Kevork Djansezian / AP

UNREST >>>> Portugal players argue with Netherlands' Andre Ooijer behind a seemingly oblivious Valentin Ivanov, the Russian match referee.

Web Exclusive | The World Cup | Portugal v Netherlands Refereeing Put On Trial At Nuremburg With 14 yellow cards and four reds, Russia's Valentin Ivanov presided over the worst match of the tournament ... so far By BRUCE CRUMLEY subscribe to TIME Printable Version email this story Refereeing: Officially Wrong

Posted Monday, June 26, 2006; 13.26BST
Lovers of pure football and fair play, the second round game between Portugal and the Netherlands was the dream match for you. Ditto those who appreciate a referee who lives and breathes the principle that no one comes to see officials do their work (therefore keep the hell out of the way of the players fans do pay to watch). The result of all that exemplary activity was an upset 1-0 Portuguese victory that often looked more like a pro wrestling match — featuring as it did bad theatrics, horrid sportsmanship, and some astonishingly poor football for a World Cup knock-out round.

Imagine a drunken white trash family row at Christmas dinner and you'll get an idea of the atmosphere. If there could be such a thing as a silver lining in as adulterated a game as this one was, it was that the majority of shoddy football was the work of the Dutch — making the Portuguese win merited, albeit in an utterly warped context.

French friends have heard (and alternatively chuckled or rolled their eyes at) my only slightly hyperbolic dictum when it comes to referees: they should be systematically shot after every matched on the logic that even if they didn't butcher that one, they will the next. Or both. Case in point: Russian referee Valentin Ivanov. His stewardship of Portugal-Netherlands was the second World Cup match he has absolutely brutalized with his incontinent whistling, and unrestrained orgy of card waving.

He started strong with the France-Switzerland game, where he distributed eight, mostly undeserved yellow cards.But that was just a warm up for his single-handed massacring of Portugal-Netherlands. Witness his 16 bookings on the night, and four players shown red cards — a tournament record. In his worst spasm of sanctioning, Ivanov let fly with six yellow cards between the 73rd and 78th minutes alone, a melt-down that will have heads shaking for a long while to come. "It's too bad the referee had to make a mess of this game," the usually soft-spoken Dutch coach Marco van Basten said after the match. "I don't want to be too harsh, but you have to say it: he made a mess of it."

But you'd expect the losing coach to say that though, right? Okay, so how about FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who astounded the footballing world by breaking his addiction to the sterilized, "all is well" party line by acknowledging that Ivanov "was not at the same level as the" players he reigned over. Dotting that condemning "i", Blatter added: "In this case, the referee deserved a red card". In other words, don't expect to see Ivanov in shorts again in this World Cup. In fact, his Numb Nuts in Nuremburg act probably means we've seen the last of him, tout court.

Yet, the man from Moscow shouldn't carry the can for thisRound of 16 debacle on his own. Far be it from me to find mitigating circumstances for refereeing you wouldn't want to step in if it were lying on a sidewalk, but Ivanov had lots of help in pushing the match far beyond the pale. After the only goal of the night — a 23rd minute shot by midfielder Maniche the right of the penalty spot — the game slowly degenerated into a series of desperate and often reckless Dutch efforts to score, followed by lunging moves back on defense to prevent the sprinting Portuguese from doubling their lead.

By the time the second half developed peach fuzz, however, Dutch desire to even the mark had morphed ill-contained vexation and frustration at being denied — often by their own self-defeating facility of lobbing Hail Mary balls into the penalty area, where they invariably found Lusitanian defenders. Tackles got wilder, contact harder, simulations more grotesque, and ultimately, shoves and slaps common.

story continues

And all through it, Ivanov struggled to regain control and his own self-confidence through bookings — which only pour gas on the flaming tempers of players. Thuggish Dutch players like Mark van Bommel alternated cheap shots with wilting-lily dives, and one truly misguided move to get Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo booked by faking an entirely imaginary blow to the face during a jaw-fest. Talk about tempting fate. Three minutes later, as the same Figo dribbled shoulder to shoulder with Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz, he exploited a flailing arm to feign a blow to the face of his own — the resulting yellow card being Boulahrouz's second, and a one way trip to the showers.

By the time the final whistle was blown, a sense of relief filtered among the Portuguese joy (and Dutch disappointment) that this parody of sport had finally finished without anyone getting seriously hurt, or any career-jeopardizing acts of violence. It was without doubt the most dismal match in the current tournament, and even in recent Cup history.

Was there anything positive in the unsightly dog-pile? If so, van Basten himself may have found it, noting at least quarter-final pairing of England and Portugal will offer the world a re-match of the teams' scintillating, though controversial semi-final game in the European Championships of 2004. Even if the two sides don't play a game of that quality, it's certain they'll manage to do better than the Knuckle fest in Nuremburg. We can only go up from here.

BACK TO TOP

Printable Version

email this story

	From the TIME archive
	Officially Wrong Referee errors have marred an otherwise high-quality series   Sphere Of Influence What part does the new ball have to play?   Korea: Heavy Going The folks at home stay up late to support their team   The U.S. Bows Out With Honor Ghana delivers the knockout blow to Team USA's World Cup hopes   The Truth About Swiss Neutrality [June 14, 2006] The Crimson Tide hits Stuttgart to prove they are les Bleus worst nightmare   Party People [June 26, 2006] Germany stops worrying and lears to love itself   Jumping The Gun [June 16, 2006] No time for Italy to bring in a football amnesty   France: So Far, So Good [June 24, 2006] Are les Bleus united enough to go any further?   Technophobia [June 26, 2006] Why won't FIFA take the automatic route?   Japan's Soccer Samurais Are Left Feeling Blue [June 12, 2006] Asian champions in the doghouse after loss to Aussies   The World Cup Web Can't get to Germany? Experience the tournament online   Off To A Good Start [June 19, 2006] The first few days of the Cup have had it all   Mirror Images [June 19, 2006] Germany's coach and the U.S.'s compared   The Global Game [June 12, 2006] What football's success tells us about the modern world   Fair Play [June 12, 2006] Even Burma's generals realize the simple joy of kicks   New Pitch [June 12, 2006] Germany aims to demonstrate friendliness, creativity — and humor   Iran And Football [June 12, 2006] Football, politics and social change mixed in an uncertain cocktail   The Cup That Cheers [June 12, 2006] Moments that make the World Cup great   Global Game [May 22, 2006] Nike and Adidas are using the planet's grandest gathering to kick sale Search all issues of TIME Magazine Indicates premium content