by Sedley Joseph

This article was penned by the CIC Football Team’s Technical Director on November 23rd 2009.

The last two weeks will certainly be remembered by football fans for the errors made by referees and linesmen, both in T & T and in a World Cup qualifier.

Two weeks ago C.I.C came up against it’s oldest rival Q.R.C at the Hasley Crawford Stadium and as usual there was the usual large turnout of supporters including a great number of past students. The game started at a very brisk pace and each team tried to gain the advantage with a fair amount of attacking play and tight defensive work by both sides.

At half time the score was 0-0 and it seemed from where I was on the St. Mary’s bench (for the first time) that one goal would have decided the outcome. St. Mary’s managed to get the ball into the Q.R.C goal during the course of the second half to the jubilation of it’s supporters, only to realize that the linesman’s flag was up and the goal ruled offside. I was in no position to see what occurred before the ball was put into the net by C.I.C midfielder Appoo and so could not make a determination.

The game continued and neither team was able to get that elusive goal and so penalty kicks from the spot were ordered by the referee. St. Mary’s failed miserably in the resulting kicks missing their first three spot kicks. Q.R.C only had to score three, which they eventually did although missing one. Losing on penalty kicks is always difficult to accept, but I guess a result has to be determined and so it was. Q.R.C victorious and winners of North Zone Inter-Col, making it even sweeter having defeated their old rivals.Of course the usual picong came from the present and past Q.R.C boys and the C.I.C players and supporters had to take their licks both on and off the field.

The night following the game, looking at sport on television, the entire play when C.I.C scored what was determined by the linesman as being offside was shown. Garcia, the C.I.C striker carried the ball up the left side of the field, entered the 18yd box, played the ball diagonally back to Appoo, who hit the ball into the goal and guess what, there was a Q.R.C defender on his right or goal-side. I do not know if the offside rule has changed recently, but as far as I am aware, when the ball is played as long as there are two players between the player receiving the ball and the goal, that player cannot be offside. As I mentioned earlier, if the rule has changed, I am unaware. If it hasn’t the linesman would have made a terrible error and this is by no means sour grapes, as I am sure most people who saw the replay on television would agree with what I just described.

This however is past tense, but it could probably have caused the loss of a final, which does not come everyday of the week. When I thought that error by an official would not have been followed by two others so quickly, I was mistaken as in an Inter-Col game last week between El Dorado and Presentation, an El Dorado player was playing volleyball in the 18yd box and neither referee or linesman apparently saw and allowed play to continue. The game ended in a draw and unluckily for Presentation they lost out on kicks from the penalty spot.

We then had the spectacle of Henry, the France skipper and forward, carrying the ball with his left hand, before crossing for his teammate to head into goal. This goal gave France the goal advantage over  Ireland, having won the first leg by a 1-0 margin. Again, neither referee of linesman saw the infringement and so France goes to the World Cup in South Africa next year while Ireland stay at home. While Henry admitted to handling the ball, FIFA has no intention of ordering a replay.

Many people are calling for technology to be introduced to the game, but this could prove difficult, football being as fast a game as it is. Maybe the officials, referees and linesmen at times are not as well positioned as they should be and this needs to be looked at by FIFA.

I did not expect three incidents involving on-field officials in so short a space of time, but it surely has affected the teams who ended up on the wrong side of the lack of decisions taken by those officials.
Let’s hope for better officiating in the future.