2010 World Cup Final Referee Howard Webb Controversial Decisions
Photo Courtesy of Telegraph
Photo: REUTERS
He was indomitable. He was forceful and firm. He was a presence to be reckoned with. He stood by his decisions with a calm demeanor. Howard Webb was rightly cast as the 2010 World Cup Final referee in a match that contained numerous controversial incidents.
Duncan White of the Telegraph summed it up succinctly:
This had been a horrible match to referee: the dirtiest final in the history of the World Cup.
The record for most bookings in a World Cup final was the six that had been shown in 1986. Webb had produced five by half-time, nine by the end of normal time. By the end of extra time it was up to an astonishing 14. That is a record that will take some breaking.
The decisions of Howard Webb will be a matter of discussion for months to come, but, Howard Webb had a macroscopic view of the game and understood very well the role he had to play in it; thus, defining the matrix of his decision making.
Personally, I wish that my first World Cup final had been more “fun” to watch in the sense that it should have been full of breathtaking plays and moves that astound the mind and spirit. Instead, I was watching in horror as yellow card after yellow card was dispensed with. And the utterly despicable kick of Nigel de Jong on the chest of Xabi Alonso will be something that will mar the memory of football forever.
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July 13th, 2010 at 2:56 am
One has only to read the legendary Johan Cruyff’s comments to know that the referee was put between a rock and a hard place with the Dutch knowing that FIFA wanted this match to be settled on the pitch at even strength. True footballing fans that are critical of Webb should look at the footage of all of Holland’s games to examine how they could field the team lineup after fouling their way to the final, IMHO.
I have written about the final here too:
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6287718-2010-world-cup-final-vicente-del-bosque-gonzalez-and-spain-win-the-ole-ole-ole-way
Eric