Tevez Apology Doesn't Excuse Poor Officiating
Carlos Tevez has apologized for his offside opening goal in the 3-1 match between Argentina and Mexico that sent Argentina to the round of 16 and Mexico packing.
"At first I thought he (Rosetti) was saying that it was not a goal, then I saw the signal and I started (celebrating) and I was happy,'' Tevez said. "I know I was offside, I know it was selfish but as long as they say it was a goal it's OK for me and the team.''
Working off a pass from Messi, Tevez was way beyond the last Mexico defender when he played the ball but Italian referee Roberto Rosetti and his assistants did not see this.
Tevez conscience got the best of him, and if clearing it was what he needs to do to feel better about himself then good on the guy. And can you really blame him? Like all the players the pressure to perform and score at the World Cup drives them to work harder than they have ever played before. They take chances when they see them and Tevez took a chance. Unfortunately he neglected to remember the basics of football, but ultimately the decision he cannot be held responsible.
Rosetti's error was gross, and cost Mexico the potential to take the lead. Whether or not they could of pulled it off of even a win against Argentina is besides the point, Argentina was unfairly granted the lead.
The Italian referee has not been the only one to make a mistake this world Cup. Earlier in the same day Jorge Larrionda made one of the worst referee blunders in World Cup history when he failed to see England's Frank Lampard tie the score with Germany.
Ask any England fan, ask any German fan for that matter, the ball going at least a yard over the goal line and was broadcast over the big screen in a reply.The ball bounced off the underside of the crossbar and bounced down behind the goal line. How anyone let alone four referees could fail to see this is beyond the comprehension of most people and begs the question what were they looking at if not the ball.
FIFA refused to comment on what repercussions will befall the two referees but has apologized to England and Mexico for less than par officiating. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said "It has not been a five-star game for referees. I’m distressed by the evident referees’ mistakes.”
More than anything this has raised questions as to why FIFA has not been using video technology in their matches for more accurate officiating. The Federation's stubborn insistence that technology doesn't belong in football has threatened the credibility of the sport in the eyes of the players, coaches and spectators.
Blatter had rationalized FIFA's decision because “We want to keep football as a game of the people with a human face, so we don’t want technology on the field of play because we want to maintain the spontaneity of football — played, administered and controlled by human beings.”
But it is also the human errors that have cost two teams a fair game and raises the larger question of, can we say for sure that the World Cup Champion is really the best team in the world, or are they just the "human face of football" champions?
Blatter will reopen the issue after the Cup finishes at a meeting with the International Football Association Board.
"[Rosetti] was not sharp enough, not focused enough and that is an error that the technology cannot change anything about," said Peter Mikkelson Scheef, a Danish member of the FIFA Referee Committee. The referee training program will also be reviewed after the Cup concludes, and updates will be made.
FIFA spent $40 million dollars worldwide on the programs used to prepare officials for refereeing World Cup matches. 30 referees are eventually chosen along with 60 assistants.
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