Soccer ref blunders put strain on truce

LONDON – A referee sends off the wrong player in a Champions League game. Officials mistakenly award a goal that never happened in a Football League Championship match in England. It was a bad week for those in charge of keeping control of soccer games, and it came at a time when referees are demanding respect from players and managers. The truce players and managers signed at the start of the Premier League season — in which they would avoid criticizing officials — is just about holding after a month of play. There are signs, however, it is being stretched to breaking point. Coaches such as Everton's David Moyes have been banished from the bench for protesting a referee's decision. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson accused the head of Premier League referees of showing favoritism toward Chelsea after a red card given Blues captain John Terry was rescinded. Referee Mike Riley showed eight yellow cards at Sunday's Chelsea-Man United 1-1 draw — seven to visiting Red Devils — and the game ended in acrimony. Angry United players surrounded Riley demanding explanations and accusing Chelsea's Didier Drogba of cheating. Despite the card count in their team's favor, Chelsea fans also abused Riley as he left the field at Stamford Bridge. That's because the official called an end to the game after Drogba had been fouled by Rio Ferdinand on the edge of the United penalty area. With Chelsea pressing for the winner, the Blues wanted the free kick and Ferdinand sent off. Ferdinand stormed off the field in a fury at Riley and Drogba, and Ferguson went on to call his players away from the referee. With the season still in its early stages and several more months to go before titles are handed out, coaches are containing themselves regarding referees. Ferguson, who has a history of berating officials and opposing managers, restricted his remarks this time to saying it was a shame that a game being screened worldwide on TV should have so many yellow cards, which will lead to a fine of more than $46,000 for his club. Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari backed the officials. "I'm not surprised there were so many yellow cards," the former Brazil and Portugal coach said. "The referee is there for this. If players don't respect him they should get a yellow or red. Not only for Manchester United — Chelsea, Liverpool, any club if they don't respect the referee." But another big blunder by a referee or a linesman might test Scolari's patience. Last Wednesday, Italian referee Matteo Trefoloni sent off Aalborg's Michael Beauchamp for hauling down Celtic forward Giorgios Samaras, even though it was clear that another defender, Michael Jakobsen, committed the foul. UEFA eventually overturned the decision and handed the one-game suspension to Jakobsen. On Saturday, a linesman flagged for a goal for Reading against Watford after he thought he saw the ball cross the goal line. The ball actually went wide of the post, but the referee, at 25 the youngest in the league, went with his linesman's decision and mistakenly awarded the goal, which stood in a 2-2 draw. "My conclusion is obviously that it wasn't right," Reading manager Steve Coppell said Monday. "If the authorities decide a replay is the correct thing to do then I've got no objections whatsoever." League officials said Monday there would be no replay. Trefoloni's blunder was in a 0-0 draw and didn't affect the result. But what if the next one hands three points to one of the leading league title contenders or leads to one of them being knocked out of the Champions League or domestic cup competitions? Scolari's faith in the referees may not be so strong if Chelsea is the victim of a referee's mistake and goes another season without the Premier League or Champions League title. And, truce aside, surely Ferguson won't be so forgiving if a referee's mistaken whistle or a blundering linesman's flag means the Red Devils lose the Premier League or Champions League. – AP