Word: fifa
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...Inchon last week. After Argentine ref Angel Sanchez sent off forward Joao Pinto in the first half, he was set upon by Portuguese players, including their captain Fernando Couto. Sanchez says he was punched in the stomach by Pinto. The TV cameras missed it in the melee, but FIFA has its own more conclusive video of the incident...
...Last week, FIFA provisionally suspended Pinto from football pending a final decision by its disciplinary committee. No action was taken against Couto. After the fracas of Euro 2000, defender Abel Xavier was banned for nine months, but the sentence was reduced on appeal. Xavier himself was on the substitutes' bench at Inchon. The actions of his mates on the field suggest his punishment didn't have the deterrent effect FIFA had intended...
...These finals have been loaded with dubious, match-changing decisions, including Ronaldinho being sent off in the Brazil-England game and disallowed goals that helped Korea defeat both Italy and Spain. But officials cannot officiate if they labor under the threat of intimidation and assault by players and coaches. FIFA last week issued a statement defending the World Cup referees and congratulating them on a noticeable improvement in officiating standards. The game's authorities should do more to protect the most vulnerable man on the pitch...
...FIFA World Cup Special Coverage from TIME...
...first World Cup victory in 16 tries on Tuesday night. The Koreans, who appeared much crisper than the Americans in their 2002 debut, are counting on home-team advantage to carry them through the match, even though they are ranked far lower than the U.S. in the FIFA ratings. At the U.S.-Portugal game, for instance, the loudest cheer from fans came not for Figo or John O'Brien and Brian McBride, who scored America's two other goals. It came for South Korean coach Guus Hiddink, whose face flashed on a giant TV screen for few seconds during...