This just in, Tony still hates the refs
By: Melissa | July 31st, 2009It may just be me but I do think it’s a bit odd that I’ll watch a WPS game and it’s either completely card free or someone is getting carried off in a stretcher. Is there no middle ground? Am I onto something here? Or rather, is Tony DiCicco onto something? After Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Freedom, DiCicco commented for the second time in public against the refereeing in the league:
“[Jose Carlos Rivero is] over his head. Most of the referees in this league have been over their heads,” DiCicco said. “And they can look the part and play the part but that is just a very, very difficult call in that stage in the game. . . . Not only did he change this game, we have to play two days from now in St. Louis, and he’s reshaped the whole playoff picture. I just feel for my team because they played their hearts out. And they deserved better, they deserved a better center official.”
The call in question can be seen in the first few minutes of the video below. Breakers defender Alex Scott goes in a bit high on a tackle against Sonia Bompastor. Scott immediately gets the red card while Bompastor plays the entire game.
Earlier in the season, DiCicco made similar comments against the refs because of dangerous fouls against his star player, Kelley Smith. He received a fine and was forced to perform community service for his words.
Alex Scott mentions the incident in her blog:
Washington go on the attack, but it breaks down, we have the ball in the back passing it around for a sec, the ball comes to me……. i have space to drive forward, i take a touch forward the ball slips away from me a bit, i slid to try and retrieve it then BANG……………… i hear a whistle Bompaster is still on the floor rolling around, the ref is running over, i see him go to his pocket…….. so i think to myself great, a yellow card this early on, thats going make my game hard now……. BUT NO!!! he pulls out a RED!!!! i had to double take, i thought it was wrong, a red card in the 1st 5 minutes, come on! i was so shell shocked i could not say a word. my 1st red card in my career and i have been playing since i was 8!
The NY Times Goal blog points out, Abby Wambach had a similar looking accidental slide tackle earlier in the season that resulted in a yellow card and a season ending injury for Daniela (Wambach was eventually suspended one game). Scott also points out on her blog that all red cards issued this season were against the Freedom. Coincidence? Inconsistency? Conspiracy? Or are we just super super bored out here? Wambach’s yellow card tackle can be seen in the video below:
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Comments
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Yeah there’s nothing wrong about that. Cleats up challenge into the ankle like that, may have been an accident but that’s a Red Card through and through. Every FIFA referee is instructed that this challenge is a straight red, doesn’t matter what time of the match it comes in. DiCicco is wrong about this, it is not the referee he has a problem with, but the Laws of the Game and US Soccer.
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I don’t know if DiCicco helped his argument by calling out the refs on this one. I think he was onto something with the Smith comments and there really do seem to be reffing inconsistencies in this league WPS needs to address. But it’s hard to say if he has a point or if he’s just pissed his team lost and dropped to 4th place.
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I agree Melissa, and I think his previous comments about refs were dead on. Referees should protect those in the game that are the more creative, integral players. I haven’t been studying WPS as much as I’d like to, but I thought DiCicco was right in some cases. I don’t like watching games and saying to myself “I could honestly do a better job than this guy.”
That being said, this call was correct, the Referee might have not done an overall good job on the game (haven’t watched the whole game) and maybe that’s more what DiCicco was frustrated about. I love Scott but you just can’t come in like that and expect not to get ejected for it.
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“In response to my game suspension, first of all, I want to apologize to the referee community, my Breakers players, the team owners and staff, the Breakers fans and all fans of WPS. My comments following the match vs. Washington were wrong. After review of the incident, the center referee, Jose Rivero, was justified issuing the red card and my comments about the quality of the refereeing in our league were made with the emotions of a difficult game having just finished.”
Tony DiCicco, I thought this was very honest and nice of him to clear up.
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I feel stunned in dismay when the player [scott] and the commentators are taken by suprise.. ´cause they expected a yellow. nothing of a kind, no! Anyone who goes ona slide tackle, by rear or side or front, but lift her foot, no matter if the opponent stays on the field or is out to the hospital: it´s RED!
The US hit a great achievement buiding up a pro league and further in a tough time. Now, no tolerance to defensive violence, the worst enemy of soccer. And here Dicicco, who verbalized this also in public, is absolutely right. -
I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work.
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