37 SWEARG Bujsaim
HIGHLIGHTS
Before a whistle was blown, Ali Bujsaim was perhaps the alternative (the favourite was obvious) to referee the World Cup Final in 2002, considering his experience and origin. He navigated the deceptively tough opening game soundly, and FIFA entrusted him with this huge game which was a direct playoff for qualification.
If Senegal - Uruguay and Cameroon - Germany were two very untypical very-challenging World Cup matches, then Sweden - Argentina was archetypical World Cup football: fast-flowing game, extremely challenging for the referee to (mentally) keep up with - almost inviting the referee to lose it at the end. Bujsaim obliged, he did lose it at the end; despite handling the game very well, his chances of the final went with it.
Referee from the United Arab Emirates had a clear game plan to handle this very challenging match - generally lenient with foul infractions, but ultra-proactive with any attempts to delay the restart in any way. Passing balls like a footballer to the freekick position, ordering ballboys to complete their job with greater urgency, frantically whistling at freekicks, and sprinting up to players about to be substituted - this was an extremely tiring tactic for Bujsaim, but one that he managed to execute really well in my view. He held his nerve in the first half and never missed a tactically important caution; Caniggia was also ejected on the substitutes bench for shouting at Bujsaim "puta madre".
But everything went wrong at the end. González, already cautioned, commits an almost certainly DOGSO, in any such case a clear foul - Larsson inexplicably cautioned for simulation. Ortega expertly dives in the penalty area - referee fooled, penalty given. Crespo flagrantly encroaches at the penalty, which allows him to score the rebound - Bujsaim was amatuerishly looking at the goalkeeper and not controlling the penalty area, and allowed the goal (Sweden players also encroached, correct restart was a retake). Bujsaim having done so (very) well for the most part, was out.
AR Heiner Müller made an important mistake at 2'; Michael Ragoonath performed very well.
Before a whistle was blown, Ali Bujsaim was perhaps the alternative (the favourite was obvious) to referee the World Cup Final in 2002, considering his experience and origin. He navigated the deceptively tough opening game soundly, and FIFA entrusted him with this huge game which was a direct playoff for qualification.
If Senegal - Uruguay and Cameroon - Germany were two very untypical very-challenging World Cup matches, then Sweden - Argentina was archetypical World Cup football: fast-flowing game, extremely challenging for the referee to (mentally) keep up with - almost inviting the referee to lose it at the end. Bujsaim obliged, he did lose it at the end; despite handling the game very well, his chances of the final went with it.
Referee from the United Arab Emirates had a clear game plan to handle this very challenging match - generally lenient with foul infractions, but ultra-proactive with any attempts to delay the restart in any way. Passing balls like a footballer to the freekick position, ordering ballboys to complete their job with greater urgency, frantically whistling at freekicks, and sprinting up to players about to be substituted - this was an extremely tiring tactic for Bujsaim, but one that he managed to execute really well in my view. He held his nerve in the first half and never missed a tactically important caution; Caniggia was also ejected on the substitutes bench for shouting at Bujsaim "puta madre".
But everything went wrong at the end. González, already cautioned, commits an almost certainly DOGSO, in any such case a clear foul - Larsson inexplicably cautioned for simulation. Ortega expertly dives in the penalty area - referee fooled, penalty given. Crespo flagrantly encroaches at the penalty, which allows him to score the rebound - Bujsaim was amatuerishly looking at the goalkeeper and not controlling the penalty area, and allowed the goal (Sweden players also encroached, correct restart was a retake). Bujsaim having done so (very) well for the most part, was out.
AR Heiner Müller made an important mistake at 2'; Michael Ragoonath performed very well.
| Ali Bujsaim - 7,1 Heiner Müller - 8,2 Michael Ragoonath - 8,5 Peter Prendergast (UAE, GER, TRI) | Sweden 2-1 Argentina Group Stage |
 M. Svensson (65.) - Delaying the Restart Larsson (79.) - Simulation | Chamot (55.) - Lack of Respect (Handling) Almeyda (58.) - SPA (Tripping) González (75.) - Tackle |
Bujsaim certainly didn't learn from Brizio Carter 4 years before, Ariel Ortega was a simulation expert...
ReplyDeleteIt was his last game in a career with three World Cups - and that there were no more was fully justified. In the first half, I saw a performance that was 2014-ish. While I would consider cautions in a ton of scenes (5', 7', 20', 38', later 49'), bookings in 24', 26' and 27' were mandatory in my eyes. He started to finally use his cards in the second half when there were less such scenes despite the game getting harder. But: His card showing procedure in three cases was just short of riduculous and theatrical.
ReplyDeleteAll that could have still be ignored or if you are into apologetism justified with control. But some pretty glaring mistakes ruined it. The simulation call in 78' is atrocious, a crystal clear DOGSO barge, a call that is one of the worst of the tournament so far. In 87', the scene is more difficult. Ortega, expert that he is, sees the challenge coming. I'd even argue there was a slight contact. But: He starts going down before it - Dive! Hard to spot, but still. The blatant encroachment that enabled Crespo to score was either completely forgotten or ignored.
Aside from a disciplinary I would call non-existent in the first half, Bujsaim may have kept control, but he made several crucial mistakes in the end that could have been costly. That is simply not enough and it is only fair he got no further appointments.