48 COLENG Brizio Carter

England were the victors of their de facto playoff with Colombia for the second round, courtesy of two impressive first half goals, after which they were comfortable winners. 

FIFA had supported one of their strongest referees Arturo Brizio Carter after his noteworthy performance on Red Thursday (FRAKSA) - quite rightly so - and his next appointment was for this 'knockout' game.

Really, this game was a piece of cake to referee, and the Mexican in charge had no real issues on the night. 

Big Decisions

Very little to speak about here! The freekick which David Beckham scored for England's second goal was correctly awarded, Paul Ince was tripped. 

Managing the Game

Quiet game for Arturo Brizio Carter, who did a good job; probably, most match viewers had totally forgotten who the ref of the match was an hour after the final whistle. 

Card selection was fine - another referee might have managed the 22' scene without a caution, only 87' was really a 'live' tactical decision, a correct yellow for a foul not too far away from Serious Foul Play. 

22' does fit into the picture of a referee who was very anxious to maximise the playing time, on even more than a handful of occasions the Mexican ref was agitating for England to restart play quicker. 

As I stated in a previous report, ironically for a well-renowned law-enforcer, Brizio Carter's disciplinary control is not his biggest strength in his games. On a few occasions, he might have acted against rough play a trifle more forcefully (eg. 9', 11', 37', 49', 67'), 80' was a clear reckless foul not given as a freekick. 

What elevates the Mexican referee to real excellence in 1998 is actually his manner - relaxed and reasonable, Brizio Carter utilises sophisticated soft skills in his interactions with players (eg. 8', 62'). This is such a huge asset for him! 

And finally - the caution procedure for Jorge Bermúdez's yellow is more worthy of a smile than censure, if you ask me anyway. The question is one of timing! 

Assistant Referees

Not the strongest evening for Laurent Rausis (mistakes - 70', 75') who performed part of a delicately balanced officials team for a game which ultimately did not require anything like such intricacy. Reynaldo Salinas was quiet, correct offside at 11'. 

Balance

Good performance in what was perhaps a surprisingly easy assignment for Arturo Brizio Carter. A third appointment upon being retained for the last eight matches were both absolute givens for the Mexican referee. 

Arturo Brizio Carter - 7 Laurent Rausis - 6 Reynaldo Salinas - 7 Ryszard Wójcik MEX, SUI, HON	Colombia 0-2 England Group Stage 28 June
Serna (20') - Challenge Aristizábal (87') - Challenge Bermúdez (89') - SPA (Holding)	Scholes (22') - Not Respecting 9.15m Shearer (90') - Premature Execution

That concludes the group matches! We will return on Saturday to initiate the knockout stage.