If a tree falls and... If a foul occurs and...

[Nevadaref]

Originally posted by ChuckElias
The original question reminds me of (sorry Padgett) an international soccer match a couple years ago. I can't remember if it was in the World Cup or the Olympics. But the ref called a penalty kick in the final minutes of the match, b/c (he claimed) the player was held while dribbling toward the goal. The guy made the penalty kick and his team won.

Well, the ref was blasted by everyone. Papers, TV, the guy became a national enemy of the team that lost. Then, about 3 weeks later, one newspaper ran a picture from an angle that no one had seen. And it clearly showed the guy's jersey being held and pulled while he was trying to dribble.

Nobody in the stadium or on TV saw the foul. But the ref did. He called it, took a lot of heat, and then was vindicated.

I think that might help to answer your question. Anybody remember what game that was?

Of course, I've got your back here Chuck.

U.S. Soccer’s Director of Advanced and International Referee Development Esse Baharmast was the Referee.

Here's a clip from an article about him that mentions the contest you inquired about:

"In addition to currently serving as an instructor and assessor, Baharmast was the first American to referee two games in a World Cup, when he did so at the World Cup in France in 1998. In a first-round game between Norway and Brazil he was widely criticized for a penalty kick call, but then later celebrated when photographers' photos showed the shirt-pulling that the TV cameras had not picked up."

Here is a good recap of the story. Give it look. It's a great read.

http://www.canoe.ca/SoccerWCNews/jul10_ref.html