ANOTHER VIEW OF “THAT” BUTT...

In the mail I have received, there hasn’t been much dissent about the 64th-minute misconduct in the MLS final just over a week ago.  But if there are any doubters out there, take a look at another view of the incident.

These points are essential:

1. Smith’s head makes contact with his opponent’s face.

2. Initially side-by-side with his victim, Smith moved into his opponent, then swung his head sideways and downwards to deliberately strike him in the face.

3. The referee saw it clearly from a short distance away, and then by only cautioning the player, effectively told him he could have one more butt before the final whistle.

4. Without corrective information from Chicago, how many referees round the country will follow suit?

Note also that even if you think it wasn't much of a butt, as "Liverpool Kisses" go, the fact that a player would attempt such an act is reprehensible enough.  After all, the Laws of the Game state that attempted kicking is a foul, that attempted tripping is also a foul.  Is successful butting not serious misconduct?

Comments

[John B]

Head butts and green shirts, is this is the future of US Soccer?
With all the money spent at OSI it should be: bought lots get one free. We really need a position paper on that head but from USSF

[Ed Bellion]

I agree that something from Chicago would be nice, but I won't be holding my breath. They are not going to admit that one of their FIFA referees made such a grevious and elementary error in judgement. But why a position paper? The Laws of the Game say it all. They should only need position papers to cover areas of misunderstanding or confusion. A head butt to the face does not fall into this category. It is violent conduct and therefore the player must be snt off. If this had occurred in a Sunday league men's O-30 match, I doubt the game would have been completed. And I suspect that if this had not been the MLS FInal, there would have been some sort of retaliation/payback from the players of the other team.

[Dennis Wickham]

Absent a response from USSF, we are left to ponder what led Mr. Prus to conclude that a caution was appropriate and are left without thoughtful alternatives.

Smith had beaten Weibel regularly in the first half, but had been shut down in the second. Was the change the result of smart tactics or missed fouls?

Weibel was taunting Smith, who had complained about contact from Weible inside the penalty area. Prus intially dealt with the potential dissent by moving away from the players, and to the taunting by closing in on both players. As the video makes clear, he was very close when things erupted. Was he too close?

Weibel, clever fella, tried to make a meal of the contact. Did Weibel's overreaction lead to Prus's underreaction?

A thoughtful analysis from USSF also might discuss more than the need to send off Smith. How could the referee have prevented the conflict?

It is very common for the player who cannot match up with an opponent solely on skills, to foul repeatedly and to achieve a sort of final victory by orchestrating the send-off of his frustrated opponent. (Messrs. Evans & Bellion's book adds the lovely phrase "with the complicity of the referee.") Was the true moment of truth much earlier than the 64th minute?

Having failed to prevent the escalation to violence, was Prus acting with empathy in cautioning Smith. He knew what caused it.

Would a better choice have been to first send off Weibel for offensive insulting and abusive language and gestures (the provocation) and then send off Smith for violent conduct (the response)?

I doubt anyone would send Weibel off if Smith's reaction to the taunting had been laughter. In that case, it might not even have resulted in a caution for unsporting behavior. Should we enhance the level of misconduct because it effects a violent response?

Would a sendoff of Smith and nothing or a caution to Weible be felt unjust by the players and lead to more retaliation? Does anyone believe that a sendoff of Smith would have led to a disciplinary actions against Weibel by the MLS? Smith isn't Zidane.

I'm not sure that public acknowledgement of referee error from Chicago is itself necessary or desireable. But, a memorandum from Chicago about this major event would be valuable. I believe that violent responses to non-violent provocations occur often in our game. Rather than simply label it an MLS problem, or a Cup Final problem, we need to discuss how we respond. Is ridding the game of violence enough? Should we do more to deal with the taunting?

[anon]

Honestly, I wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Smith lash out like that. Dismayed, yes, but not surprised.

Throughout the match, players regularly went at each other with studs showing. No real patterns, just the generally out of control play that characterizes MLS. However, Weibel made a point of consistently going after Smith with his studs showing.

I believe the moment of truth was mid-way to late in the first half, which marked the change from Smith regularly beating Weibel to Weibel shutting down Smith. It was an over the ball (!) tackle Weibel committed on Smith, which would have broken Smith's leg had he not sidestepped it at the last moment. Prus didn't even call a foul. After that Smith was far more cautious of Weibel, giving the effect Dennis describes.

Finally, things boiled over with the non-call in the box. Whether the decision was correct or not, Smith did not respect Prus anymore. When Weibel started trash talking him, Smith's frustration (both with Weibel and Prus) boiled over and he decided it wasn't worth it anymore. Either Smith decided that the red card was worth it or decided that he didn't think Prus would give it, but either way the entire incident was wholly forseeable.

[dsiesvternict]

in other news (to further our domestic shame and embarrassment) football officials abroad properly and punctually manage misconduct in two UEFA matches today.

Mega-star C. Ronaldo sees yellow for dissent!

Mega-Manager F. Rijkaard sent from the technical area!

bravo indeed.

[Bishop Norton]

This is a send off. Those who think it is not, sorry Alex, need to re-take the Entry Level Grade 9, then the Bridge (why do we have this course but that is other topic) then the Grade 8.

If you see this in your game send the player off.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

[Techno]

What about "this" butt?

OFF THE POST: Butt trap ignites riot in Peru

Tuesday, Dec 4, 2007 7:00 AM ET

A PERUVIAN GAME WAS ABANDONED by referee Percy Rojas after fighting in the stands spilled onto the field. The chaos started when Universitario players tried to beat up Sport Ancash midfielder Efrain Viafara - igniting a brawl between the squads -- because they felt he insulted them by controlling a pass with his buttocks. The on-field melee inspired the opposing fans to have at it while Ancash led, 2-1.

[Scott Burry]

It's easy to second guess the ref on the pitch. I think I would give credit to the ref and say that he recognized something and issued a card. How do we know the card was issued for head butting (striking) and not for USB?

[TWON LIFE]

Honestly, whether he made the right decision or not is besides the point. The referee is always the final decision in a game, and sometimes when you are so intrigued into the game, even if the offense occurs right in front of you, you might not see it how everyone else sees it. The picture looks much worse than the actual incident and I know if I was reffing and someone slightly ran into an opponent on purpose, and depending on the circumstances I would probably caution the player simply because it was only a slightly harsh impediment of the opposing player. When occurrences on the field happen in real time, and you have to make a decision right there, it is a lot harder on the referee. We have the luxury of pictures and instant replays after the effect, and criticizing the referee because of this call is ridiculous.