The Mastroeni Tackle

That’s not a straight red … unless the ref is looking to balance out the Italians being down a man. PM arguably gets ball before he gets man. No other ref in the entire World Cup has given a straight red on dozens and dozens of other fouls that were at least as harsh at that one.

Posted from  United States

I agree it isn’t necessarily a straight red, but it is TECHNICALLY the right call. I really don’t think even this screwed up ref would have given it a red, though, if the game hadn’t been so physical and full of fouls. PM knew that, of course, which puts the blame for going in cleats up squarely on his own shoulders. He should have been more careful, bottom line.

Sorry, as a non american who was hoping they’d get a result against the eyeties, i really don’t see how there can be a complaint about the red card there. You can argue that other people have made tackles like that but nevertheless according to FIFA’s instructions to the refs that was a straight red.

Posted from  United Kingdom

incidentally, when portugal had a man sent off against SK in 2002 for a 2 footed challenge and then another sent off for a 2nd yellow in a game which allowed the US to go through, how many US fans were ranting about corrupt refs then ?

Posted from  United Kingdom

Absolutely criminal! Red card well used! From the side??? This guy should be arrested!

Re: Portugal vs. Korea 2002, there’s a world of difference between going in cleats up with both feet and sliding in with one foot (as PM did). If you watch the replay carefully, you’ll see that PM either clipped the ball first or was within millimeters of doing so as the Italian player was passing it. At worst PM was late by nanoseconds, and it was one foot, not two. Again, technically any cleats up play can be red carded, but there have been many of those in this Cup that have not even garnered a yellow. For example, in today’s game between Spain and Tunisia, Spain’s Puyol made a hard cleats up tackle on a Tunisian player. He used both feet and the ball was about 6 feet out in front of the Tunisian. He didn’t even get booked with a yellow. Just a foul was called. That’s typical, along with getting booked. A red is almost unheard of for what PM did, although it was correct from a strict ‘by the book’ ruling. So again, in the situation facing the US, PM gets the blame for a stupid foul at a crucial time.

Sorry US fans,

That was a terrible challenge, almost amateur. He deserved a red card. I guess we will never know what his true intent was but he was nowhere near the ball. The way I see it, Pablo saw that Italy was in a position to put a dangerous ball into the 18-yard box and decided to take out Pirlo. It’s a tactic that has been used over and over. You give up a free kick but at least you can get everyone in front of the net defending. He probably just figured he’d get a slap on the wrist or receive a yellow card, I guess he was wrong.

Posted from  Canada

RE Portugal: About as many Portugal or South Korea fans who are in here complaining about corrupt refs. Whats the point? Doesn’t mean the refs are not corrupt.

I think the ref’ing in this World Cup has been exemplary after Korea, but this was by far the worst job I have seen since the 9th.

I just don’t see the PM red card. I have watched that replay countless times and I just don’t see it. I agree with virtually everyone here that it was a stupid foul done right under the refs nose in the wrong part of the field. I agree that there most certianly should have been a yellow card, and had there not been one I would have thought he got off easy. A red?

If he was just looking to even things up (which I can see but I don’t agree with throwing someone off for a far less foul to square up the other team after loosing someone for a much worse transgression,) then what was the line of thinking when he ejected Pope?

Atleast pope had a yellow card, so he was a much easier target. I just don’t even see the yellow card in that play.

If it is just a case of a ref calling THAT tight a game then I think there really is some cause for complaint. If someone gets a red card for something that he can clearly point to 50 or 60 other examples in the same tournament where that was either not called or simply yellow carded and not a single other example of it resulting in a Red, you have to look at the Ref of that game. When there are more red cards handed out in a single game than the entire world cup to date. It was just not that physical, and that nasty of a game.

Posted from  United States

Well, not the ENTIRE world cup, just the ‘06. I am sure there is a game back in 1942 or sometime where a couple more red cards got handed out in a single game.

Posted from  United States

Whatever that tackle was, the ref made a decision and that’s that. That is how footbal is allover, lets get over it. Teams lose games because of worse decisions and they go on with their lives. This won’t be the first or the last controversial decision in football “life goes in”. Who knows in the next game against Ghana decisions might go our way and I bet on that, on the basis of the refreeing against African teams in the tournament I’d say we will get most of the decisions and that reason to cheer up in advance, don’t you think guys.

Mastroeni consistently attempts to compensate for his lack of speed with desperate tackles such as this – it probably cost the US a victory, and advancement into round 2. And this is one of the main reasons he will never be picked up by a first class European team. Regardless, within the discretion of the referee, but still very harsh, especially considering that the tape reveals that this was NOT a two-footed tackle.

Posted from  United States

you know guys just watched it again, lets all hope the guys dont pull that again(right in front of the ref…what an unproffesional error) kind of makes ya scratch your head askin ‘what the hell was he thinkin’?

Posted from  United States

I think the ref got it right with all the dismissals. De Rossi was a disgrace though, and if he plays again at these finals it’s a disgrace.

Posted from  United Kingdom

The fact is that Mastro wouldn’t have gotten a red card had the ref not given one earlier in the game. He would have gotten a yellow — refs always look to even things up, especially when teams like Italy and Germany are involved. You see this with penalties as well as cards. There seems to be a mindset where the refs don’t want to be the cause of teams winning or losing and will look to any opportunity to even up game breaking decisions. Let’s just hope that our players in the future have the footballing sense not to commit immensely stupid fouls like that and let the referee decide the game.
Aso — If FIFA are serious about “fair play” de Rossi would be banned for the remainder of the World Cup.

Posted from  United States

Zico said, “The way I see it, Pablo saw that Italy was in a position to put a dangerous ball into the 18-yard box and decided to take out Pirlo. It’s a tactic that has been used over and over. You give up a free kick but at least you can get everyone in front of the net defending. He probably just figured he’d get a slap on the wrist or receive a yellow card, I guess he was wrong.”

Gee, that would be solid reasoning if the ball weren’t at the opposite end of the field. Try again.

Just like all the rest of the world, Uruguay has it out for the Americans and is in bed with the Italians who paid the ref to give PM a red card even though his “aim was on the ball”. Sorry, people, but if you don´t like USA do something political and keep it apart from soccer.

Posted from  Peru

All of you something very important, THE BOTTOM LINE IS IT IS A RED CARD WHEN THE REF SAYS SO. NOT WHEN THE RULE BOOK DOES, SAME THING FOR PENALTY KICKS, THEY EXIST ONLY WHEN THE REF SAYS, THATS WHAT THIS GAME IS ALL ABOUT NO REPLAYS NO CHANLENGING NO NOTHING JUST PLAIN AND GOOD FOOTBALL. LIKE IT HAS BEEN FOR THE PAST 18 WORLD CUPS.

SO MASTROENI HAS A RED CARD, SO DOES POPE SO DE ROSSI AND LET IT GO……

id just like to point out that everybody from the U.S. says he didnt deserve a red card n everybody else thinks he did

Posted from  United States

As a soccer player I know that a tackle like that can ruin players careers knocking them out of not just the game but possibly the entire tournament. When you slide into a tackle technically you are supposed to point your boots down so that you minimize the risk of injury. Usually though you can get away with going in studs first since the ref has to make an instant call on what he sees and he has no replays to look at. But if you look at the Mastroeni tackle the ref is standing just behind them and had a good look at what was happening. Which was Mastroeni coming in and clipping both ankles of the Italian player with his studs. No way any player can expect to get away with a foul like that right under the refs nose. If the ref was farther away he might have gotten away with a yellow. With the ref standing right there, the US in good control of the game and a few minutes left in the half I think that was a horrible decision on the part of Mastroeni.

Posted from  United States

yeah to say the US was fouling italy like crazy is stupid

those guys were falling over and grabbing anything they could trying to get a call

and yes the rules need to change

if mcbride played for italy he would have been stretchered off the field

or most european teams for that matter

a korean player was stretchered off in 02 for a head but that wasnt that bad

the only time you are stretchered off in american football is if you cant walk or you are paralyzed

Posted from  United States

I am a referee, referee instructor, and a referee assessor. I have refereed professional level games. In the beloved game of soccer there are the laws of the game and more importantly the “Sprit of the Game”. While technically Larrionda was correct by his decisions of the cards, was it really within the sprit of the game? I personally don’t think so. More importantly consistency in refereeing is more important. If Larrionda was consistent throughout the game it would have needed to be abandoned due to a lack of players. Many fouls went on in the second half that were not considered fouls that were cardable offences in the beginning. If the decision to card is correct it must be constant throughout the entire 90 minutes. Remember it is not the one or two questionable decisions a referee makes in a game but the consistency of the decisions that will enable a referee to control the game and gain the respect of the player as well as increase the enjoyment for the fans.

Posted from  United States

Amoricans are just mad because they think 6 years should make a soccer dynasty. LOL. Italy looked bad and still prevented an american from scoring. The ref should have the Black Hand after him. 2 obvious red cards. That was a good shot to the face. It is good to see a little nacy boy take a shot in the face. Popes red card I don’t know, maybe he said something ghetto like “bomb first” or “lean wit it”. I may have been born in Texas but I hate how whiny america has become and oh yeah Pablo knew what he was doing I was a fullback for years. I know how to hide or try to hide a cheap shot. There is no sense in repling to my comment if you are a american because you opinion means nothing..

Posted from  United States

Looks like the Italians are working on a few more moves.

http://www.footballfansfortruth.us/archives/001515.html

Posted from  United States

Deserved. It was a stupid play by PM in a game that was being reffed like it was.

PM should of been given a Yellow Card. To all you foreign fools who think you know soccer (Futbol), stop being foolish. In 2002, the USA aganist Germany, they had the GOAL called back. The USA should of moved into the semi finals then, and until you foreign people understand that ” El todo el mundo odios del USA”—tambien in desportes, algo. The USA will shine on and defeat the Muslim terriosts.