Question Number: 30006

Law 4 - Players Equipment 12/27/2015

RE: Other

Melvin H. of Colorado Springs, CO U.S.A. asks...

This question is a follow up to question 29998

Following up on #29998: If I remember, did not the referee in the 2002 World Cup final (Brazil v. Germany) stop the game in the first half to change his shirt? (I don't remember why it happened, but was it a similar color to one of the jerseys?)

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Melvin
It dont believe it happened in that game. The referee was Perluigi Collina and he started in black and finished in black. Was there a suggestion of a jersey swap with the referee perhaps?
In 1998 Premier League referee David Elleray was forced to change his shirt midway through a match between Aston Villa and Wimbledon as it was deemed too similar to those worn by the Wimbledon players.
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/sep-1998-referee-david-elleray-has-to-change-his-shirt-during-the-fa-picture-id1270169
He used a Villa training top turned inside out. See around 55secs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-i9Whqt9qw
I looked at some other video of that year and in one game involving Wimbledon I could barely pick out the referee. In that game there was no change requested of the referee by the teams.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Melvin,
hmmm 2002 WC final? Collina refereed that final thanks to Italy not being there! lol I saw no jersey change, unless he changed to the same colour for sweat purposes?
The Italy-South Korea match & the Spain-South Korea matches were mired in controversy thanks in part to Jack Warner and the referee crews selected. I can not recall a referee changing the game jersey although many(particularly the Spaniards and the Italians) will tell you it was the disguised colour of south Korea in these two matches lol The denial of goals in the Spanish match were hard to fathom. The send off of Totti was a mistake. It was NOT a foul in my opinion, the defender managed to poke the ball away, but there was slight contact AFTER that caused Totti to fall. To say he dived to get the PK there was a harsh decision. The referee up until that moment was having in my opinion a rather good match, despite his later year antics that have unfortunately disgraced his career and besmirched his character.


March 9th 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/wardrobe-clash-at-s-league-match-draws-flak-ridicule

A wardrobe clash took centre stage during last Friday's S-League football game between Home United and Hougang United, that was shown live on television.

Referee Ahmad A'Qashah and his assistants had to change their black tops at half-time as the attire clashed with Home's dark blue jersey - leading to comical instances of players passing the ball to the referee.

But the drama did not end there for the men in black at the Jalan Besar Stadium. As their alternative orange kit also matched Hougang's jersey, the officials were forced to wear the league's anniversary shirts with "20" emblazoned on their backs for the entire second half. Their Fifa badges were hastily stuck on the front of the green tops.

Responding to The Straits Times, an S-League spokesman apologised for the "one-off incident", which drew criticism and ridicule from fans and officials.

The spokesman said: "Due to the shortage of time as it was a match that was going to be telecast live on television, the officials met, discussed and did their best to sort out the issue to allow the match to proceed.

"We will be reviewing it to prevent a recurrence."

The 1-1 scoreline will stand, despite both teams mistaking the referee for a player, particularly in the first half.

The Straits Times understands team colours are confirmed at least a day before a game. It is up to match officials to choose a kit - they typically have up to four variations - that best distinguishes themselves from the players.

Sources said A'Qashah, who officiated at the Brazil-Japan friendly last October, and his assistants first discovered the clash of colours at 6pm last Friday, 90 minutes before kick-off.

Lawyer Jeffrey Beh, who chaired the Football Association of Singapore referees' committee from 1996 to 2011, blamed the officials for their lack of initiative. He said: "The referees should be well prepared for every contingency. It is not up to the teams to accommodate them... The referees' department must take responsibility for this embarrassment."

But one senior referee, who declined to be named, said the league has issued them only black and orange tops so far this season. A third option (green) is due to arrive only in two weeks.

The S-League said that when Hougang, the home team, were asked prior to kick-off if they could wear yellow, they said the kits were not at the venue.

But Hougang team manager Matthew Tay refuted this version of events, saying: "We had our yellow kit on standby in the dressing room but were not asked to use it.

"We were shocked to see the officials in black for the first half as it was so close to Home's colours, causing both teams to be confused and misplace passes."

Home, meanwhile, rejected the league's request to don their red jerseys. Said chief executive Azrulnizam Shah: "We raised the point that the red kit would clash with the orange of Hougang. We were eventually told to stick to the first choice of our dark blue away kit."

The incident draws more unwanted attention to the competition, which recently backtracked on a proposed ruling to limit the number of players older than 30 at each club.

Football fan Eric Siew, 38, said: "The first and most important step to getting crowds back to S-League stadiums is to be credible and professional.

"When you have a referee receiving a pass or running around with a number on his back, it's more a comedy than a competition."

Cheers