64 NEDESP Webb
Minutes from the end of extra time, just as it seemed the Netherlands were going to drag the final to a penalty competition, Andrés Iniesta scored to dramatically win Spain their first ever World Cup. The perennial underachievers were finally victorious; for the third time, it was close, but no cigar for the defeated Dutch at the final hurdle.
Of course, World Cup 2010's final is infamous for the amount of rough play from both teams, but especially from the Netherlands. This was best encapsulated by Nigel de Jong's challenge, that challenge, on Xabi Alonso, which only brought him a caution. Match referee Howard Webb was a central figure, and not just for those, with an eye on the officiating.
The English trio which Webb headed, had performed excellently in the tournament (ESPSUI - SVKITA - BRACHI), and it is very hard to argue that their appointment to the final was not made on merit. If Uruguay had won their semifinal, all bets were off, but as they didn't, Webb became a confederationally neutral option - and the final, was his.
Of course, World Cup 2010's final is infamous for the amount of rough play from both teams, but especially from the Netherlands. This was best encapsulated by Nigel de Jong's challenge, that challenge, on Xabi Alonso, which only brought him a caution. Match referee Howard Webb was a central figure, and not just for those, with an eye on the officiating.
The English trio which Webb headed, had performed excellently in the tournament (ESPSUI - SVKITA - BRACHI), and it is very hard to argue that their appointment to the final was not made on merit. If Uruguay had won their semifinal, all bets were off, but as they didn't, Webb became a confederationally neutral option - and the final, was his.
It always bothered me that there was no decent, coherent analysis of this most-discussed performance. His total lambasting in the Spanish and Dutch press is unfair, but analysis such as this in the English media, really doesn't paint the full picture either.
So then, I hope, this can be something of a definitive review of how the World Cup 2010 final was officiated. First, I would like to present my views on the biggest decisions that the match officials had to face, before a wider analysis of the one-hundred and twenty minutes of refereeing.
Key Match Incidents
FIFA internally determined that this tackle was an act of Serious Foul Play.
Howard Webb only cautioned van Bommel - a decision that I support, and actually would consider the optimal one. Without doubt though, at the very (very) least, this tackle is on the borderline.
In principle, it's really good that FIFA in 2010 set themselves against all flying tackles - if only they took the same line today! However, to me a yellow card is correct here: van Bommel's tackle is aimed at reaching the ball (if in a heavy manner), he has not totally lost control of his body, and the impact is not with the studs.
Probably a minority view, but I actually see Tim Cahill's tackle for which he was sent off against Germany (GERAUS) with real flying, angry, intent - even if he pulled out at the end - as worse. Of course, I can perfectly accept the view that van Bommel should have been sent off here.
There is a very fine line between wanting a clear decision in a very big game and simply lacking the courage to be right and unpopular. There is no game bigger than the World Cup final, and two referees who had crossed that line in my view this century, but, for me, Howard Webb didn't take that too far in not sending off van Bommel here.
There is a very fine line between wanting a clear decision in a very big game and simply lacking the courage to be right and unpopular. There is no game bigger than the World Cup final, and two referees who had crossed that line in my view this century, but, for me, Howard Webb didn't take that too far in not sending off van Bommel here.
You don't need me to tell you that Nigel de Jong's tackle is a clear case of Serious Foul Play (and assault...).
Webb had a zero angle, and de Jong's tackle is somehow very illogical - at eg. World Cup 1990 one could expect it, but especially since 2006, players just don't challenge like that anymore. Or it seems they do.
To add to surrealism of the whole thing - no Spain players on the pitch seriously asked for, let alone expected, a red card. Xabi Hernández and Iniesta are protesting (confirmed by Webb himself) only for advantage...
Howard Webb found out at halftime - one of the officials had forgotten to turn their phone off, and sifting through the text messages, he realised the severity of this brutal, under-punished, foul.
In order to begin understanding what happened in this match, it's important to realise that few out there realised how bad and brutal this foul was. That is not to say, though, that if de Jong had been sent off, that this game wouldn't have ultimately played out differently.
CRUCIAL MISTAKE
CRUCIAL MISTAKE
Correct call - Xabi Alonso prevented Mark van Bommel from getting to the ball, not the other way around. Restarting with a goalkick was the perfect call.
Not all late challenges are reckless - Heitinga's careless charge was just worthy of a freekick, a caution would have been too much. Webb got it spot on.
A clear reckless stamp - van Bommel should have been sent off.
Between Howard Webb and fourth official Yūichi Nishimura they should have seen the offence; I even wonder, if the Englishman did, but considering everything, decided to turn a blind eye...
Afterwards, he took the sensible but highly unsatisfying decision to only warn Iniesta for his act of unsporting behaviour against van Bommel, and having (tokenly) warned the Spain player, it was the Netherlands restarted with a freekick.
By the book, Vicente del Bosque should have been invited to leave the technical area - he entered the field of play to dissent at Webb.
Between Howard Webb and fourth official Yūichi Nishimura they should have seen the offence; I even wonder, if the Englishman did, but considering everything, decided to turn a blind eye...
Afterwards, he took the sensible but highly unsatisfying decision to only warn Iniesta for his act of unsporting behaviour against van Bommel, and having (tokenly) warned the Spain player, it was the Netherlands restarted with a freekick.
By the book, Vicente del Bosque should have been invited to leave the technical area - he entered the field of play to dissent at Webb.
(by the way, of course, van Bommel could have been sent off for PI at various stages (most notably, 97'), but knowing you've missed a red card for a brutal foul especially, I don't think you can blame Webb for wanting something clearer than persistent infringement, to order a player off in his World Cup final)
A very, very controversial call - the majority opinion in the world is that the correct outcome is a freekick to the Netherlands and a red card for Carlos Puyol. Actually, even Puyol himself thinks that, as you can discern from one of his contributions to the FIFA documentary Match 64. This view is summarised by, "if Arjen Robben goes down, then...".
In my opinion, Webb was absolutely right to play on here. I am not saying that Puyol didn't impede Robben at all, but the Netherlands attacker could still get away from him and have a presentable chance at goal. Puyol's holding offence didn't really make that goal-scoring chance that much worse for Robben, or at least decisively worse, in my view.
It is also worth bearing in mind that, at this point, Webb knows he has missed a crystal clear red card for a Netherlands player. In terms of managing the event, how well do you think sending Puyol off would have gone down...
It is also worth bearing in mind that, at this point, Webb knows he has missed a crystal clear red card for a Netherlands player. In terms of managing the event, how well do you think sending Puyol off would have gone down...
If it was also a crystal clear red card, then this would be very hard to accept, but in principle, it is simply better to play on in this situation, for me, regardless of what game it is, and regardless of what has happened before.
This is the trickiest situation in which to back Webb - the foul is, really, quite clear. John Heitinga purposefully puts his leg where Xabi Hernández is about to shoot, impeding him and rendering him unable to do so. Simply - the most correct outcome here is a penalty.
In the same way that in the 2006 final (ITAFRA), I can't see any reason not to assess Materazzi's penalty foul as a DOGSO case, there are no technical reasons according to the LotG that this shouldn't be a penalty. I suppose here, one must cede to the notion of bigger picture refereeing - simply, this wasn't a World Cup final penalty.
To be clear - personally, I would have liked to see a penalty given. But one can understand why Webb decided against it.
No doubt about this one - Heitinga's holding foul on Iniesta was a clear example of an offence which stopped a promising attack, and was a correct second caution.
I guess you don't need me to say this but - internally, FIFA assessed this decision (probably on a no DOGSO level?) as correct.
I guess you don't need me to say this but - internally, FIFA assessed this decision (probably on a no DOGSO level?) as correct.
It's important to focus on the LotG here and not basic football expectations (kicking the ball away -> YC). Does Arjen Robben either commit an act of dissent by action or try to (tactically) delay the restart of the game? In my view, no.
We can be quick here - Elia was clearly impeded by Sergio Ramos, and Webb should have awarded a freekick to the Netherlands on the edge of their opponents' penalty area. That becomes relevant shortly after.
Mike Mullarkey made the correct decision here, in any case; the winning goal was correctly allowed to stand. Some pointers:
1) Andrés Iniesta is well onside when he is passed the ball, and scores - no doubt.
1) Andrés Iniesta is well onside when he is passed the ball, and scores - no doubt.
2) Actually, close inspection shows (and FIFA internally confirm) that he is also onside from the first pass; so at least regarding the attacking phase, the Netherlands players are unjustified in their complaints.
3) On a merely theoretical level, this situation, for me, is the archetypal one for showing that the modern interpretation of offside is unfair - but the aim is not fairness.
3) On a merely theoretical level, this situation, for me, is the archetypal one for showing that the modern interpretation of offside is unfair - but the aim is not fairness.
Iniesta's actions from the first pass would be (and were in 2010 too) considered inactive; so theoretically, if the Spain player was offside, Joris Mathijsen could decide to not play the ball, and leave it to him, and then wait for the flag. Of course, no defender is going to do that. So we are left with this offside rule nowadays, which allows more goals, but isn't really satisfying on a fairness level.
But to state it clearly - Iniesta wasn't offside from the first pass, and, even in the hypothetical scenario that he was, the goal was correct to stand anyway.
But to state it clearly - Iniesta wasn't offside from the first pass, and, even in the hypothetical scenario that he was, the goal was correct to stand anyway.
Analysis
Howard Webb describes refereeing World Cup 2010's final as "the hardest two hours of his life". One does have to feel a bit sorry for him - it was surely impossible to expect what would play out in Johannesburg; a dream, that became a nightmare.
In extremis, despite avoiding a total disaster, Webb made both tactical and technical mistakes, and regrettably lost control of this encounter in the final analysis.
While one should acknowledge that this finale wasn't the ultimate rendition of the fair play principle, the approach of English refereeing to essentially solely blame the players, is way too cheap in my opinion. It should be possible to recognise the players' unsporting conduct, and analyse the match officials' performance on its merits too.
In extremis, despite avoiding a total disaster, Webb made both tactical and technical mistakes, and regrettably lost control of this encounter in the final analysis.
While one should acknowledge that this finale wasn't the ultimate rendition of the fair play principle, the approach of English refereeing to essentially solely blame the players, is way too cheap in my opinion. It should be possible to recognise the players' unsporting conduct, and analyse the match officials' performance on its merits too.
I hope my report does that. For this, I am going to split the analysis into two different structured parts - the first half, and the second half / extra time.
First Half
Which Webb?
In his three prior World Cup games, the English referee actually adopted widely different styles between them. In Slovakia - Italy, he proactively stayed in the background, while in Brazil - Chile, he relentlessly asserted his presence to keep control - both, absolutely top class performances.
On reflection, perhaps the Spain - Switzerland match is, conversely, the most interesting of the lot with regards to the final. Webb's performance there was ultimately good, but it would not be unfair to lay the charge that his disciplinary control in the first half, was a little bit messy.
It's understandable, that in the World Cup final, that Webb started with the rather neutral approach of his opening game; as Leslie Irvine said in Match 64, "we want this match to be remembered for the excellence of the players, and the beautiful football". Well...
A 'Kazakhstan Trap'??
The first thing to state is that the players were extremely nervous in this game! Anyone who has refereed a game themselves will note, that some of the players on the pitch are very focused during the match and don't want to be disturbed, and others are more chatty, and easier to interact with on a human level.
In the first half, the players had absolutely no interest in talking to Webb at all! Both, the Netherlands players were not going to really heed any verbal warnings, and Spain, besides isolated incidents, were not fussed to dissent that much.
In the first half, the players had absolutely no interest in talking to Webb at all! Both, the Netherlands players were not going to really heed any verbal warnings, and Spain, besides isolated incidents, were not fussed to dissent that much.
A tangent then - watching a Kazakhstan match is a weird experience, because the amount of rough play, seems totally antithetical to what appears a calm atmosphere on the pitch (little player-player, player-ref conflicts). I can vouch for, that having seen a fair few Kazakh games in my time!
Many referees react to this, in those games, by adopting a lenient, chatty approach - which ultimately costs them. Doing so, is to fall into the Kazakhstan Trap. To be clear, I don't even think Webb was that chatty or that lenient (in tactical approach) from the start. But I do think that this sort of notion, threw him a little bit.
Talking about a Kazakhstan trap in the World Cup final is a bit bizarre, and touches on the juxtapositional problem that Webb faced. I don't think that he was unprepared for any kind of hard match (eg. not an aggro-heavy one, like NEDBRA), but without doubt, he was unprepared for this sort of task.
Disturbing them?
Further evidence to me that Webb couldn't really feel what was going on, were some very minor decisions in the goings-on of the game. Conventional logic states, that short, sharp, blows of the whistle in the early stages are a good idea, to assert the referee's authority on proceedings.
If one can argue that Webb allowed too much in disciplinary control (1', 4', 13'), then perhaps he was slightly too pedantic, in some widely irrelevant scenes in the bigger picture. For instance, on some occasions when it was better to tolerate small contacts, he blew for freekicks (eg. 2', 27', 32') which the players didn't want. I think they found it hard to predict when Webb was going to blow.
One can hardly blame the Englishman, especially regarding freekicks, for playing it safe. A missed push by Robin van Persie at 33', expediently sending defender Puyol and goalkeeper Iker Casillas careering into each other, resulting in the Netherlands nearly accidentally scoring in giving the ball back, didn't really help that angst either.
Further evidence to me that Webb couldn't really feel what was going on, were some very minor decisions in the goings-on of the game. Conventional logic states, that short, sharp, blows of the whistle in the early stages are a good idea, to assert the referee's authority on proceedings.
If one can argue that Webb allowed too much in disciplinary control (1', 4', 13'), then perhaps he was slightly too pedantic, in some widely irrelevant scenes in the bigger picture. For instance, on some occasions when it was better to tolerate small contacts, he blew for freekicks (eg. 2', 27', 32') which the players didn't want. I think they found it hard to predict when Webb was going to blow.
One can hardly blame the Englishman, especially regarding freekicks, for playing it safe. A missed push by Robin van Persie at 33', expediently sending defender Puyol and goalkeeper Iker Casillas careering into each other, resulting in the Netherlands nearly accidentally scoring in giving the ball back, didn't really help that angst either.
A tactical 'own goal'?
To be clear - Webb had actually done pretty well for the most part of the first half in my eyes. Without doubt the biggest mistake of the whole match that he made on a tactical (not technical) level, was - issuing only a verbal warning to Wesley Sneijder at 42'(!).
To be clear - Webb had actually done pretty well for the most part of the first half in my eyes. Without doubt the biggest mistake of the whole match that he made on a tactical (not technical) level, was - issuing only a verbal warning to Wesley Sneijder at 42'(!).
Sneijder's tackle was not even too far away from being an act of Serious Foul Play - in any case, absolutely everybody was expecting Webb to issue a caution here. Not that it actually means anything, but you can even hear the Russian commentator, pleading with the English referee to go yellow.
The Spain players, from that moment on, simply did not buy into the way that Webb was handling the game. This is most evident in the foul by Pedro Rodríguez on Mark van Bommel at 44', missed by the live sequence.
So, why didn't Webb sanction Sneijder?
My theory is this - of all the Netherlands players, Webb clocked that it was only Sneijder who was really interacting with him, and calculated, that he could really do with having him on his side. I can say, being from the English school of refereeing myself, being able to interact through one player is seen as very important (he makes a point of talking with him later in the match also).
I guess that Webb lost the overview at this point - in a first half that was extremely mentally draining - and kind of panicked. He got the right answer, but was asking the wrong question.
In this one incident, he absolutely fell into the Kazakhstan Trap; no players really reacted immediately after the challenge, but in not issuing a caution for it, Webb sent a very clear tactical signal, which was universally understood by both teams.
Some minutes later, Webb could call time on perhaps the hardest half of his refereeing career.
Second Half and Extra Time
It's important to remember that two things happened at halftime. One, the officials realised that they had missed a crystal clear red card, de Jong's foul. Second, Webb was forced to reflect on that horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, that it wasn't going to plan.
The second factor is worthy of deeper analysis - I am quite sure, that if, let's say, a referee from Central America had faced exactly the same half, there would not have been nearly as much introspection as Webb put himself through (ie. am I doing something wrong, why aren't they playing football).
He probably felt, not in so much as words, that essentially what I described above in the first half passage, that his performance thus far wasn't optimal (indeed it wasn't) - but it was also quite a way from being awful either. I just put it forward as a theory (you can agree or not) - Webb definitely got too down on himself in these fifteen minutes.
Now, this statement is very revisionist, and I hope nobody thinks of me as a smart Alec for saying it - I don't think that the second half and extra time were very challenging to officiate (besides the high frequency of KMIs) of themselves.
Let's put a positive spin on it - if the game had kicked off in the second half (ie. the first half hypothetically had never happened), I am quite sure that Howard Webb would have refereed it very well.
Webb struggled after halftime. His technical accuracy in terms of assessing duels dropped quite significantly, most noticeably at the start of the second half (47', 50', 51'), and he made suboptimal tactical choices. In fact, no card was actually better at 54' and Heitinga's foul - 56' - had to be whistled immediately. It wasn't, and Van Bommel did what he does best, at the ensuing giving the ball back.
Webb struggled after halftime. His technical accuracy in terms of assessing duels dropped quite significantly, most noticeably at the start of the second half (47', 50', 51'), and he made suboptimal tactical choices. In fact, no card was actually better at 54' and Heitinga's foul - 56' - had to be whistled immediately. It wasn't, and Van Bommel did what he does best, at the ensuing giving the ball back.
After that, the ref was very limited in terms of what he could do in sanctions (58', 60', 75'), in the lattermost scene, he again makes a point of trying to connect with Sneijder. The height of this sensible, but painful refereeing must have been the scene at 78' - especially restarting with a Netherlands freekick.
In the field of presence, especially mimics and gestures, there aren't really words to describe how outstanding Webb was. The highlight of this was his reaction against Robben at 84' - wow! For refereeing nerds, this was an absolute masterclass in this area; the like of which I haven't seen before or since.
In the field of presence, especially mimics and gestures, there aren't really words to describe how outstanding Webb was. The highlight of this was his reaction against Robben at 84' - wow! For refereeing nerds, this was an absolute masterclass in this area; the like of which I haven't seen before or since.
Well, some kind of overview then - in the same way that if you show someone the Italia 90 final in full, they are surprised that Argentina didn't kick the sh*t out of Germany the whole time, this match was actually relatively (emphasis on relatively), fair, after halftime.
As extra time drew to a close, before (missed corner, missed foul on Elia) and after (missed foul 119', missed caution 120') the winning goal, Webb did struggle. Even if he de facto lost control right at the end, I don't think you can really blame him for that; the overlooked foul on Elia though, is a rather important mistake.
Webb says he was absolutely relieved to blow the final whistle; it was all finally over. Netherlands defeated; Spain, were world champions.
Assistant Referees
Howard Webb is very humble if you ask him why he thinks he received this appointment - he heaps praise on his assistant referees, Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey. As in the rest of the tournament, they performed very strongly, both Mullarkey (+47', 68', 98') and especially Cann (3', 6', 9', 40', 89', 113').
Besides an important mistake at 102' (- 0,2), Darren Cann showed to be the absolute excellence in running the line again at this World Cup.
Balance
Howard Webb had to face an extremely challenging World Cup final, which took everyone by surprise in its nature. Besides not sending off Nigel de Jong for his infamous karaté foul, the English referee avoided big mistakes, in my opinion.
However, in extremis, he made both serious technical and tactical errors. We will never know if taking different decisions early in the match, would have made a difference to the way the players approached it, but in this instance specifically, I would say it's easy to look back in hindsight.
However, in extremis, he made both serious technical and tactical errors. We will never know if taking different decisions early in the match, would have made a difference to the way the players approached it, but in this instance specifically, I would say it's easy to look back in hindsight.
The problems with this performance were tactical approach, in that extremely demanding first half, and technical accuracy thereafter. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised the very human feelings that "this wasn't going to plan" and "I've messed up" would occur, but the result was a performance that was below expectations.
I guess my final reflection is thus - handling this game well was definitely not impossible (and Webb could certainly have done better on the night), but refereeing this match, as a World Cup final was a task, perhaps, beyond any referee.
| Howard Webb - 7,6 Darren Cann - 8,6 Mike Mullarkey - 8,5 Yūichi Nishimura Tōru Sagara ENG – JPN | Netherlands 0-1 Spain (after extra time) Final 11 June |
 van Persie (15') - Tackle van Bommel (22') - Tackle de Jong (28') - Tackle van Bronckhorst (54') - SPA (Impeding) Heitinga (57') - Tackle Robben (84') - Dissent van der Wiel (111') - Tripping Mathijsen (117') - Dissent | Puyol (16') - Tackle Ramos (23') - Tackle Capdevila (67') - SPA (Tripping) Iniesta (118') - Celebration (Shirt) Xavi (+121') - Delaying the Restart |
 Heitinga (109') - SPA (Holding) | |
| Spain win FIFA World Cup 2010 | |
Thanks to silent readers and commenters alike - I hope you enjoyed this look back at the tournament!
Hi Mikael, a wonderful report of the 2010 World Cup, thank you for your good work and time!
ReplyDeleteOf course this was a very difficult game to whistle, but Webb made it difficult for himself in my opinion, a crucial mistake was the attack of de Jong, which in my opinion gave the players the idea that they could really do anything! Yellow cards didn't help anymore, Red was necessary here! from this moment on, the match derailed for the referee!
The 83rd minute is also an important mistake for me .... Red is red in this case, especially when you see that there was a whistle for smaller things, this is not logical .... If you as a referee know that Robben is very fast .... and Webb knew this .... it is clearly visible that he was hindered ... so the 2nd Spanish defender could overtake him, this caused a 2nd hindrance ... which Robben normally would not have had, which denied him the free passage of the keeper .... Webb should have whistled for a free kick at the moment Robben was hindered by the 2nd Spanish defender, and a red card, for me these are bad decisive decisions that you in a World Cup final should not make
In my opinion, everything started with the missed red card for Van Bommel, followed by the well-known De Jong karate kick. These two very important moments that occured within only 6 minutes decided Webb's performance on that day.
ReplyDeleteExcellent report - it was a pleasure reading it and remembering an unforgettable World Cup final. I would be interested to read such a detailed report about Codesal's performance in the 1990, another WC final with major events worth analyzing.
Thanks for your nice words!
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