39 RSAESP Al-Fadhli
HIGHLIGHTS
FIFA supported Saad Al-Fadhli after (in my view he did not perform very well in) his opening Uruguay - Denmark game; he was amongst the upper category of referees who received a second appointment. Referee from Kuwait was in charge of the quite important South Africa - Spain game, with the African nation needing a draw to advance. What followed was a quite pleasant piece of football with the officials less tested than one might have expected. Al-Fadhli again passed through uncontroversially, but the same problems visible in his first match were evident.
Al-Fadhli simply did not belong to the most confident decision-takers at the competition. His selections in both foul detection and disciplinary control were not the most optimal; his smiles hide a lack of more sophisticated soft skills. Ultimately his style is about surviving his games, and he did indeed do that again; it would be really interesting to see how far Al-Fadhli could go in terms of tough games (I reckon pretty far).
One could argue that he should have issued a Red Card during the course of the game - in my opinion, his decisions not to were (at least) supportable. That being said, 69' is a clear red card in my (2020) paradigm; Al-Fadhli was quick with the caution and clearly grasped the dangerousness of such a tackle.
ARs with not that much to do here, Awni Hassouneh more required than Jorge Rattalino, both were good.
FIFA supported Saad Al-Fadhli after (in my view he did not perform very well in) his opening Uruguay - Denmark game; he was amongst the upper category of referees who received a second appointment. Referee from Kuwait was in charge of the quite important South Africa - Spain game, with the African nation needing a draw to advance. What followed was a quite pleasant piece of football with the officials less tested than one might have expected. Al-Fadhli again passed through uncontroversially, but the same problems visible in his first match were evident.
Al-Fadhli simply did not belong to the most confident decision-takers at the competition. His selections in both foul detection and disciplinary control were not the most optimal; his smiles hide a lack of more sophisticated soft skills. Ultimately his style is about surviving his games, and he did indeed do that again; it would be really interesting to see how far Al-Fadhli could go in terms of tough games (I reckon pretty far).
One could argue that he should have issued a Red Card during the course of the game - in my opinion, his decisions not to were (at least) supportable. That being said, 69' is a clear red card in my (2020) paradigm; Al-Fadhli was quick with the caution and clearly grasped the dangerousness of such a tackle.
ARs with not that much to do here, Awni Hassouneh more required than Jorge Rattalino, both were good.
| Saad Al-Fadhli - 8,2 Jorge Rattalino - 8,4 Awni Hassouneh - 8,4 Mohamed Guezzaz (KUW, ARG, JOR) | South Africa 2-3 Spain Group Stage |
 Nzama (16.) - Tackle Carnell (67.) - Tackle Nomvethe (69.) - Tackle A. Mokoena (81.) - Tackle |
As good as it gets for a referee who rather smiles than be a disciplinarian. Again, he survived it, but honestly, he seems to be lacking so many traits that his career in AFC especially is quite surprising. 30’, 34’, 43’, 54’, 61’, 65’, 81’ were all possible YCs, those in 51’ and 62’ mandatory bookings in my eyes. Oh, and 69' is an attack, hence SFP. But he lived to ref another match. Good thing it wasn't more challenging then.
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