Source: U.S.-Slovenia ref gets poor rating
By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Saturday, Jun 19, 2010
Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo
JOHANNESBURG – The referee who disallowed a potential game-winning goal for the U.S. against Slovenia was given a poor rating following an expedited review of his performance Saturday, according to a FIFA source.
FIFA’s referee committee reviewed the video of Team USA’s 2-2 draw with Slovenia in which Mali referee Koman Coulibaly denied Maurice Edu’s 85th-minute strike. Coulibaly appeared to rule that an American attacker had impeded a Slovenian defender, even though video replays showed no definitive infringement.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that FIFA will comment Monday on the referee performance in the U.S. match.
The committee evaluated Coulibaly’s performance on a series of factors, including his condition, positioning and decision-making, said the source, who is close to senior figures on the committee.
[Photos: See more of controversial referee Koman Coulibaly ]
While the official’s fitness and movement were solid, FIFA referee chiefs were concerned about several of Coulibaly’s decisions and the way he appeared to lose control of a highly physical contest.
The assignments for the final round of group matches have yet to be assigned, but given Coulibaly’s rating, there is virtually no chance he will get to referee any more matches in the tournament. However, he could still be used as a fourth official.
Yahoo! Sports reported on Friday that Coulibaly faced being excluded from refereeing for the remainder of the World Cup and that his performance would be heavily scrutinized.
“If he is found to have made a serious mistake, especially one that affected the outcome, then he would be highly unlikely to play any further part in the tournament,” the FIFA source said. “FIFA is determined to keep refereeing standards high and does not want high-profile mistakes.”
U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who is normally reserved in making critical judgments about referee decisions, was incensed by Coulibaly’s decision on Edu’s goal and indicated that it may have resembled the kind of “make-up call” often seen in the NBA.
“There are times when a referee blows a foul and now thinks either he didn’t make the correct call on the foul or a previous play,” Bradley said. “Then literally, as soon as the free kick’s taken, he blows his whistle.”
FIFA chooses its referees and assistants for each game from a list of elite officials specially selected for the tournament. They are evaluated before the tournament to ensure that their fitness and knowledge are up to standards. At the end of the group stage, the best referees are picked to officiate the crucial knockout matches.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter refused to comment directly about Coulibaly, but directed reporters to recent comments he had made about the overall standard of refereeing.
“FIFA’s goal is to improve the quality of refereeing,” Blatter said before the World Cup. “We want to make referees more professional and better prepared, and to assist referees as much as possible.”
Coulibaly is part of a three-man crew that also features Redouane Achik of Morocco and Inacio Candido of Angola as his assistants. If Coulibaly is ruled out of future matches, that will also prevent his colleagues from taking part.
Said USA star Clint Dempsey said of Coulibaly: “It is up to FIFA what they do about him.”