Question Number: 29549

Law 5 - The Referee 7/23/2015

RE: grade 7 High School

Matt of Malta, NY United States asks...

Mark Geiger is catching a lot of heat after the Panama/Mexico game.

I know you generally don't like to second guess or criticize other officials calls (especially one of the best in the world like Geiger) but I'd like your opinion on 2 specific calls.

1. The Lewis Tejada red card. To me it seemed like a clear yellow but I'm curious on your thoughts.

2. The PK awarded in the 88th minute. Lots of people say claim it was a bad call. It appears (to me at least) to be a clear PK. The Panama defender dives and traps the ball with his arm until his goalie can come get it. His arm appears to clearly trap the ball under him. Do you also agree?

Thanks,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Matt,
You are correct we are loath to criticise an on the field performance. However, even knowing the match ON the field looks different OFF the field we know that red cards affect the match. I emphatically do not agree with either of the two decisions even as I respect his right to make them. They were tough calls but the toughest call was the match should have been abandoned as the safety of all was compromised. In and out of the stands affecting players, officials, fans and staff

The issue is the arm against the face then a possible pushing motion! It was not especially hard, not with elbow or a premeditated strike more of a flail trying to interrupt the sight to the ball! This is obvious in the review of the slow motion video which also indicates the Mexican player milked this for all it is worth. I saw other arm across face incidents get NO call at all. A referee with integrity sees what he sees even if he sees it different than you or I .Mark had a single moment in time from being 25 YDS TWENTY FIVE away he is to decide yes or no was it or was it not? I feel he got it wrong. Sue me! Head injuries are indeed scary but to say that was excessive? I think a foul is likely all there was, a red card in my opinion was an overly severe reaction call for what looks like at best a reckless act and even then I have doubts.

A Pk be it early or in the final seconds the referee cannot cringe in awarding one if he is sure it is so! Given the theatrics of the defender after being fouled himself unfortunately he created an impression he DELIBERATELY jumped backwards towards the ball. I have often been critical of how the foul of ' Handles the ball deliberately' is called. I still hold true to the 100% theory unless I am ...100% Certain... it was, then it was not! I can not fault the call Mark is at least in position to look at it, unlike the earlier red card call but I certainly do not agree with it!

One needs to THINK more than just integrity and honour it it takes amazing COURAGE to make a call for or against knowing the emotional investment others have in the game, when they are likely to dissent no matter if you are completely right, never mind if you are wrong!

The ugliness that ensued on and off the pitch I would abandon this match. Yes the decisions are controversial but then so to the reaction of all concerned. Disappointment does not permit you to go batdip crazy. The assault on his person by those outraged at the call sorry there better be some serious fines and consequences. The team showered by debris. Fights in the stands and on the field This is where emotional investment in the outcome overtakes the character of the players and fans. I maintain SAFETY WAS compromised, any grassroots match, WE all go home!. . Funny how the NEED for a result they discard the very testament of what officials are supposed to concerned about, SAFTEY!

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The defender hit his opponent in the face with the hand and arm. IMO, a clear sendoff. FIFA made it clear after Germany 2006 that this conduct (contact above the shoulder) was unacceptable. Given the concerns about head injuries in sport, there is no reason that FIFA would want to this to be part of the game.

The penalty for deliberate handling is the expected call. The defender did more than simply have the ball make contact with the arm. The defender went onto the ball and then rolled it. Would it have been called outside of the penalty area. Every single time. Is it a harsh result? Perhaps. But, I don't think anyone believes the contact was accidental or inadvertent.

Some players hope that the referee will lack the courage to make big decisions in a big game. So, they push the envelope. In this case, however, the referee had the courage.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Matt
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has urged referees to be more aware of and to deal properly with the use of the arms during challenges. The Board has opined, elbows / arms are being used to gain an unfair advantage and to injure opponents. I suspect FIFA has instructed referees to take stronger action in these situations
When an arm is used, the potential offense is striking and therefore the action must be assessed in the context of Law 12 (careless, reckless, or excessive force). So any form of striking, including the use of an arm carries the high likelihood of misconduct. If the action is reckless, the player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour but, if excessive force is used, the player must be sent off and shown a red card for serious foul play.
So I believe Referee Geigers decided that the forward led with the arm making contact with the opponents head in a manner that was likely to injure an opponent. It was certainly reckless and the player was not even looking at the ball Now we have all seen somewhat similar situation end up as a caution for being reckless and that is a judgement call of the referee. I watched in a Champions League qualifier last night where a player suggested irately to the referee that his opponent used an elbow in an aerial challenge. From my viewing it was just a free kick and no possibility even of a caution. That was not the players view of it
On the handling call for the penalty kick there seems in my opinion to be a premeditated attempt here by the player to stop the opponent by throwing himself backwards towards the ball with no regard for what part of his body made contact with the ball which included his arm. It certainly will have looked like deliberate handling to the referee in real time. Now I have watched it numerous times from all sorts of angles and perhaps one might come to the conclusion that it was not deliberate based on the way the play unfolded. That is not the way the referee saw it and that is all that matters. Another referee on another day may simply play on.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Matt,
I've only seen the PK incident so I'll only comment on that.
First, handling must be deliberate for it to be a foul. Accidental handling that provides a significant benefit for the person handling the ball is still not a foul.
Second, if a player is falling (eg, falling forwards), they have no control over their arms. It's natural to put the arms out, so if in doing so that contacts the ball, that's not a foul - although too many referees will give it. Again, deliberate. Of course, what happens afterwards may be a little different.
So, what happened here? If he threw his body onto the ball then I'd argue he accepts all the risk in doing so, and if the part of the body that he throws on the ball happens to be his arm (ie the arm underneath) then that's deliberate, so a foul.
Personally, I don't think he did that. He starts to get up while moving backwards, his heel catches the ground and he just happens to fall onto the ball. So that's an accident in my books. Meaning the arm contact is irrelevant. So it would only be a PK if he keeps his arm on the ball, or uses his arm to deliberately move the ball, and I can't see either happening. So it's the wrong call for me based on the video angle only, but that's because I interpret his move as unintentionally falling onto the ball, not throwing his body onto the ball.
The referee had a completely different angle though. If the player deliberately moved the ball with his arm after the fall, the camera has no chance of seeing it - but the referee would have. There are definitely a few moments when the ball is obscured by the player's body to us, but probably not the referee.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Mark Geiger is a professional referee, he is also a FIFA referee, he receives constant instructions and updates. He makes a living officiating and he is answerable to those who employee him. It would be most interesting to be a fly on the wall of the postgame review to listen to the comments good or bad. We ALL respect his role as an official and absolutely no ONE questions his integrity, a lesson learned from the ESSE WC incident in France 1998 .

The fact a few of us might choose to disagree with the need to make a particular call in no way undermines his authority or respect on the field. We all understand the view ON the field is different then looking in from OFF the field . Mark understands with the job comes the pressure and scrutiny of dissent, he accepts it because he trains for it!

FIFA constantly seems to review and offer new and ever changing guidelines which in our opinion make it difficult for those officiating at the highest level not to react to something currently being focused on like head contact.

No one disputes we often see some terrible intentional elbows and strikes most recently at the Canada WWC the Nigerian defender was caught on tape and fined and sanctioned for such a crude attack that actually went unnoticed by the referee. Blatant arm swinging is currently being targeted as something to be concerned about hence the red card appeared because MARK likely just watched a series of videos outlining that very topic and flashed on the need to do as instructed. The same with the DH foul leading to the PK Mark SAW something that targeted with what he was taught as correct . No one says those watching have to like it or even agree but they should realize he thought it necessary to do so!