21 RSADEN Toro Rendón
In what was actually the crucial game in Group C, South Africa could only get a one-all draw, which put Denmark in a very strong position to qualify heading into the final match.
Infamous for the three red cards (and their flamboyant giving), and seven yellows to boot, referee John Toro Rendón certainly made his mark on the match. Even if his hit rate with the reds wasn't too bad, the Colombian official made such a mess of this one, in a very poor refereeing performance.
Big Decisions
Who could forget the way that John Toro Rendón flourished his (red) cards in this match! But how correct was he to show them? In the next section an analysis of how these fitted in the wider context of the performance, but here the theoretical analysis of the decisions themselves:
Molnar 67' - on it's merits, this actually is a rather well-spotted stamp by the referee I'd say! The ball has already been played and Molar plants his leg in a dangerous way on Radebe, and most tellingly leaves his leg there, not trying to reduce the impact of this studs contact. His reaction afterwards is a bit odd, too.
-> very widely seen as wrong in 1998, I would say this decision was itself supportable (at least)
Phiri 69' - the South Africa player was very silly here, getting caught up in the frenzied atmosphere of the Denmark-majority crowd, very clearly striking Helveg despite having the ball. He even adds in a kick for good measure; Toro Rendón has very little option here but to make it ten against ten.
-> correct decision
Wieghorst 85' - newly-elected FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that he saw this decision as much too harsh, and this time I agree with him; the edict about tackles from behind totally misapplied. Wieghorst should have been cautioned for this standing foul from behind, but definitely not more.
I can't state my views on this clearly enough - a situation which requires a yellow card plus management, does not equal a red card if you feel unable to do the management side! This was a weak decision by the Colombian referee.
-> incorrect decision (clear match error)
Wieghorst 85' - newly-elected FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that he saw this decision as much too harsh, and this time I agree with him; the edict about tackles from behind totally misapplied. Wieghorst should have been cautioned for this standing foul from behind, but definitely not more.
I can't state my views on this clearly enough - a situation which requires a yellow card plus management, does not equal a red card if you feel unable to do the management side! This was a weak decision by the Colombian referee.
-> incorrect decision (clear match error)
In addition, there were a couple of interesting penalty appeals (22', 60') too.
Managing the Game
A skill of an excellent referee is to turn a (potentially) very challenging match into a pleasant one; unfortunately on this afternoon, John Toro Rendón did exactly the opposite.
From early as the first minute, the Colombian referee was agitating goalkeepers to speed up their goal kicks, with a rather excessive use of the whistle. The only two cautions in the first half were for delaying the restart, unnecessary at that, but the game was brought to halftime without bigger problems for the official.
From early as the first minute, the Colombian referee was agitating goalkeepers to speed up their goal kicks, with a rather excessive use of the whistle. The only two cautions in the first half were for delaying the restart, unnecessary at that, but the game was brought to halftime without bigger problems for the official.
The players began the second half seeing Toro Rendón still as a force for good on the pitch, or at least not a force for bad. By the end of it and the match, it is fair to say that was not exactly the case:
55' - correct yellow card for a reckless tackle, but referee fails to draw the line with his whistle tone
57' - booking for Denmark goalkeeper Schmeichel (DtR), interesting case, in this one I would say that Toro Rendón had his grounds, it is not the fault of the watching world that Denmark's substitutes weren't totally ready and the referee insisted the goalkeeper restart the game, he refused, and got a yellow card.
However, the results for managing the game were disastrous, as this decision really started to put everyone on edge.
55' - correct yellow card for a reckless tackle, but referee fails to draw the line with his whistle tone
57' - booking for Denmark goalkeeper Schmeichel (DtR), interesting case, in this one I would say that Toro Rendón had his grounds, it is not the fault of the watching world that Denmark's substitutes weren't totally ready and the referee insisted the goalkeeper restart the game, he refused, and got a yellow card.
However, the results for managing the game were disastrous, as this decision really started to put everyone on edge.
63' - yellow for an off-camera dissent, can't comment, but it does seem as though this scene could have been managed quite alright with just a verbal admonition
65' - extremely harsh caution for an elbow offence, again, a freekick and some kind of signal to the players (warning, whistle tone) was well enough here; theoretically, a defendable call even, but again the effect in the bigger picture was disastrous
By now, everyone was getting so worked up, the atmosphere in the stadium greatly contributing to that; red card(s) were inevitable by this point, and they came with in five minutes.
65' - extremely harsh caution for an elbow offence, again, a freekick and some kind of signal to the players (warning, whistle tone) was well enough here; theoretically, a defendable call even, but again the effect in the bigger picture was disastrous
By now, everyone was getting so worked up, the atmosphere in the stadium greatly contributing to that; red card(s) were inevitable by this point, and they came with in five minutes.
73' - correct yellow card for a reckless challenge
76' - potential red card according to a strict interpretation of FIFA's tackle from behind edict! Toro Rendón decides to play on
By the last minutes, the game was actually relatively calm in terms of player infractions. The final red card, 85', was the exception rather than the rule for the general tone on the pitch.
-> Unfortunately, a prime example of a referee inflaming, not calming, the match with his decisions; so many cards could have been avoided with a more common-sensical approach, but Toro Rendón isolated himself and irritated the players too much. The result, ten cards of which three were red, was so predictable.
In some aspects, Toro Rendón actually served football quite well with this performance, including two nice advantages (11', 59') - Michel Platini having specifically called on referees to apply the advantage clause more liberally after the first round of matches - well done.
However, even in this sense it was not all roses - when the match got hotter, he decided to pedantically blow for some ultra-minimal contacts / pushes (eg. 56', 74') which only made everyone more angry with his officiating.
A very fit referee, the Colombian elegantly followed play with his movement, and in the goings-on of the game, generally took okay decisions (I'm sure I wasn't alone in angst throughout of, what will he do next, though).
By the last minutes, the game was actually relatively calm in terms of player infractions. The final red card, 85', was the exception rather than the rule for the general tone on the pitch.
-> Unfortunately, a prime example of a referee inflaming, not calming, the match with his decisions; so many cards could have been avoided with a more common-sensical approach, but Toro Rendón isolated himself and irritated the players too much. The result, ten cards of which three were red, was so predictable.
In some aspects, Toro Rendón actually served football quite well with this performance, including two nice advantages (11', 59') - Michel Platini having specifically called on referees to apply the advantage clause more liberally after the first round of matches - well done.
However, even in this sense it was not all roses - when the match got hotter, he decided to pedantically blow for some ultra-minimal contacts / pushes (eg. 56', 74') which only made everyone more angry with his officiating.
A very fit referee, the Colombian elegantly followed play with his movement, and in the goings-on of the game, generally took okay decisions (I'm sure I wasn't alone in angst throughout of, what will he do next, though).
The most disappointing thing about this performance is how unnecessary so much of it was - the match was generally characterised by an attitude of fair play by the players; quite remarkable given everything that happened, too!
Brian Moore (RIP) was quite correct with his comments in commentary, that the refereeing so far at World Cup 1998 had been orientated in common-sense, and had a very positive impact on the matches; Toro Rendón's performance did exactly the opposite.
Assistant Referees
Despite the end-to-end nature of the game, quiet afternoon for both Jorge Luis Arango and Celestino Galván patrolling the offside lines; good job.
Balance
Unfortunately, this performance was a real refereeing disaster by John Toro Rendón, and certainly not how FIFA envisaged their World Cup matches being refereed, whatever the media discussion about the guidelines issued to the referee.
The most scary element of this performance is that actually, (relatively speaking) this was not a hard match to referee at all. It was Toro Rendón who created all the problems with his officiating, whose effect on the game was nothing other than totally negative.
The most scary element of this performance is that actually, (relatively speaking) this was not a hard match to referee at all. It was Toro Rendón who created all the problems with his officiating, whose effect on the game was nothing other than totally negative.
A second appointment for the Colombian was simply impossible after this match, and in my view, rightly so.
| John Toro Rendón - 3 Jorge Luis Arango - 7 Celestino Galván - 7 Epifanio González COL, COL, PAR | South Africa 1-1 Denmark Group Stage 18 June |
 Nyathi (38') - Delaying the Restart Issa (63') - Dissent Phiri (65') - Striking Radebe (73') - Challenge | Schjønberg (23') - Delaying the Restart Høgh (55') - Tackle Schmeichel (57') - Delaying the Restart |
 Phiri (69') - Violent Conduct | Molnar (67') - Serious Foul Play Wieghorst (85') - Serious Foul Play |
After more than 20 years, I cannot forget Toro Rendon and the way he issued the red cards. Same as you, I believe the Colombian referee made his game much more difficult than it actually was.
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