Jorge Larrionda: malisimo!
The only thing worse than a diving Italian momma’s boy is horrible game calling from a ref.
Jorge Larrionda of Uruguay has put in the worst performance for a referee I think I’ve ever seen in a World Cup match, on both sides of the ball, and the USA/Italy game’s only minutes into the second half.
FIFA should be embarrassed, as I think Larrionda will be when he watches his own tape. If there’s any justice in the world, this is his last game of the Cup.
EDIT: Since I don’t care for American soccer broadcast commentary, I’ve been streaming the BBC’s Live Five broadcast while I watch the game on TV. This quote, from the BBC, is the type of snarky commentary I truly love from across the pond:
82 mins: Jorge Larrionda of Uruguay still has 10 minutes or so to make history. Never before have four men been sent off in a World Cup finals match.
EDIT: The game ends in a tie. The USA didn’t win; Italy didn’t win. Uruguay won. Larrionda, welcome to the Big Show; you failed miserably. Now go home.
Email Article Saturday, June 17th, 2006 at 03:13pm Mack Simpson
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1 Comment Add your own
1. makethelogobigger | June 17th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
Ha! I still have one wall without a hole in it. Looks like I’m patching drywall on Father’s Day. The reffing was effing, but at least for me it took the sting away from having Arena as coach.
The US attacked more up the middle and played better 1-2 combos, and never let Italy get time and space when they received balls, but Keller and a few others also killed momentum at times with unforced errant balls out of bounds and stupid passes to nowhere.
And I don’t want to say Beasley’s almost-goal wasn’t a good thing, but it sure looked he was dogging it out there late.
Bottom line for FIFA, they either need more refs or they have to define what a foul is and stick with it. Either tugging on a shirt is a foul or it’s a yellow. Not one way the first half and another in the second.
Unreal.
(BTW, this ref was suspended in 2002 for calls that were questionable in games yet FIFA never disclosed what they were.)
There was a case where an Italian player clipped a US player inside the box late, but the announcer said they would never call that in this type of match. He must’ve forgot Costa Rica had the same phantom call go it’s way when we played them back then resulting in a PK for them.
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