Published>Mon, Jun 21 10 08:37 PM
Senior World Cup referees defended some of their lesser-known colleagues on Monday, following criticism that refs from such countries as Mali do not have the experience to handle big games.
The subject of refereeing experience came to the fore in the match between the United States and Slovenia when the referee, Koman Coulibaly from Mali, disallowed a goal in the dying minutes which would have handed victory to the U.S.
The referee has since declined to say why he disallowed the goal, and replays have not shown any obvious misdemeanour, prompting some in the U.S. media to question whether Coulibaly had the right experience to handle such an important match.
Italy's Roberto Rosetti told Reuters he did benefit from the experience of working in the Serie A league every weekend, and the pressure that comes with it, but said all the referees at the World Cup had worked together for over three years to prepare.
"We've done a lot of tournaments together, we've done important matches, FIFA qualification games and I think my colleagues are the top referees in the world," he said, after training to the sound of vuvuzela trumpets as part of their preparation in Pretoria.
HIGH PROFILE
Howard Webb, one of the most high profile referees at the tournament due to his role officiating in the English Premier League, said fans and the media needed to drop the idea that referees were selected on a whim.
"This group have been together for a long time," he said. "We've been selected from a larger list based on performances in seminars, matches and tournaments. This list of 24 referees isn't one that's just been pulled out of a hat.
"And it shows what great referees these people are, making it at this level from countries which aren't exposed to that kind of pressure week in and week out.
"Maybe we have a slight advantage initially from being exposed to that, but it doesn't mean it's a bar to guys who aren't used to it.
"They have worked hard and excelled and if they hadn't done they wouldn't be here. Only the guys that make the grade get selected."
Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda, the head of the FIFA refereeing department, told reporters he had been very pleased with the standard of officiating so far and praised the performance of Ravshan Irmatov from Uzbekistan who handled the opening match.
Irmatov, asked by a gaggle of reporters ahead of the opening match how he would handle the pressure, reminded the journalists that he had refereed a game before.
"We are not refereeing for the first time," he said earlier this month, "We go and just do our job. Nothing extraordinary."
Source: Web Search
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