Opinion | Champions League final supports argument for weak refereeing
Official's decision not to brandish red cards in Champions League final ultimately led to more entertaining showpiece for Uefa
Do you prefer your tea or coffee to be strong or weak? Similarly, in soccer, is it reassuring for the refereeing to be strong or weak?
The answer to both is a matter of personal taste. You are likely to favour strong refereeing if you are a purist and true aficionado, otherwise it will be many shades of weak for those who simply enjoy living the moment and have no desire to ruin the surrounding ambience by analysing too deeply.
The best referee is one who has the courage to make decisions even when it would be easier not to
There are strong referees and there are weak ones, each with merits and demerits. But which is better? Sometimes, the answer may be surprising, depending on which teams are playing.
For instance, consider last season's relatively muted Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Despite initial low expectations, the match turned out to be an exciting and absorbing spectacle with plenty of flowing entertainment. Nevertheless, this unglamorous all-German affair did not garner as much worldwide interest as would, say, a glitzy Manchester United and Barcelona final, or even a dream El Clasico final. And because of this relative lack of global appeal, it seems the weak officiating by Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli escaped the attention and scrutiny of the world's media.
Rizzoli made some major mistakes that were quickly forgotten in the aftermath of Bayern Munich's expected triumph. He missed red cards for two Bayern players, which would have altered the nature and spectacle of the match.
The first occurred in the first half, with the score at 0-0. Bayern's Frank Ribery raised his arm and intentionally smashed it against the face of Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski. Rizzoli had a clear view, but decided to do nothing. A strong referee would have sent off Ribery for violent conduct, while weaker ones would have cautioned him.
In the second half, with the favourites leading 1-0, Bayern's Dante caught Marco Reus around the groin area with his studs. Rizzoli was correct in awarding a penalty, but wrongly decided not to award a yellow card for the unsavoury challenge. This would have been Dante's second caution and the Brazilian should have walked. Some would even argue that Dante's exposed studs warranted a straight red.