Corruption, not common sense, has been the main order of business at soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, these past couple of decades. The greedy eyes of the sport’s bureaucrats have been so fixated on self-interest that glaring chasms could sit open in the rulebook and no one blinked.
One such oversight is the lack of video replay even when the technology, the public backing and, goodness knows, the money is there to make it a staple part of the game.
Last Sunday brought us some extraordinary scenes that showed precisely why soccer’s hierarchy needs to pull their heads out of their free lunches and urgently usher in electronic assistance for certain on-field decisions.
With 15 minutes left in the decisive contest in Group B of the Copa America at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Peru’s Raul Ruidiaz turned a cross from the right into his net and celebrated like a man whose nation was about to beat Brazil for the first time in 31 years. Peru insisted Ruidiaz’s contact with the ball was with his thigh. Brazil was adamant it was a hand ball.
Cue confusion and farce.
Referee Andres Cunha from Uruguay had no idea what had happened, as seen by the panicked expression on his face. Immediately confronted by players from both teams, he tried in vain to wave them away. No dice.
He sought help from his assistant referee on the sideline, but found only a shrug of the shoulders and a bemused look there. He waved across to the fourth official, situated on the sideline, but his gesture went unnoticed.
So Cunha got on his earpiece, chatting with a match official, presumably seeking some kind of guidance as to whether the goal was legitimate or not. Kind of like: “Hey guys, did anyone have a TV on and maybe saw what happened?”
Oops, that was no good either, and maybe it is just as well. Video replay is not permitted, and a decision based off it would probably have caused even more of a ruckus.
Cunha was left with no option but to go with his gut. His view of the play even though the angle he was placed in made it impossible to see with any clarity whether it was Ruidiaz’s thigh, hip and, or as was the case, forearm that guided the ball into the net.
Of course, as we now know, he got it wrong. Peru got the goal, and the win. Brazil got the short straw, elimination and ridicule upon their return home.
It was wrong, no matter what your allegiance, however much you like an upset, even if you believe luck evens out over time.
No question Cunha handled the situation poorly and lost control. Maybe he had a bad night. Maybe he is just not a very good official.
It doesn’t matter. Good, bad and indifferent, no referee should be put in such an impossible scenario when such serious matters are at hand. The Copa America is important enough … just ask Brazil coach Dunga, who is likely to lose his job after his team’s exit in the group stage.
At a World Cup the stakes are even higher. With outrageous sums of money at its disposal, it is incumbent on FIFA to make a move for the actual good of the game. Now there is a novel idea.
FIFA loves television so much for the money it spreads, flooding the game at the top level. So why not actually make it a real part of the proceedings?
The best thing to come out of Sunday was that the old argument about delaying the game was resoundingly blown out of the water. The confusion and the protests and all that acrimony held up the action far longer than having a booth official glance at a replay would have, which would also bring the delightful little bonus of, you know, actually getting the call right.
Of course, there is no desire to see soccer go down the road of the NFL or NBA, where many calls can be reviewed. Yet for incidents that lead to goals, penalty kicks or red cards, there is enough on the line for accuracy to become paramount.
Yes, soccer’s rules have been in place for 150 years but the rulebook has been shifted before. There was once a cute little clause whereby you could shoulder charge the goalkeeper while he was holding the ball and try to smash him into the net. The referee used to stand on the sideline, not on the field. The offside rule was once such a mess and so shifted in the favor of the defense that goals all but dried up.
Don’t remember that? Not surprising, because it happened way, way back in the past. Which is where soccer is stuck, and will remain, until it turns to television for the salvation of fairness.
