33 MEXURU Kassai

 

Looking back, it is easy to underestimate how big of a risk FIFA took by appointing Viktor Kassai to this match. Hispanic duel, which could get particularly frantic if there was a three-goal leader of the other Group A fixture (and there nearly was), a man whose first appointment was quite the test for the least-experienced UEFA referee there (whose first appointment was very cautious).

Kassai was excellent: wow! I have rarely seen such a brilliant refereeing performance as this - the rulebook for these games (demonstrative anti-football pedanticism) was totally torn up by the Hungarian referee who executed his style par excellence.

This really was a gamble by Kassai - misplay it here, and he could have a Lannoy-ian disaster (and let's face it the lobby for Hungarian referees is hardly great), and a career that was lost. He put his chips down, risked it all, and came out a huge winner - more than any other game, this was the thesis for his Champions League final and the rest of his career as a whole. Very impressive!

The story then of how this plucky man in unlikely surroundings absolutely excelled on the biggest stage.

Approach

One could even be quite brief here - Viktor Kassai brilliantly imposed his way of refereeing on this Latin-americano match, and succeeded with his excellent game-feeling, unerring self-confidence and tireless positioning. What did this mean practically?

Application of the LotG

First thing that struck me was Kassai's nerve - every practitioner of safe refereeing would have awarded a foul in the first minute, he played on, and even more so cautioned Diego Pérez for his late careless foul, but the Hungarian referee was absolutely spot on to issue him with just a strong warning. 

His use of advantage was simply excellent (eg. 27', 38', 52'), and a forgiving foul selection which allowed the players scope to play such a breathless match.  

Disciplinary control was spot on (you can argue missed card at 53') - the decision to caution Javier Hernández was 100% correct, simply a reckless attempt to gain an advantage at a corner, and not a violent conduct as the Uruguay players were imploring. Other two cards were clearly correct, and tactically valuable. 

Kassai's way of verbally warning players without impeding the flow of the match (26', 34') was simply well-ahead of his time. 

Personality

In warning Pérez and in other scenes (such as 12', 34'), Kassai absolutely dominated the players with his presence. He simply offered them no chance to argue with his decisions; looking absolutely certain in every single decision he took!

I would argue it is something of a myth that the Hungarian referee had really top class soft skills, per se - Kassai was a pioneer in being the first game-manager to not possess excellent people management skills. Sure, he could deal with the players in an effective manner, but compared to De Bleeckere, Webb eg. he was not on their level. 

Viktor Kassai profited from being one of the most natural leaders I have ever seen on a football pitch; not from being one of the most natural people managers. Players didn't really like him, but the Hungarian absolutely commanded their respect on the pitch!


Physical Condition

Relentlessness of this performance reminded me a lot of Benquerença's first game - from the opening whistle to the final one, Kassai was absolutely on the money. Always in position, in a very dynamic game indeed, Hungarian could keep up with mentally and physically with this game throughout. That was no small feat at all!

On the pitch, the referee was the winner of this match. 


Potential Issues

The biggest problem with Kassai's performance occurred at 20' - Mexico should have been awarded a penalty for a deliberate handling. Perhaps the short distance (and not unnatural position?) is enough to support the referee? Mexico appealed for a penalty again at 7', where the push in question looks quite trifling.

Kassai missed clear fouls at 14' and 62' - latter was simply a perception mistake. If 14' was as well, fine, even if it was a slightly poor mistake, happens. If he just determined that it didn't fit into his idea of game-flow, then I find that a bit more problematic. He deserves the benefit of the doubt with this performance!


Assistant Referees

Mostly quiet games for Gábor Erős and Tibor Vámos, nice onside played by Erős at 15'.

Balance

Viktor Kassai simply gave a masterclass in how to officiate a football match. The game-feeling, mental strength and physical condition required to pull this off was remarkable. 

His unique approach worked quite brilliantly in this match; he gave a perfect example for how excellent (and not poor, permissive) officiating can facilitate extremely exciting matches - in my view, modern refereeing needs more officials like Viktor Kassai! Without doubt, one of the biggest pioneers of all time! 

In terms of further assignments - the most positive endorsement possible to get something really big in the knockout stages. 

Viktor Kassai - 8,8 Gábor Erős - 8,4 Tibor Vámos - 8,4 Martin Hansson Stefan Wittberg HUN – SWE	Mexico 0-1 Uruguay Group Stage 22 June
J. Hernández (77') - Aggressive Behaviour Castro (85') - Tackle	Fucile (68') - SPA (Holding)