5 PARBUL Al-Zaid
The first game of World Cup 1998 which felt genuinely low-key, also gave us the first scoreless result, and red card of the tournament. Bulgaria made the running in the first half, Paraguay in the second, but neither could find a decisive score - they finished with a point apiece.
Only the second Saudi ever to take charge of a World Cup game, and the first since 1986, Abdulrahman Al-Zaid did a good job in this fairly tricky match.
Only the second Saudi ever to take charge of a World Cup game, and the first since 1986, Abdulrahman Al-Zaid did a good job in this fairly tricky match.
Big Decisions
Al-Zaid was called to make a crucial decision less than five minutes into his World Cup bow - Hristo Stojčkov appealed for a penalty off a trip by Pedro Sarabia. Not an easy decision by any means! Replays show that Stojčkov was beginning to fall before the contact, and the Saudi ref was right to play on in my eyes.
The official was also tested when he really might have awarded the first red card of the tournament at 72' for Trifon Ivanov's foul - it was really tight, given that the attacker was running wide, Al-Zaid's call to assess it as SPA and not DOGSO was correct.
Al-Zaid did later produce the first red card of the competition, a second yellow, for Antoli Nankov at the end of the game (88') - the studs contact was on top of Julio César Yegros' foot, so only reckless and not more. Correct call.
At +91' there was a very interesting situation - Yegros had his shirt held by the Bulgaria goalkeeper after he dropped a ball in the penalty area, the holding was not insignificant either. That Yegros' teammate did get a shot in - over the bar - perhaps means we are talking a bit less about this situation than it might merit.
Al-Zaid did later produce the first red card of the competition, a second yellow, for Antoli Nankov at the end of the game (88') - the studs contact was on top of Julio César Yegros' foot, so only reckless and not more. Correct call.
At +91' there was a very interesting situation - Yegros had his shirt held by the Bulgaria goalkeeper after he dropped a ball in the penalty area, the holding was not insignificant either. That Yegros' teammate did get a shot in - over the bar - perhaps means we are talking a bit less about this situation than it might merit.
Managing the Game
The atmosphere in the stadium flat, a match with a certain undercurrent going through it - Abdulrahman Al-Zaid needed both strong concentration and a clear plan to succeed in this encounter.
I found his line for which tackles he would assess as careless (16', 20', 78') versus reckless (27', 43', +47', 88') very easy to understand, and the Saudi referee stayed true to it the whole match through - good. His foul detection was fairly tight, but I would say apt, and the players found his decisions more-or-less predictable.
He also identified the match's key player - Stojčkov. As soon there was an incident involving the Bulgaria, the officials were never 'safe'; Al-Zaid had to step in a number of times to prevent further escalation (20', +47', 83'), and each time he was successful.
The Saudi was not the most charismatic referee amongst FIFA's squad in France, but he used his personality well when called upon - his determined, and repeated, warning(s) to Stojčkov in the first big conflict scene at 20' were strong, and he was able to defend his decisions effectively too (26').
Al-Zaid enthusiastically followed play with his positioning and movement, and in addition to cracking smiles and his approach, presented himself as a friend of football on this afternoon. Well played by the man from Saudi Arabia!
Points for consideration - freekick call at 13' was too soft, 32' was a fair challenge which he assessed as foul one, and the commentators in the stadium reported that he failed to acknowledge (missed?) his assistant's flags on some occasions.
I found his line for which tackles he would assess as careless (16', 20', 78') versus reckless (27', 43', +47', 88') very easy to understand, and the Saudi referee stayed true to it the whole match through - good. His foul detection was fairly tight, but I would say apt, and the players found his decisions more-or-less predictable.
He also identified the match's key player - Stojčkov. As soon there was an incident involving the Bulgaria, the officials were never 'safe'; Al-Zaid had to step in a number of times to prevent further escalation (20', +47', 83'), and each time he was successful.
The Saudi was not the most charismatic referee amongst FIFA's squad in France, but he used his personality well when called upon - his determined, and repeated, warning(s) to Stojčkov in the first big conflict scene at 20' were strong, and he was able to defend his decisions effectively too (26').
Al-Zaid enthusiastically followed play with his positioning and movement, and in addition to cracking smiles and his approach, presented himself as a friend of football on this afternoon. Well played by the man from Saudi Arabia!
Points for consideration - freekick call at 13' was too soft, 32' was a fair challenge which he assessed as foul one, and the commentators in the stadium reported that he failed to acknowledge (missed?) his assistant's flags on some occasions.
Assistant Referees
Two strong assistants on this game, both Achmat Salie (15') and Hussain Ghadanfari (42') played good onsides and gave a competent impression throughout. Al-Zaid essentially overruled Ghadanfari at 26' though, Kuwaiti kept his flag down in a duel in his vicinity, only for the ref (correctly) to blow for the freekick.
Balance
I really liked this performance by Abdulrahman Al-Zaid, his smart and consistent approach was football-orientated, and the big decisions were all taken correctly. A second appointment should be a must for the Saudi referee!
| Abdulrahman Al-Zaid - 7 Achmat Salie - 7 Hussain Ghadanfari - 7 Nikolaj Levnikov KSA, RSA, KUW | Paraguay 0-0 Bulgaria Group Stage 12 July |
 Benítez (43') - Tackle | Nankov (27') - Tackle Stojčkov (+47') - Tackle Ivanov (72') - SPA (Tackle) |
 Nankov (88') - Tackle |
Good performance for this type of match.
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