Wow, papo! That's cool that you were a FIFA referee. Did you preside any match in an important football event?

I'm glad Uruguay won, even though after the penalty kicks I felt bad for the Ghana players, but I wanted Uruguay to win as I'm sure most Argentines did too.

If I am sitting an exam and I deliberately break the code of conduct and the invigilator takes my paper away and cancels it, have I still cheated?

The laws of football are a little too simplistic, but it would only take a few changes to get it almost perfect. I am a fan of a direct goal awarded in such situations as well. What really happened here?

A 100% dead certain goal was stopped illegally. A red card and penalty was given. As a result, Ghana have been given a "chance" to score a goal in place of a goal that they were guaranteed to have were it not for the cheating.

Rugby has penalty tries, basketball has goal-tending, now football needs a direct goal.

In fact, it's the Uruguayans who should be aggrieved because they have been deprived of one of their best players for the rest of the World Cup. It was only because of an outrageous piece of simulation (ie 'cheating') by Ghana's right wing - which resulted in an undeserved free-kick - that Suarez was desperately defending his own goal-line in the first place. Justice was completely done when Gyan missed his penalty.

This is true Richie - but Uruguay were surely guilty of simulation throughout the match too?

Suarez should miss the final too if Uruguay get there - it was seriously negative play.

I was appointed to referee in the World Cup 1962 but I coldn't go because I was a teacher in the Army and they didn't allow me to leave my duties for a month.But I refereed some matches as Argentina vs Paraguay, Argentina vs Uruguay,Uruguay vs Hungary and I was Assistant Referee in Argentina vs Mexico and Argentina vs the Soviet Union. I enjoyed every game because the players understood what Fair Play was. This doesn't happen nowadays.

Were they qualifying matches papo, or friendlies?

>> It was only because of an outrageous piece of simulation (ie 'cheating')
>> by Ghana's right wing - which resulted in an undeserved free-kick

once again, FIFA have censored the game's highlights .. the simulatin is not part of the "official" video. That piece of play-acting simply doesn't exist and/or never happened : www.fifa.com/worldcup/video highlights Simulation and conning the ref has become part and parcel of the game. It needs to be eradicated ex post facto, if it can't be done during the game as the ref didn't see it e.g. post-game yellow cards and red cards by viewing a video replay.

>> Rugby has penalty tries, basketball has goal-tending, now football needs a direct goal.

well said! There are penalty tries in rugby league as well. It's time FIFA dragged itself into the 21st century.

I dont know about the direct goal thing. I havent seen the incident as I was still running around looking for my orange clothes. But I kind of like the idea of a player essentially taking a bullet to stop the goal. He must know he's going to go for his actions, and if it happens early in a game, as per Harry Kewell it becomes an even bigger gamble. But at the same time it is cheating so....

The two biggest favorites for the world cup out in quarters I love the Germans' style of play...4 goals each against Australia, England and now Argentina. They certainly are looking very dangerous and ominous for their next rivals...

Some were qualifyng and some other were friendly games. By the way in my times there was an excellent Referee from Wales. He was Clive Thomas, one of the best in 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

After the South American domination in group play, quite surprising to see only one SA team in the final 4. Paraguay played well today...was kinda wishing they would pull it out.

Spain just pulled through, and the key word is just, eventhough I am obviously routing for them, I doubt they will be able to beat the mighty Germans.

Spain was favored coming in, but Germany looks so good so far. It's going to be one heck of a game, and I'm looking forward to it.

For the first time in a while, I'm okay with any of the 4 teams left winning the Cup.

I've watched the Germans play and it always looks like theyve caught the opposition on a bad day. Of course they may have made them just look bad. But against Ghana and Serbia they looked far from all conquering. I'm still not convinced the game against Spain will be the test. Assuming Spain bring their A game. Still compared to the grinding tedium that once was German football these guys are terrific.

papo2228 (or anyone else that has refereed major football), is ruling offsides really as difficult as it seems to be in this tournament? It seems to me from the outside looking in that it would be one of the easiest calls to make in football. Just curious about your take on it...

Thanks

Good for the Dutch that they've reached the Final, probably they deserve to win one. But their football is horrible to watch for 90% of the time. Who'd have thought? I hope Spain or Germany can make a spectacle of it, because the 'functional' Dutch will go to spoil. Can't believe I'm supporting the old Jormans over the Dutch. For me ze Vorld Cup ist over.

Maybe one day Wales might qualify Richie! They just need to get themselves into pot 2 for the draws! Wales have a good history at the World Cup:

Played in: 1 (1958)

Reached: Quarter-Finals (lost to Brazil 1-0)

Offside positions are sometimes very difficult to be noticed. Remember the human eye and the Assistant Referee's position in the field can't compete with three cameras. Though FIFA is working hard on the subject you'll still see many errors. There's a very interesting paper on the subject published by six professors of the School of Human Behaviour Sciences of the University of Amsterdam.

Do you happen to have a link to the paper? Or the title of it at least?

I guess we'll have to just accept the fact that it is part of the "human error" in football...much like in every other sport.

In general, it seems like close offsides positions would be horrible to figure out from the point of view of someone looking at an angle, because it's hard to tell where the horizontal line is.

On the replay we have the advantage of both instant replays and computers to draw that critical line for us.