Cro V Mor

[socal lurker]

Who do you believe should have the game? I though he deserved it and most other referees would not mind his appointment

This isn’t about snark, it’s about facts. His resume coming in to the WC was not a resume that would have had him selected as a WC ref. He was appointed because tradition is that the host country gets to have a ref. (And FIFA did things to ”gast track” him and get some experience in advance of the cup that he would not have been given but for the fact he was going to be the Qatari host ref.) That’s nothing against him and doesn’t mean he’s an idiot, but it simply is how it works. Yes, he’s done a lot and achieved a lot, but he has not achieved enough to be appointed to the WC—except as the host referee. He did an acceptable job in his one game (US/Wales). The reason he wasn’t given other games wasn’t he did too poorly in that game, but that he didn’t have the resume (i.e. a demonstration of the skills needed to manage and control the game) to be trusted with a more important game. So why out of hiding for this game? It’s really simple:the 3/4 game isn’t important. No one really cares that much. I don’t think the big guns are hurt they didn’t get it; not because he deserved it more, but because it isn’t a big feather in the cap like doing a SF or the F is. Before the Cup started, many people who spend time thinking about how these appointments work were predicting exactly this path for him: an early game that wasn’t perceived as particularly difficult followed by the 3/4 (with the possible addition of a game day 3 game if there was a Game that couldn’t affect who made it out of the group stage).

 

[Rob123]

This isn’t about snark, it’s about facts. His resume coming in to the WC was not a resume that would have had him selected as a WC ref. He was appointed because tradition is that the host country gets to have a ref. (And FIFA did things to ”gast track” him and get some experience in advance of the cup that he would not have been given but for the fact he was going to be the Qatari host ref.) That’s nothing against him and doesn’t mean he’s an idiot, but it simply is how it works. Yes, he’s done a lot and achieved a lot, but he has not achieved enough to be appointed to the WC—except as the host referee. He did an acceptable job in his one game (US/Wales). The reason he wasn’t given other games wasn’t he did too poorly in that game, but that he didn’t have the resume (i.e. a demonstration of the skills needed to manage and control the game) to be trusted with a more important game. So why out of hiding for this game? It’s really simple:the 3/4 game isn’t important. No one really cares that much. I don’t think the big guns are hurt they didn’t get it; not because he deserved it more, but because it isn’t a big feather in the cap like doing a SF or the F is. Before the Cup started, many people who spend time thinking about how these appointments work were predicting exactly this path for him: an early game that wasn’t perceived as particularly difficult followed by the 3/4 (with the possible addition of a game day 3 game if there was a Game that couldn’t affect who made it out of the group stage).

He was very good in the USA V wales game and out of the other referees left he deserved the third place match. The third place match being represented by a referee from Qatar is excellent for the game. Referees being used from other federations is what we need. He managed the game extremely well penalty should have have help from var and I wonder if Marciniak ( I hope all goes well) has a bad game tomorrow everyone will be on his back? Or because he is a uefa referee he will be ok. I think the hate for non uefa referees is wrong and needs to change. He did his job but because some people who referee grassroots games think different and know the ins and outs of fifa appointments and believe he was given the games on merit What a joke embarrassing comments

 

[socal lurker]

He was very good in the USA V wales game and out of the other referees left he deserved the third place match. The third place match being represented by a referee from Qatar is excellent for the game. Referees being used from other federations is what we need. He managed the game extremely well penalty should have have help from var and I wonder if Marciniak ( I hope all goes well) has a bad game tomorrow everyone will be on his back? Or because he is a uefa referee he will be ok. I think the hate for non uefa referees is wrong and needs to change. He did his job but because some people who referee grassroots games think different and know the ins and outs of fifa appointments and believe he was given the games on merit What a joke embarrassing comments

I have no problem at all with him being assigned the game. I agree it was good to have a Qatari ref on the game. And I agree it was good that FIFA gave him experiences to get him there. And agree the Cup needs refs who aren’t from Europe or South America. (A key reason many of the very best refs and most used refs at the WC are from Europe and South America is that the nature of confederation competition means they have the most opportunities to do high level games. And like anything else, the best way to be ready for high level games is to do high level games.)

But if FIFA agreed with you that he earned the 3/4 game by being a very good ref, he would have done at least a second game that mattered, not sat on the sidelines until the 3/4 exhibition game.

 

[one]

He got most decisions right,

He was mostly flying under the radar and avoiding talking action. IMO it is just a coincident that most major decisions did not require him to take any action.

If you look at major incidents that need him to take action to have an impact, you'd find there were more he got wrong than right. Not cautioning a player when he was surrounded and made contact against is a good example.

 

[QuaverRef]

He was very good in the USA V wales game and out of the other referees left he deserved the third place match. The third place match being represented by a referee from Qatar is excellent for the game. Referees being used from other federations is what we need. He managed the game extremely well penalty should have have help from var and I wonder if Marciniak ( I hope all goes well) has a bad game tomorrow everyone will be on his back? Or because he is a uefa referee he will be ok. I think the hate for non uefa referees is wrong and needs to change. He did his job but because some people who referee grassroots games think different and know the ins and outs of fifa appointments and believe he was given the games on merit What a joke embarrassing comments

You think being surrounded by half the morocco team who are shouting and even laying their hands on you whilst you take no action is managing the game extremely well? Take the nationality out of the conversation and what you’re watching is a referee out of his depth

 

[RustyRef]

He was very good in the USA V wales game and out of the other referees left he deserved the third place match. The third place match being represented by a referee from Qatar is excellent for the game. Referees being used from other federations is what we need. He managed the game extremely well penalty should have have help from var and I wonder if Marciniak ( I hope all goes well) has a bad game tomorrow everyone will be on his back? Or because he is a uefa referee he will be ok. I think the hate for non uefa referees is wrong and needs to change. He did his job but because some people who referee grassroots games think different and know the ins and outs of fifa appointments and believe he was given the games on merit What a joke embarrassing comments

He most definitely did not manage the game well, and I would say the same regardless of where the referee originated from. He completely ignored dissent, allowed himself to be surrounded on multiple occasions, and even manhandled repeatedly, all without sanction. He also missed a very obvious penalty, although, as I said previously, I would put more blame on VAR for that than the referee.

There's a reason he only got one group game, and no game in the last 16, quarters or semis, and that's because he simply does not have the experience to be trusted with such games, certainly not when compared to the other referees. It isn't a European vs other continents thing, and my personal view is that the referee of the tournament was the USA referee Elfath, but for obvious reasons he can't referee Morocco.

I also don't agree with the views that the 3rd / 4th playoff is an exhibition / unimportant game. It might have been in previous years, but certainly not this year, you only have to look at the reactions of players before and after the game to see that. The teams deserved the best available referee for the game, not a politically motivated appointment of a referee that simply did not deserve the appointment.

 

[GraemeS]

Value of the 3rd place game definitely varies depending on the teams involved. If the SF's had gone the other way and 3rd was ARG v FRA, I think we would have seen two second XI's and very little interest.