I thought the officiating in American sports was bad

jwblue · Feb 18, 2010

This goal was allowed. From the Porto Arsenal Champion's League match 02.18.10

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wf5Kfgj5-Jw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wf5Kfgj5-Jw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

billhill999 · Feb 18, 2010

Can you imbed it?
I have said it before, and others have agreed, and I'll say it again, Euro soccer is the most crooked sport in the business.

jwblue · Feb 18, 2010

This comment from Youtube sums it up best.

youXgoXpwnd said:
the referee has to put his arm in the air to give the signal wether the free kick may be given but he doesn't do it and then he sees it and thinks 'OMG they did it already i'll put my hand in the air quickly otherwise i'm gonna get problems' he puts his arm in the air just before the ball goes into the goal.... weak referee, i heard it was the same one as the handplay from henry against ireland

kcameron95 · Feb 18, 2010

Actually that is not bad referring. Once he puts the ball down, the player can either decide to wait for his teammates or take quick free kick.

The mistake is on the arsenal players. 1) The goalie should have not given the ball back to ref until his teammates came back. This probably would have resulted in yellow card for time wasting but the goalie has to take that for the team. 2) When he gave the ball back, him and the defender turned their back on the ball. WTF.

jwblue · Feb 18, 2010

kcameron95 said:
Actually that is not bad referring. Once he puts the ball down, the player can either decide to wait for his teammates or take quick free kick.

The mistake is on the arsenal players. 1) The goalie should have not given the ball back to ref until his teammates came back. This probably would have resulted in yellow card for time wasting but the goalie has to take that for the team. 2) When he gave the ball back, him and the defender turned their back on the ball. WTF.

So you don't think the ref should give the Aresenal players time to get back? The quote in my previous post sums it up.

kcameron95 · Feb 18, 2010

InSpades said:
So you don't think the ref should give the Aresenal players time to get back? The quote in my previous post sums it up.

No because it was indirect free kick. All the player has to do is stop the ball from moving and he can take the kick. He doesn't have to wait for ref. Normally the free kicks we see around that area of the pitch are direct free kicks so refs allow time for time for defensive team to build defensive wall/offensive players to come to the area.

HPark1 · Feb 18, 2010

Technically there's nothing wrong but in reality you cannot have (and it never happens) teams taking free kicks so quickly like that when its that close to goal. Also looked like the ref blocked off Campbell as the free kick was being taken.

Bit of a debacle imo.