The noise from the stands was one thing, but the fury on social media and in the press box is quite another. England supporters and a host of prominen...
The noise from the stands was one thing, but the fury on social media and in the press box is quite another. England supporters and a host of prominent media figures have turned their ire squarely on the match official after what they perceive as a staggering imbalance in discipline during tonight's World Cup semi final. Accusations are flying thick and fast that Argentina, branded a 'dirty team' by more than a few frustrated onlookers, have been given the mother of all get out of jail free cards.GoalZaza has learned that the central grievance revolves around a perceived failure to brandish yellow cards for repeated cynical fouls. The claim, and it is a substantial one, is that Argentina should have had five or six players booked for a series of tactical fouls designed to break up England's transitional play. When a team deploys a low block and then snaps at the heels of the opposition's most dangerous runners, you need the referee to keep a lid on it. Tonight, according to the incensed English camp, the lid was left firmly off. You have to ask, how many 'warnings' does a team get before the card finally comes out It is a question that is being asked with increasing venom in the post match analysis.The lack of consistency is the real kicker here. A single yellow card late in the game does little to cool the temperature when the first half was littered with meaty challenges that went unpunished. It is a classic case of the official losing control of the game by failing to assert his authority early on. England, to their credit, kept their heads and tried to play football, but they were constantly met with a physical barrier that the laws of the game are supposed to police. For the neutrals, it makes for a fractious spectacle. For England, it feels like they are fighting eleven men and the man in the middle. Squeaky bum time indeed.This is not about sour grapes over the result, not yet anyway. This is about the process. When a team is allowed to persistently foul without consequence, it fundamentally alters the tactical battle. It encourages the infringing side to continue, safe in the knowledge that the cost is minimal. Argentina, a side packed with technical quality, resorted to the dark arts far too often for it to be a coincidence. The referee's performance will be scrutinised to within an inch of its life, and rightly so. For the English contingent, the absence of those yellow cards is a dereliction of duty that has cast a long shadow over what should be a showcase of the beautiful game.
