“He is the referee; he’s the judge, jury and executioner.”-Harry Kewell
These words from one of the socceroos finest, who was sent off by Italian ref Roberto Rosetti after a ball blasted from close range hit him on the upper arm on the goal line in the fighting 1-1 draw against Ghana, seem to have hit a mark. Refereeing in this WC has almost been farcical and everyone is seeing red!
The hottest on the charts is the red card assessed to Kaka in Brazil’s 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast. Kaka collided with Kader Keita who sold the foul by clutching his face writhing on the ground, when no part of Kaka’s body touched him in the face. Brazil Coach Dunga said the booking was “totally unjust.” And Kaka too said, “It was unfair. The image will speak for me.”
Australia’s Tim Cahill also faced the Ref-blues against Germany for a challenge that even Schweinsteiger, being the German who was brought down, agreed shouldn’t have warranted a red card.
This brings me to the point; every major sport has undergone vast technological upgrades, except the world’s biggest sport: FOOTBALL. Everything’s left to the ref, who’s expected to be right all the time. But seeing recent events, we know HE’S NOT!! How many more incidents before things turn ugly? How long before FIFA takes the guillotine strings out of the ref’s hands, only time can tell.
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