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(Luca Bruno/AP) PRETORIA, South Africa – Controversial referee Koman Coulibaly was left off FIFA’s list for the next batch of World Cup matches following the error that cost the United States a victory against Slovenia.
Yahoo! Sports revealed on Friday that Coulibaly was “highly unlikely” to take any further part in the tournament after being given a poor evaluation by assessors following his decision to disallow Maurice Edu’s 86th-minute goal. FIFA confirmed yesterday that Coulibaly will not play any part in Tuesday or Wednesday’s matches, which will include Team USA’s critical Group C finale against Algeria.
Instead, as they step into the arena of Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday with their World Cup life at stake, the Americans will be officiated by a man who has just witnessed a combat far more brutal than any game in the tournament.
Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere will prepare himself for the occasion by watching a DVD of the movie “Gladiator” before taking center stage in a game that decides the USA’s destiny – with a victory guaranteed to put the Americans through to the last 16.
FIFA deliberately assigned De Bleeckere, a highly experienced and respected referee, to this game in response to the storm of controversy that came after the United States’ 2-2 draw with Slovenia. De Bleeckere has been in charge of big matches many times in the past, most notably a Champions League clash between Chelsea and Barcelona in 2006 which came a year after a pair of explosive matches between those teams.
“I don’t look at reputation or anything that has gone before,” De Bleeckere said. “I will watch the previous games of USA and Algeria to help me understand their tactics and work on my positioning. But I will watch ‘Gladiator’ first.”
Referees at the tournament have come under heavy criticism after a series of bad calls compounded by a stubborn refusal to explain their actions publicly.On Monday, the FIFA Referee Committee tried to go on a charm offensive by inviting the media to an open day but totally defeated the object of the exercise by refusing to answer questions about specific decisions.
Neither Coulibaly nor Stephane Lannoy – the French referee who erred in sending off Brazil’s Kaka against the Ivory Coast on Sunday – were present. Coulibaly’s assistant, Inacio Candido of Angola, was in attendance.
When asked if the controversy following the Edu no-goal had affected Coulibaly, Candido replied: “A referee is like a player. When they lose an opportunity to score a goal, they put it behind them.”
1 comment:
This dude needs to be banned from soccer for life. I wouldn't let him run a 12 and under league. I usually would take up for the black guy, but you need help. Somebody had to slip him some cash for that card. I wouldn't be too suprised if you see him wearing a rolex tommorrow.
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