Soccer makes me crazy
 

First ... the clock. WTH is with the clock going up? Instead of stoppage time, why not actually STOP the clock? Why does the end of the game or half HAVE to remain a mystery? Most of the most exciting moments in football or basketball come from KNOWING when the end is - the excitement building to that point, hoping your team can get the job done before it runs out. And why does "stoppage time" aka "the referee's guess" always get rounded to the nearest minute?

Put a freaking real clock on the game - stop it on injuries. (Heck, a vastly superior solution would be shortening the halves a bit, and stopping it when play is stopped - a goal, corner kick, goal kick, throw in, prior to a free kick, etc... it's ASININE that players can waste time by simply NOT playing after these situations)

Second, HTH can you expect ONE referee, and 2-4 junior level helpers that aren't even allowed on the field, to officiate a game that's played on a MUCH larger surface than football and features constantly changing location of play - when it takes SEVEN to do football - and several of those on the field. Create positions, responsibilities, and put several people on the field - PLUS a goal official on both sides.

Third, WTH is this "we don't even have to tell you what the foul was" nonsense. Screw-ups are inevitable - happens in every sport at every level --- but at least the referees have to tell you what you're being penalized for.

Lastly - I'm not yet in the "instant replay" crowd for soccer - especially if they fix the not-enough-referees situation... but there should DEFINITELY be an after-game review of every card handed out. How many yellow cards have we seen so far that were either minimal contact, legal contact, or in some cases no contact at all?

This great big stage they are on has done nothing for me but highlight the reasons I wasn't watching in the first place!

I'll go with replay on goals - but goals only.

Like I said ... not sure we need replay if we get enough officials...

But I do believe that IF replay is used, using it for goals (INCLUDING judging off-side on a score) as well as sideline plays makes sense.

One thing I'd add to my above rant. WTH is it with the ball going out of bounds at a certain point, and the player walking to the general vicinity of where it went out, then vaguely walking up 10-15 ... 20 yards before throwing it in. Absurd.

That is a common rant of some higher up soccer officials in the US. I don't get why its permitted either.

It just seems like most of the rules were decided by a bunch of kids in a field somewhere (really ... like most sports), but never evolved (unlike the other sports). A lot of people wonder why America has not embraced the sport ... I really think this unstructured, Calvinball rule situation has a lot to do with it.

I watched 3 matches, end to end, this year... and came away frustrated all three times - not because of how I rooted, but rather how unstable it was.

Allow me to answer a few...

I used to think the same, but just forget about it. The FIFA folk decided a long time ago that once the clock starts, it doesn't stop. That's how it's done around the world, and that's what's accepted.

Somewhere, there's a YouTube video of a high school game where someone nailed a last-second shot (which I thought was late, but I digress), and comments from outside the U.S. thought it was ridiculous that there was a firm time limit. To them, that's not football, and we're in the minority on that one.

Now, since the clock never stops, here's a reason for time added on. Let's the half ends at 45:00. At 44:50 a striker goes on a breakaway and gets nailed by a defender 20 yards out. Ten running seconds is not enough time to set up a decent free kick, so if you can't stop the clock, you have to tack it on the other end. That's why they let plays "play out."

Apples and watermelons. In football, 22 guys are crammed into a much tighter space than 22 in soccer. While you do indeed get straightlined in soccer, like any other sport, you don't need seven guys. And yes, the four officials have unique responsibilities.

I completely agree. Someone tried to explain to me that other cultures don't view "owning up" in the same way we Americans do, but confusion is universal. That should change.

Actually, I'd prioritize something technological for goal review over reviewing every card. The missed goal in the England/Germany game is understandable -- I wasn't sure myself until I saw the replay -- but it can be solved with the assistance of the fourth official. I agree that cards should have some review process, but I think getting goals right comes first.

I have to disagree here. I work football. The fact the the play at least begins in a concentrated area actually makes it EASIER to call, not harder. Spread these 22 people all over the field, and there's no way 3-7 referees could see everything. In soccer - the ball can be in one place 1 second, and very far away 3 seconds later - no way a SINGLE on-field referee can call everything accurately. I'd like to place blame for several of these horrendous calls on bad refereeing, but as often as not, I think the real culprit is not enough people, causing straightlining and angle problems, not to mention distance.

I don't know enough about soccer officiating to really comment about how many officials are needed but I will say that Mike is correct about football officiating. Years ago when football was mainly a running game, you could get away with having fewer officials as all of the action was mostly in one place. With the growth of the passing game and the spread offense, more officials were needed in order to provide effective coverage of the play down field. This is why the NFL has evolved from 3 officials all the way to 7. Same with college and even high school in some areas has gone to 7 officials for the regular season.

Working solo games isn't easy, even at the middle school level. I assure you of that. But remember, these FIFA referees aren't alone. The A/Rs are also signaling offside, fouls, etc., and the referee counts on their sideline angles as much as his own (especially for offside).

Fortunately, the FIFA president openly stated that he will re-open talks about goal-line technology. I think something could be worked out with the fourth official where something like this could be a reality.

When you preface every one of your supposed questions with "WTH," it appears that you don't care about answers or explanations nearly so much as you care about banging on about something you simply dislike on the face of things.

It seems unstable to us with our long, detailed rule books. The world loves this game partly because of its simplicity. I still love it even though the officiating sometimes drives me crazy.

I don't buy the "smaller space more officials" line.

In football, you have guys watching 22 players because all 22 players are involved in every single play. In soccer, the field referee is only looking at 5-7 of the players at a time. The ARs watch the guys off the ball, most of whom aren't doing much of anything. If the center referee is in good position at a good angle within 10 or so yards of the play, he can see what he needs to see.

An extra set of eyes behind the goal line opposite the center ref might be nice, but it's probably only necessary at the highest level.

I would also give the competition authority the right to impose or revoke sportsmanship sanctions after the fact, but again only at the highest level.

Update on FIFA officiating and use of replay
 

The comments from those outside the country are hilarious. They are losing their ever loving minds.

Oh and soccer on a football field looks horrible.