| Some controversial decisions might deny a team an | | | | A disallowed goal is a travesty, but an unnecessary |
| opportunity to score or a free kick. Other decisions are | | | | red or yellow card can affect a game or a player's |
| grave enough to change the course of a match or | | | | tournament. The 2010 tournament had a few rash |
| tournament. In the 2010 World Cup, the group stage | | | | decisions by the men in the middle. Mexico's Marco |
| alone has thrown up disallowed goals, gratuitous cards | | | | Rodriguez posed authoritatively as he showed the red |
| and debatable offside calls. | | | | card to Tim Cahill for a reckless challenge. Reckless |
| Disallowed goal | | | | challenges are caution-worthy, but Rodriguez seized |
| Koman Coulibaly deserves a spot by himself. One can | | | | the opportunity to have the camera focus on him with |
| overlook his apparently inconsistent officiating and raise | | | | his slick hair. |
| eyebrows at his lack of authority on the field. | | | | Alberto Mallenco from Spain continued the card trend |
| However, to disallow a goal for an infraction that is | | | | by issuing a number of yellow cards, including two to |
| unclear is not forgivable. One can excuse a call that | | | | Miroslav Klose. Klose's first yellow card was |
| has to be made in a split second, but Mr. Coulibaly | | | | understandable, since it might have been for persistent |
| from Mali had a good view and time to think about his | | | | infringement of the Laws of the Game. The second |
| decision. That made his decision even worse. | | | | was less plausible and the German striker was out of |
| The Slovenians had the US players under heavy | | | | the game and out of the important match against |
| manners as Landon Donovan floated the free kick into | | | | Ghana. The Germans lost that game to Serbia 1-0. |
| the penalty area. Perhaps the Malian referee was | | | | Switzerland did not have the luck of the Irish or the |
| thinking about the goal by Nigeria against Argentina | | | | Swiss for that matter. Khalil Al Ghamdi from Saudi |
| that the referee committee commented on. The | | | | Arabia descended on the Swiss in their second match |
| committee decided that the German referee should | | | | against Chile. He sent off Valon Behrami midway |
| have disallowed the goal for a foul on a Nigerian | | | | through the first half for an elbow. The decision looked |
| defender. Perhaps Coulibaly took that to heart, but he | | | | harsh at best. Al Ghamdi issued nine yellow cards and |
| should have considered that the Slovenians were guilty | | | | one red card in that game - effectively spoiling it. In the |
| of far worse in that sequence. That decision was the | | | | match between Ivory Coast and Brazil, French referee |
| start of a few days of terrible officiating at the | | | | Stephane Lannoy dismissed Brazilian Kaka after |
| tournament and denied the USA a vital win. | | | | buying Keita's simulation. |
| Red cards and cautions | | | | |