Date:         Fri, 6 Aug 2010 10:39:44 -0400
Reply-To:     Discussion of Topics for Soccer Referees
              <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Discussion of Topics for Soccer Referees
              <[log in to unmask]>
From:         Rich Zumpone <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: CLB vs PHL (score implied)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Larry:

It's the age old rhetorical question:  When is a penalty a penalty?

I'm going to sweep up a couple of examples that have rooted in my mind to 
try to posit some scenarios, explanations - and more rhetoric.

1.  Isolated Incidents - are more likely to lead to a referee to calling a 
penalty than cluster fouls.  We need no better example than the US - 
Slovenia game for a cluster of players committing multiple fouls - yet 
none are called.  

In situations where the transgression is out in the open: I wonder if the 
psyche of the referee is to feel pressure - is more compelled to give a 
penalty because the whole world sees the incident also.  The CR cannot 
possible say he/she didn't see it. (FWIW - I'm still not sure if Hejduk 
made contact - if he did it was extremely minor - and had it taken place 
outside the area - would it still have been called a foul?)

Interstingly, the night before - Galaxy vs PR Islanders - PK called almost 
under the same circumstances in the same quadrant of the field.

2. Incidental-Accidental-Careless-Reckless-EF - I view this as a 
chromacromatic scale.  As one slides from left to right you move from 
clear, to muted/milky clear, to white.  No foul, no foul, foul.  Danny 
Welbeck vs Jagielka in the FA CUP semi-final two years ago?  Boring game - 
went to kicks to decide. 70th minute Welbeck sweep down the left flank, 
cuts into the area, fakes Jagielka and pushes the ball by him.  Jagielka 
turns to go with Welbeck, clips his heel, Welbeck goes down.  No other 
players around - total isolation.  Mike Riley - no call.

I've watched this 100 times:  50 times I see it as an accident, 50 as 
careless.  As it was debated here and written about in the press, one 
common thought was "it was not fair to the game, to have the game decided 
on this single incidence of offense."  (Interesting to me was the comments 
Sir Alex made about Mike Riley in the week prior to the game - impact on 
Riley's psyche???  Only he knows.)  So is "fitting the game" a criteria a 
CR uses to decide if a penalty is called or not?

3.  Does "it" fit the game - I never considered this as much as I did 
during this past WC.  Spain vs Germany gives an example where the "whole 
world" seemed to agree that Ramos' take down of Ozul in the 43-44th minute 
didn't fit the game.  It was a foul; it is debatable whether the spot was 
just outside the area or in - let's assume it was in - to support the 
point of fitting a game or not. In that game - it was considered by many 
not to be a foul or a penalty.  It was against the run of play, it was 
an "honest" attempt to tackle the ball - whatever rationale was applied - 
it did not fit that game was used to dismiss giving a penalty.

But probably more frustrating to me, and the Crew Nation:  Chad Marshall 
and Schelotto have produced the most goals off corner kicks in the MLS for 
3 years.  This year he has one.  As line judges in American football say -
 "You could call offensive holding on almost every play" - now it is a 
fact that Chad Marshall is held on every corner.  Only once - last year 
against Chicago - was a penalty called. Once Marshall got a red card for 
retaliating against being held (KC).  This is more the source of my 
frustration with the call against Hejduk. (and I thought it was a flop.  
and it didn't fit the game.  and it was called against my team).