3-0 to Sweden despite Denmark scoring three goals
Saturday, 02 June 07, 03:57 PM · Comments (9)
I've just watched one of the most bizarre football matches I'm ever likely to watch. Not because of the football but because of a very poor referee.
Basically Aston Villa had Olof Mellberg and Thomas Sorensen playing tonight so I tuned in and watched. Sweden went three up in the first half hour Denmark came back to equalise.
With about five minutes to go there was an incident in the box that the referee missed. Play went on and when a break came the referee went over to the linesman who then proceeded to tell the referee that a Danish player had punched a Swedish player.
The referee then strolls over and rightly shows the red card to the offending player. Just as he's about to put the red card back into his pocket a Danish fan runs onto the pitch and goes to hit the referee. He made contact but because of a Danish player stepping in it was only a brush.
At this moment the referee decides to pull his three colleagues over. After about thirty seconds he decides to call off the game. Remember this; it isn't a Sunday match between two pub teams, it's a European qualifier broadcast globally.
Ten minutes later it's announced that the game ends 0-3 to Sweden.
If the game ended after 45 minutes it would have been the right result but in the second half Denmark deserved the three goals and with a few minutes to go could have quite fancied getting another.
The fan that ran onto the pitch, at best, touched the referee up. It was a brush or a stroke. Yes there was intent but it was nothing.
This game should not have been stopped. Up until this point there was no trouble and it was a drunk bloke angry with a decision the referee made, after not actually seeing it.
The problem is that referees think they are something they are not. They are, quite simply, custodians of the game. they are not there to make such decisions. He should have asked for more stewards and moved on.
The game is bigger than an individual, but it's about time someone told FIFA, who seem to think they can ruin our game.
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9 Comments · Add yours
On the other hand Sweden was awarded a penalty and a probably 4-3 goal, maybe that would have been a better end to the game. Still we have to react to these idiots invading the pitch.
I saw the game and the incident too. The security looked rather crappy over there. As I see it, it doesn't matter whether the ref really got punched or not. The [b]players[/b] had to stop the guy from attacking the ref -- can you believe that? I think the ref made the right decision.
As far as I know, the referees have more formal responsibility than being just "custodians of the game" -- they are in fact responsible for breaking games when security is at risk etc, bla bla blah.
We could do with that bloke at the next England game
Yes 4-3 to Sweden would have been a better ending.
Nah. Perfectly just decision. If the game is on Denmark's turf, they have a duty to protect the referee and players from the fans. If a player had smacked the ref he is in his right to call the game off.
That fan must be gutted, his actions took away a deserved point for the Danes.
Should've been 3-3 though, i don't remember Villa - Blues being made 0-0 after a fan slapped Enks in the face.
That bloke who ran on the pitch looked like he wanted to snog the ref, he didn't look like he had the strength to lift his arms never mind throw a punch, he'd certainly downed some pies, must be tasty over there.
Strange decision after that incident, was the referee unable to return due to crying in his dressing room?
that ref wasnt really watching it when the player got punched. so he asked the linesman and he said the swedish player had got punched by a danish player so he sent him off . and that stupid old fan came on the pitch and punched the ref .
Never mind the score of the match. Did anyone notice how poor sorensen was for the 3 goals he conceded?