland is competing?
DeleteI don't get the need to appoint Orsato or Sampaio before others have had a chance. The 3 Uefa officials and Gassama along with Matonte
DeleteAlso why Martinez as 4th to Siebert for the 5th day in a row is way over the top!!
Delete@Ross, There are enough games, nobody is hold back apart from Kovacs it seems 🙄. I predicted Oliver in KOR-GHA, Taylor in JPN-CRC and Makkelie in ESP-GER.
Delete@Unknown, of course it is. I stupidly forget it.
DeleteIndeed there could show us a significant higher variation for the 4O position especially to give experience to more officials.
DeleteBased on these appointments I would go for tomorrow:
Group E
BELMAR Conger
CROCAN Gassama
Group F
JPNCRC Oliver
GERESP Taylor
No clue what FIFA has planed with Makkelie than...
I think Makkelie is saved for politically most risky match,Usa vs Iran...
DeleteOr Serbia vs Switzerland
DeleteKovacs is 4th official in ARG-MEX. You can find all the appointments here https://twitter.com/fifamedia. (Or from ArbitroInternacional who is usually faster ;) https://twitter.com/ArbitroInteBlog)
DeleteI dont believe this was a correct call to whistle that fast an offensive foul which for me was too easy.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. Defenders fall ist too easy. Big mistake in my opinion. Anyway he should have waited with the whistle.
DeleteGood Elfath act so Far... Correct falta detection on 31' against Portugal.
ReplyDeleteSupportable call, but Elfath should really delay his whistle there just one second to let the goal go in, just in case.
Delete30' Foul called for push off on Ronaldo just before he scores a goal. Very close call but replay shows Ronaldo's forearm extending from his body and pushing Ghana's player down, using his forearm as a weapon and not a tool.
ReplyDeleteWeapon? So you suggest a red card for VC???? Sorry but cant agree.
DeleteHe can't be serious? Either that or doesn't understand Laws of the Game terminology.
DeleteWasnt Felix hit there?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Var stuff?
It's too unorthodox for VAR, but I think we can fairly say the replay doesn't support a foul coming out there. (42nd or 43rd minute)
Delete42' Interesting call: Portugese player (Felix?) slid in front of Ghana's player in Ghana's penalty box, only to get kicked in the leg, but replay showed he touched the ball first, so could have actually been VAR for possible foul and penalty kick against Ghana, but call went the other way.
ReplyDeleteJust saw the replay. Elfath should have awarded Portugal a penalty kick. Felix touches the ball first and then Ghana's defender visibly kicks his leg to bring him down. Elfath calling sanction against Portugal is quite a blunder. Armando VIllarreal should have intervened. Crucial mistake.
DeleteMarciniak in fraden
ReplyDeleteMinute 42 Felix clearly got the ball fair and then got kicked on the leg. Clear penalty but foul was called against him.
ReplyDeleteNo clear pk at all, saw that as a wrong foul call against Felix - and thats it.
DeleteDisagree. Elfath had precision on this: the Gana's player was preparing kicking when Felix kick the ball First. Nothing more.
DeleteIf Felix takes the ball first and then gets kicked, which brings him down, there's no room for doubt whatsoever. It is a glaringly obvious penalty kick. A textbook case of PK. Crucial mistake tarnishing Elfath's performance.
DeletePk for foul on Felix? The Portuguese player takes the ball in the first place and then is brought down by the defender. VAR intervention mandatory in my book.
ReplyDeleteNot really talked much about on the blog and one would think every referee at the higher levels would have the basics of loud whistles and strong hand signals mastered, but even though not all do, Elfath does seen to have it down, which goes a little (if not long) way towards gaining players' confidence. Ghana's very physical style of defence, pressuring Portugal's players with contact on almost every play, is my favorite as both a spectator and referee, requiring a high but fine line of knowing when that contact is too much. And FIFA does have its World Cup assigning hands full now, as the development of the game in many countries means more parity in international football and the need for more top quality officials in tournaments like these. Also, what happened to the Confederations Cup?
ReplyDeleteShort calendary for Confederations Cup. Better then (it was boring as expectator, but an experiment for new referees)
DeleteElfath should have awarded Portugal a penalty kick. Felix touches the ball first and then Ghana's defender visibly kicks his leg to bring him down. Elfath calling sanction against Portugal is quite a blunder. Armando VIllarreal should have helped his compatriot and invited him to OFR.
ReplyDeleteCrucial mistake.
Amazing that Ronaldo who was two yards away didn't even bother to ask. In fact not a single Portugal player even considered dissenting.
DeleteYes, someone above wrote that Felix simply got in the way of the player from Ghana's kicking motion, which is true, but this is most often ruled against the kicker. See https://youtu.be/ddSLi0pQ6vA?t=96 for example, and I was trying to find clip of famous and similar foul against Messi not initially called by Cakir, possibly one of several things that led to him falling out of favor. I actually prefer a no call in these situations, as I feel that a player should have the freedom to try to kick the ball, especially in times when they aren't aware of a someone coming in between their kick and the ball, but the precedent has been set to award the foul to the kicker.
DeleteAward the foul to the person getting kicked, the last sentence should read.
DeleteLaw 5 Commenter, with all due respect, that line is laughable. So, have football rules changed overnight? When an attacker takes the ball first, has his leg kicked by the defender, it is a textbook case of Pk.
Delete"I feel that a player should have the freedom to try to kick the ball, especially in times when they aren't aware of a someone coming in between their kick and the ball". Are you aware of what you just wrote? So, from now on, defenders should be free to kick everything in their way, even if it's an attacker's leg? Sorry, that sounds ludicrous. You are rewriting the rules of football. I believe this incident will stir controversy to say the least
I know it would be harsh,but Imo,2 YC's were needed for GHa #26,head to head is something unaccaptable,not brave enough ref.
ReplyDeleteOne yellow for Felix and clear red for Ghana. That's a clear excessive headbutt attempt.
DeleteYellow to Seidu for foul,and 2 yellows for Felix and Seidu for their behaviour.
DeleteElfath has now totally lost control. Missed a flagrant penalty kick in 1st half - Villarreal also to blame for not jumping in - and now Ghana #26 should have been sent off.
DeleteThat is something that UEFA refs would not miss,we can all remember some examples,I can remember Brych and game Napoli vs Barca.
DeleteVidal makes fouls,gets head to head with Rui and Brych pulls one yc for foul and one for headbutt.
Now penalty,soft,but correct imo.
ReplyDeleteI hope Elfath reverses his decision after OFR.
ReplyDeleteVery soft PK IMO.
ReplyDeleteThis penalty is a scandal!
ReplyDeleteSCANDAL!!! The most famous diver of all time C. Ronaldo! If this is penalty, then we would have 20 penalties every match!
ReplyDeleteCheateriano Ronaldo ...
DeleteNot his fault that penalty was called, he's not the one who makes the call.
DeleteDiver. Please Nole, stop crying all the time.
DeleteOh my God ... what weak penalty ...
ReplyDeleteWrong PK IMO
ReplyDeleteWeakest performance so far during this tournament. Missed yellow cards, very soft, if not wrong penalty now, erratic gestures.
ReplyDeleteFunny PK. INCREDIBLE!!!
ReplyDeleteHow this was a PK?? How....
ReplyDeleteSmall contact on the leg but yeah. That should not be a penalty.
DeleteContact was after the defender played the ball
DeleteWhile Elfath's optics are that of a quality referee, his decisions, alas, are not.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with penalty kick calls is that some people say they want a penalty kick call only to be for hard fouls, but then "normal" fouls go uncalled within the penalty box. A more precise argument would be for penalty calls to be clear and undisputed fouls so that is no gray area for questioning, "Was it a foul?" or "Was it a dive," whereas in this situation, the apparent foul isn't very clear.
ReplyDeleteCompared to Felix's incident in 1st half, this penalty kick is a joke. Elfath knows deep down he missed an obvious penalty in 1st half, that blunder clerly got trapped in his subconscious mind and now he just compensated for his previous mistake. Disastrous dispaly.
ReplyDeleteThis is what we call a soft penalty, Mr. Elfath!
ReplyDeleteIf these 2 refs are the best from the USA, then they have very big problem out there!
ReplyDeleteNot PK...Ghana's player kick the ball. Strongest Elfath's failure that probably will define your Future presence in this WC
ReplyDeleteIt will define Gana's future. He will be ok. What a scandalous decision... What we can expect tonight from Neymar then?
DeleteNeymar??? As expectator I say at least 3 goals!!! As referee, a particular rolling and falling spetacle
DeleteI write at the heat of the moment but this is unnaceptable. I know FIFA needs to please its members and appoint referees from all continents but it's no coincidence that weakest performances keep coming from smaller/non traditional leagues. I don't know how else to put it.
ReplyDeleteStop those false and poisoned arguments. Must I really remind you about catastrophic performances caused by European and South American refs in past tournaments???
DeleteYes, I love the fact that FIFA is open to choosing referees from around the world, but it just doesn't always lead to the best refereeing (missed pk call in Belgium v. Brazil in last cup that possibly changed entire outcome of the tournament). Why doesn't FIFA choose the best referees regardless of confederation, even if that means mostly European referees? The players and fans want the best referees, not an international cast.
DeleteMy comment refers only to his tournament so far. I hope things change for the better.
DeleteRidicolous. After he should have accepted Ronaldo's goalin 1st half, now he decides for a compensation pk. And condidering the missing 2ndYC for Seidu and missing YC fir Felix, this evening with Elfath has turned into a complete nightmare. His first match will be his lastone, I hope. Worst performance in Qatar so far.
ReplyDeleteHow is Elfath brave enough to whistle soft penalty like that but nit brave enough to show deserved RC to Ghana player minutes earlier.
ReplyDeleteThis penalty is not soft but just wrong… I really can‘t understand why you reward such a blatant dive (not technically as there was „contact“) If we call penalties like that we encorage strikers to go down if they feel the slightest touch of a defender. Hopefully FIFA sees this the same way and - unfortunately for him since I like him - won‘t appoint Elfath again.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my rather strong words. Of course nothing personally against the referees themselves!
DeleteMaybe not in UEFA, but under FIFA VAR doctrine I genuinely expected this one to be sent to OFR.
ReplyDeleteElfath and Sikazwe...Those names I dont want to see at this WC again!!!
ReplyDeleteWow I thought Sikazwe was bad, this guy is on another level. One way ticket back to the US after this methinks
ReplyDeleteVery good the AA2 in the two last goals of Portugal
ReplyDeleteScandalous.
ReplyDeletePredictions for a woman getting a referee position? I think after the perhaps unexpected outcomes/atmospheres of many matches, Collina won't risk it.
ReplyDeleteI think the CAM-BRA (as long as Brazil does what they have to do and Cameroon loses vs SRB) would be perfect for Frappart, with Diaz Medina and Nesbitt as assistants and Yamashita as 4OF.
DeleteELBOW TO THE FACE,he was right there,not even foul!??!?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteElbow to the face?!!??!?!
ReplyDeleteElfath has missed a flagrant penalty kick in 1st half for foul on Felix - Villarreal also to blame for not jumping in - and has decided to compensate for his previous mistake. Not acceptable. When a referee does this, he has totally lost control of the game.
ReplyDeleteIMO FIFA and UEFA don't like to see "very soft penalties". But in case of a "very soft penalty" there is a minimal contact between the players.
ReplyDeleteBUT in this case we have a duell between Ronaldo and the Ghana defneder and there is just no contact to justify the call. No contact at the shoulders, no contact in the feets nor in the knees.
This referee is just bad prepared. Ronaldo is definitly one of the greatest players of all time but we all know that when the result is not for him he tries to get soft penalties.
Elfath should have known that. Besides that his disciplinary sanctions are weak and does not run at all. The only option for FIFA is to reject this performance!
+1
Delete“Does not run”? We must have watched different games!
DeleteAR2 had a few great calls, it's too bad that Elfath is no match for the game.
ReplyDeleteWe can say what we want,but he handled Danilo/Inaki situation perfectly.
ReplyDelete+1. It's a pity for the wrong PK.
DeleteWell if he had just whistled the foul earlier it would have been probably easier. But after it happened well handled.
DeleteElfath missed a flagrant penalty kick in 1st half for foul on Felix- Villarreal also to blame for not jumping in - and then compensates for his previous mistake with a soft penalty. When a ref comes to this point, he's totally lost control of the game.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the replay of the penalty, I saw Elfath's view clearly blocked. He seemed to only whistle when he saw Ronaldo go to ground once his view was released. I doubt strongly that he saw the full sequence of the incident.
ReplyDeleteOverall Elfath was well on 1st HT, but on 2nd had bad decisions, specially about Portugal PK, a lot of fouls with correct YC applications and their serenity and calm compensate the players nervosism that almost makes he loose of match control
ReplyDeleteI think we can say for sure this has been by far the most challenging fame of the world cup so far. Two generally poorly-behaved teams and some KMIs to boot. 3-2 scoreline and almost 3-3, wow.
ReplyDeleteHis man management has been so, so good. The match has teetered on the edge of exploding into bad behavior, and it would have happened to most other referees. For example, watch the incident at 90', but there are about a dozen more incidents i could point to too.
Ultimately your assessment of the game hinges on the two KMIs: The 31' foul to disallow the goal, and the penalty kick. For both, it's worth noting that in the first half Elfath established a fairly low bar for a foul. The 31' foul is surely in line with this, though it would definitely be preferable for him to delay the whistle just until the shot went in, just to be safe...
As for the penalty kick, I want to watch it again before forming an OPINION, but in terms of FACT it must be established that the attacker (and not the defender) kicked the ball, and then there is contact between the defender's foot and the attacker's. That much is clear from the final replay shown on the broadcast. I think a lot of commenters here are not basing their opinions off of wrong facts here.
One more point, the play and behavior of both of these teams was SO familiar to those who watch Concacaf. From the penalty onwards, Elfath looked like he was having so much fun, he was so confident, totally in his element.
I will reply later when I get to watch the penalty incident again with my opinion on that. Take away the KMIs and this is a GREAT performance by Elfath in a difficult game. But, of course, KMIs are the most important, so we will see.
There's a third KMI which is the headbutt incident. All 3 KMI's weren't solved correctly (should have delayed whistle, no penalty and missed 2YC to Ghana) - he should be going home
DeleteI agree, smala017. His management skills and body language were fantastic (the best so far at this tournament). He managed the hottest moments, in which many top referees would've been in troubles or totally lost control of the game and players, with such ease that you can't praise him enough for this! However, many big calls need to be carefully checked what I am going to do in my analysis (to be posted tonight or tomorrow).
DeleteWatch the PK again, the defender plays the ball with his left foot first and the ball move to the corner flag. Ronaldo never played the ball (and I agree, if he played the ball first this was a PK, but he hasn't).
DeleteYou don't think Ronaldo touched the ball?
DeleteYou are trying to defend undefendable. All the world cup referees are top of the top. But they are only humans in different type of matches and difficult incidents. This blog should be educational specially for the young referees and unfortunately I'm afraid this is not the case. Too much undercover friends from referees and less and less technical stuff and respect towards the best masterclass referees in the world.
DeleteWell Niko, if that’s the case I have some news for you. You need to watch the replay from behind the players again. There is clear foot-to-foot contact, before Ronaldo drags his leg to create (more) contact. Impossible to see from any angle other than behind, but it’s there.
DeleteI’ve watched the relay again a lot. It’s soft, at best. It’s a very difficult situation for Villarreal, because there is some contact… but it sucks that Elfath didn’t get a chance to correct himself here, because I don’t think he’ll be happy with what he sees on the video.
It’s a shame really, because this mistake (as well as the early whistle at 31’) spoils what was some fantastic work in a really challenging game. I hope Elfath gets another match, and we’ll see how it goes from there.
One more ref flying home after MD1
ReplyDeleteAgree
DeleteI am yet to find those who bashed Sikazwe yesterday here. I hope they are alive and well to repeat their vituperations following this poor performance from Elfath. It seems they have found a place to hide
ReplyDeleteWay worse than Elfath's imo...
DeleteI usually see Elfath very often in MLS and in CONCACAF tournaments, and I must say that he did what was expected of him.
ReplyDeleteHe talks and talks endlessly with everyone, he loves physical contact.
He's not a bad referee, and I didn't do a bad job OVERALL.
He didn't whistle some fouls for Portugal and gave the game a lot of fluidity.
The penalty?
Very soft?
Yes. But PK in the end, the defender touches Ronaldo and (in my opinion) it is a penalty.
Elfath missed a flagrant penalty kick in 1st half for foul on Felix- Villarreal also to blame for not jumping in - and then compensates for his previous mistake with a soft penalty. When a ref comes to this point, he's totally lost control of the game.
ReplyDelete(Why is this comment censored???
Not censored, but wrongly marked by blogspot as spam, now published.
DeleteAll right, Chefren. Cheers!
DeleteNot to pile on the already beat-down Elfath. But don't say I didn't warn you guys. Some even chose to ridicule me, but here we stand proven correct.
ReplyDeleteHis style works within MLS and in the dystopian football of CONCACAF. But on the World stage, it's bound to fail. Today Elfath was an "Actor" on the pitch. The optics to the untrained eye looked great. But the actual refereeing part, was a failure, definitely not Oscar-worthy for the "Actor".
Just checked the incidents, minute 42' penalty to be whistled. Portugal player is on the ball, and he is kicked by opponent, late in hia action. Nevertheless, the fact that the fouled player was lying down, makes the foul a bit "hidden" and in such circumstances veru often we didn't see an intervention...
ReplyDeleteAbout the penalty given, nothing to add if not a VAR intervention was expected to remove it. Almost nothing, the most significant contact happens with Cristiano Ronaldo already falling down, all before is a simulation.
Looks like Elfath wont get any other game after this, too blatant mistakes...
I'm going to look at both situations as VAR would have to. The decisions must be clear and obvious errors.
ReplyDelete42' - The standard for contact to be an offence is careless. This requires some awareness on the player committing the action that there is an opponent nearby. In this case, the attacker lunges themselves in front of a defender already in a kicking motion. The defender attempts to pull back but still kicks them. It can easily be argued that the Portuguese player (despite playing the ball) gets himself kicked. Not clearly careless. Not a clear and obvious error.
Penalty. No angle I have seen shows the defender conclusively touching the ball. Ronaldo's foot is there first. The defender initiates what is generally considered normal contact with the attacker. The attacker feels this and falls, but it can be argued that they are in full stride/reach and not a lot of contact would be needed for the attacker to fall. For me, not enough for a penalty, but once given, there's also not enough to conclude that it's a clear and obvious error.
The whole situation in the 90th minute sums up Elfath for me. The way he chose to manage the situation was "look at me, I want to be the center of attention". I may not get all the decisions correct, but as long as I look good getting things wrong. I'll be able to get by solely based on that. Hopefully, PLC can see through the smokescreen and not fall for the optics and good acting.
ReplyDeleteFrom our friends over at Arbito Internacional
ReplyDelete"Elfath had the most demanding match of the World Cup so far, but unfortunately his performance generated more doubts than certainties. The control of the game was not optimal, he walked at times along the ledge and caused a general nervousness in the game that made his work difficult. In the same way, his foul detection was not constant, which led to conflicts between his decisions. As for the key plays, the goal disallowed against Portugal due to a foul in the first half does not match the line he played. The penalty is a play where if there is contact it does not seem to be enough to signal an infraction. In the same way, the dispute between two players that ended in a headbutt from the Ghanaian number 26 had to be punished with a Red Card. In the end, the performance lacks too much in a referee who we hoped would show the good performances of the past. If FIFA gives him a second game, they should choose it very carefully after today.
I love that comment above: 42' - "The standard for contact to be an offence is careless. This requires some awareness on the player committing the action that there is an opponent nearby. In this case, the attacker lunges themselves in front of a defender already in a kicking motion. The defender attempts to pull back but still kicks them. It can easily be argued that the Portuguese player (despite playing the ball) gets himself kicked."
ReplyDeleteWhy if a player throws himself on the ground to head the ball and then gets his head kicked, it is called dangerous play on that player, but if a player throws himself in front of a kicker already in the kicking motion or about to kick and then gets kicked, that player should get a penalty kick awarded in his favor? The discrepancy is apparent, and rules are meant to protect players, but awarding a foul in favor of the person getting kicked only encourage dangerous behavior. And as someone wrote above about this thought rewriting the rulebook, most of modern refereeing is based on interpretations, not the rules themselves, as the handling rule is now interpretated so widely as be almost opposite the rule's intention.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis
ReplyDeleteKey Match Incidents:
10’ - Penalty area incident: goalkeeper’s challenge. Although CMR goalkeeper doesn’t play the ball but is rather hit by the ball kicked by 7POR, the afterwards collision is natural and 7POR wouldn’t have been able to reach the ball anymore as he was falling down before. Goal kick correctly awarded.
31’ - Not delayed defensive FK decision. 7POR fights for the ball with 23GHA in the penalty area but commits a little push. Elfath immediately awarded a defensive FK to Ghana although 7POR found himself in an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The FK decision is fully correct or at least supportable - the push is too blatant to be ignored, in my opinion - but in such an immediate and obvious GSO scenario the optimal solution should be delaying the whistle. However, contrary to offsides, it’s not so easy to delay a defensive FK decision if a referee is 100% sure an offence occurred.
42’ - Penalty area incident: kicking. 26GHA wants to clear the ball and starts to make a kicking movement while 11POR performs a sliding tackle by which he slightly plays the ball before an opponent. As a result, the kick lands on 11POR’s calf. Elfath awards a phantom defensive free kick for a foul that has no place. Technically, it should have been a penalty kick for a careless kick awarded to Portugal. There are some other aspects though. At first, we should consider 7POR’s position at an initial pass (https://snipboard.io/Zl8Mk0.jpg) - was he in an offside position? if yes, was he active? We won’t know as the broadcaster didn’t show a replay from an offside camera. But even if, VAR Armando Villarreal should invite his countryman to review the incident. The other aspect, that shouldn’t be too important though, is that, immediately after 11POR had been kicked by an opponent, the ball would have reached 7POR who was offside. So, a complex scene but taking into account the phantom FK given by Elfath, an on-field review should have been called by Armando Villarreal. Crucial match error.
57’ - Possible second YC. 26GHA is rightly cautioned for another late challenge (after one at 52’) but he blames 11POR for exaggerating the contact (not that he was wrong here) and both players perform a minor headbutt without the real impact on an opponent. Elfath opted for managing both players instead of going by the book and issuing a YC to 11POR and 2YC to 26GHA. The consistency of disciplinary control was already non-existent at this moment, so suddenly going by the book would perhaps have been considered as unfair by the Ghanaians. We also don’t know if there’s an instruction to keep 22 players on the field like in almost all big tournaments. Nonetheless, it still remains a mistake (clear match error) technically...
63’ - Penalty kick for kicking. The ball is passed into Ghana's penalty area where 7POR and 4GHA challenge for the ball. Both extend their legs in order to reach the ball but the Portuguese is quicker by a fraction of a second. As a result, 4GHA slightly kicks his opponent in the foot. 7POR uses this contact to fall down and he does it in time so he can’t be officially accused of simulation. As VAR’s role is not to change one controversy into another (Portugueses would complain if the penalty had been taken back after possible OFR), Armando Villarreal was right to support the call.
75’, 80’ - Two Portugal’s goals scored after excellent onside calls by AR2, Corey Parker. Well done!
Overview:
DeleteWhat has to be said is that Brian Hall - apart from demanding refereeing games (almost) without issuing cards - did an excellent job with regards to developing referees’ body language and soft skills. We could’ve admired Iván Barton’s management during GERJPN and athletic Ismail Elfath was surely not worse in PORGHA in this aspect!
Absolutely brilliant warnings after late challenge (03’) and dissenting behaviour with the ball in play (08’), early showing everyone who is in charge. How he managed players after no-penalty call (42’), at conflict (57’), after awarding a controversial penalty kick (63’) or at mass-confrontation at 90’ was unbelievable - every (even, or especially, top) referee should watch it! Another good moments at 27’ (hurrying up Ghana’s goalkeeper), 54’ (management of players after some complaints), 73’, 87’ (managing substitutions), 90+3’ (dealing with time-wasting) and 90+7’ (solving a conflict).
However, the disciplinary control was not at the same level as masterclass body language and managerial skills. Rather contrary. Although the opening verbal warning to 17GHA after a late challenge in the third minute of the game was excellent, this line was not continued afterwards and Ghanaians were simply allowed to foul their opponents too many times (11’, 20’, 29’, 34’, 43’) before, finally, a yellow card came for a very reckless studs-up challenge at 45’.
The second half started from a missed caution to 25POR after SPA holding at 48’ and a correct but inconsistent YC to 10GHA for a reckless kick one minute later. No reaction after another two fouls of 17GHA and 26GHA followed at 52’. 26GHA was booked five minutes later for persistent infringement of the LotG but after a subsequent conflict involving head clash with 11POR he should’ve been off for a second yellow card (and 11POR cautioned as well).
Unbelievable no card to 15POR for LoR holding at 82’ led to a wild dissent by Ghana’s coach (also Stéphanie Frappart was furiously confronted by him). As well as another strong holding by 8POR that finally saw a deserved caution. How Ghana's coach was not sanctioned after his outbursts is a mystery though…
In the meantime, we experienced an excellently solved mass-confrontation that ended up with two deserved bookings. One should ask if such hot moments could have been avoided by consistent disciplinary control though. The Moroccan-born American failed to care for the safety of Portuguese players by allowing too many fouls from their opponents but also managed to upset Ghana players and staff by not issuing mandatory cautions to Iberians.
Having a great body language and soft skills should be an added and welcome value in a referee’s toolbox but it never should replace applying the LotG and keeping a consistent disciplinary control like it was in Elfath’s case. Brian Hall’s vision of refereeing came to life once again in this game and it should be obvious that even the best ACTOR (like Elfath) is not equal to the best REFEREE.
Marks:
Ismail Elfath - 4
Kyle Atkins - 7
Corey Parker - 8
Armando Villarreal - II