04 ARGNGA Stark
A very dynamic and technically strong Argentina - Nigeria match for Wolfgang Stark to handle. German referee gave a masterclass in how to foster a great football match by taking predictable decisions, combined with his excellent manner which aroused respect and trust from the players.
Quite how fast a game this edition of the World Cup's perennial clash was is not totally apparent from the highlights. Make no mistake - this was not an easy game for Stark to handle, and how amiable it was is certainly to his merit.
With his excellent manner + game-reading skills, the players saw the German referee as a firm but reasonable force for good on the pitch. A rare occurrence in such a high-level match: the players just accepted the referee's decisions and totally focused on playing football, they had no interest in really trying to sway Stark!
A pedantic referee would have really inflamed everyone here; German ref's approach was perfect. A textbook case for how excellent officiating can contribute to the playing of football!
His tactical approach was really good in my view - his decision to only firmly warn Tevez at 8' and not book him was first class, as well as the two cautions given which were correct and of great tactical value. Stark's only clear mistake was not cautioning Mascherano at +92' for a reckless kick - would support him not booking in some other situations (41', 62', 73').
Referee was correct not to award a penalty at 86' - Maxi Rodríguez tried to use the clumsy tackle in order to invent a foul which simply wasn't there. Penalty appeal at 47' is much more interesting in my opinion! Throw-in decision at 12' was totally wrong - the rest, brilliant.
Again, a quiet afternoon for both assistant referees.
| Wolfgang Stark - 8,6 Jan-Hendrik Salver - 8,4 Mike Pickel - 8,4 Khalil Al-Ghamdi Hassan Kamranifar GER – KSA, IRN | Argentina 1-0 Nigeria Group Stage June 12 |
 Gutiérrez (41') - Tackle | Haruna (77') - Tackle |
If I am honest, based on the highlights, I saw more of an average performance by Stark, a bit too forgiving in the disciplinary department, otherwise ok. But perhaps, just like the opener, it was actually the perfect mix of lenient (but not overly lenient refereeing) that the match needed?
ReplyDeleteGo back and look at the goal again. FIFA actually came out and said it should have been disallowed:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2010/06/15/1977735/world-cup-2010-gabriel-heinzes-argentina-strike-should-have-been-
Ah yes, a clear impeding foul that nobody appealed for! Goal had some good sources in 2010.
DeleteWith my thinking cap on, perhaps this evaluation explains why another goal, particularly infamous in your neck of the woods, was disallowed later in the tournament.
Yes, definitely. The Goal article I posted was narrowly about this incident, but I believe it was also stated (or strongly implied) that the US hold on Terry should also have been given as a penalty.
DeleteReview by MARCA.com: 8/10. No problems for the German referee, though Maxi Rodríguez asked for a PK in the last minutes of the game.
ReplyDelete