Yellow, Red Are a Go for Refs

Number of Disciplinary Cards Has Increased in the World Cup

COLOGNE, Germany, June 19 -- Bruce Arena appeared to be on the verge of bursting from his blue U.S. Soccer polo shirt as he raced toward the sideline time after time Saturday night, his arms flailing wildly and his jaw open wide, screaming his opposition to officiating decisions made against his players. Two American players were expelled, as was Italian midfielder Daniele De Rossi, in a game that finished 1-1 and highlighted the furor over the flurry of red and yellow cards issued by referees at this World Cup.

Nearly everyone, from coaches to players to Franz Beckenbauer, the German soccer legend who is head of the country's organizing committee, has complained about what they perceive as inconsistency from the referees, who come from all corners of the globe but are seemingly of one mind when it comes to calling fouls and handing out cards. Through the first 32 matches of the tournament -- entering play on Tuesday -- a stunning 165 yellow cards have been issued, roughly five per game, and 10 players have seen red cards. Every team has played two games, and every one has had at least two players cautioned.

"I don't think there's any consistency in one game to the next," Arena said. "A Brazilian player fouled a player in Game 1, who is 20 yards out from the goal, from behind, no card. A U.S. player would probably be serving six months of hard labor. It's not consistent from every game. It's not that easy for players to adjust going into games, because they don't know how referees are going to call the game."

FIFA representatives say that the referees are simply doing their jobs, following pre-tournament instructions to severely penalize certain types of gamesmanship and aggressive play. The referees have diverse backgrounds -- German Markus Merk is a dentist; Frenchman Eric Poulat is a computer scientist.

Somehow, they must strike a delicate balance between protecting the superstars while not becoming so cautious as to influence the outcome of the match with overzealous cards.

FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said the organization is pleased with the application of its directives in this tournament, while conceding "there is always room for improvement."

"Certainly one aspect to [the increase in yellow and red cards] is the fact that referees received before the World Cup very clear instructions on which types of things to clamp down on, [including] reckless foul play, elbowing opponents, wasting time and simulation," Herren said. "Nothing has changed in terms of the laws of the game, they're simply being applied more strictly than they have in the past. The level of refereeing has certainly been higher than what the experience was in 2002."

Not everyone would agree. Last week, Beckenbauer called the work of African referee Coffi Codjia "stupid" on German television following the five cautions he issued in the Ecuador-Costa Rica game. He reminded officials that, with players missing a game after accumulating just two yellow cards, prudence should be the rule.

"If the players are booked again, they will miss a match," Beckenbauer told ZDF television, referring to cautions given for time wasting, "and that is out of proportion."

Ghana, which meets the United States on Thursday with a berth in the second round at stake, had six players cautioned in Saturday's game against the Czech Republic. Two of them -- the goal-scorers in the 2-0 win -- will miss the next game. Asamoah Gyan received his second caution of the tournament for time-wasting, specifically taking a penalty kick before the referee called for it. Gyan said he heard a whistle, likely from the crowd, but the suspension was not lifted when he appealed to FIFA.

The United States, meantime, will play Ghana without defensive midfielder Pablo Mastroeni, who earned a red card for a tackle against Italy on Saturday, and mainstay central defender Eddie Pope, who was cautioned twice in the Italy game. On Sunday, Arena said he understood Mastroeni's red card, but was less sure Pope was treated fairly.

The U.S.-Italy match was the fourth game in Cup history with three ejections.