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Crucial for Cup refs to get right angle
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-07 08:48
BERLIN - It's all in the angles. That's the view of one of the world's top 21
referees whose job it is to eliminate cheating at this year's World Cup.
The referees of the soccer World Cup 2006 pose
for a picture in Neu Isenburg, near Frankfurt, central Germany, Monday,
June 5, 2006. Front row from left: Toru Kamikawa, Japan, Shamsul Madin,
Singapore, Essam Abd el Fatah, Egypt, Coffi Codija, Benim, Khalil Al
Ghamdi, Saudi Arabia, Mogamed Guezzaz, Morocco, Jerome Damon, South
Africa, Kevin Stott, USA. Middle row from left: Benito Archundia, Mexico,
Marco Rodriguez, Mexico, Clarlos Amarilla, Paraguay, Horacio Elizondo,
Argentina, Jorge Larrionda, Uruguay, Oscar Ruiz, Colombia, Carlos Simon,
Brazil, Mark Shield, Australia, Carlos Chandia, Chile. Back row from left,
Massiom Bussaca, Switzerland, Franck de Bleekere, Belgium, Valantin
Ivanov, Russia, Luis Medina Cantalejo, Spain, Markus Merk, Germany, Lubos
Michel, Slovakia, Graham Poll, England, Eric Poulat, France, Roberto
Rosetti, Italy.[AP] |
Mark Shield, a 32-year-old Australian widely viewed as the man to pick up the
mantle of the world's top referee from Italy's Gianluigi Collina, got into the
nitty gritty of how to stop the cheats during a gathering of World Cup referees
in Frankfurt.
FIFA has ordered referees at the tournament, which starts Friday, to clamp
down on "simulation," the art of trying to win a free kick or a penalty and get
the opposing player into trouble.
"It's all a question of being in the right place at the right time," Shield
told The Associated Press. The 32-year-old Shield is the youngest referee at the
tournament, but this is already his second World Cup.
Simulation, or diving, was perfected on the playing fields of southern Europe
and Latin America decades ago. Seen by many in those countries as part of the
game, the rest of the world goes irate at what they see as downright cheating.
Now, with players crossing continents to play, professionals often seem to
regard learning how to dive as a training ground exercise. Some people consider
the development as a global stain on soccer's character.
For referees, it's all a question of being there when the simulated foul
supposedly takes place, and in just the right position to be able to see if
there is any contact at all between the players.
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