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Who will win in your opinion

Barca

Other than Henry, I really haven't seen that much from them. Don't get me wrong, they are a star-lit team with lots of talent. I merely speak of finishing ability in recent UEFA games. Barca plays well defensively, but scores as well. Victory over Milan takes trump to victory over the upstart spanish squad.

Im goin to take Barca 3-1 over arsenal. Barca is loaded with talent, not saying that arsenal isnt, but i really dont see arsenal coming away with this one.

Barca-2
Arsenal-1

i really think it is gonna be a 1-0 game just dont know which way.

i'm going to go against the flow, and say Arsenal wins 2-1. Barca is an extremely dangerous team, but Arsenal have not been in this situation before and will give it their all. Should be a very interesting game though.

10 straight champion league games without being shutout - Arsenal 2 Barca 0 - Hopefully if they win it might get the old reds to play a little harder in the champions league fixtures next year!

Correction - 10 straight Champions league games without being scored on

and this is coming from a man u fan???

arsenal 1-0

Well, I'll be the one to say it.

0-0

Flip a coin for the winner.

As long as that "buck tooth Brazilian" is playing for Barca, Arsenal will be leaving without a trophy.......

Ok i will put in my score now that i have thought it over for a few days:

Ronaldinho - 1
Henry - 0

2-0 barca. although i would really like to see henry clench this title

As much as I'd like Henry and the gunners to come thru, I see the cup going back to La Liga. Sadly, I go thru Paris two days before the match instead of the day of.

Henry will win the game for Arsenal than some crazy barca fan will run on the film and give him a barca jersey with henry on it.

Arsenal wins, Henry dominates, you know the routine. Reyes and Henry are sick nasty. Ljunberg is dirty on the wing.

Arsenal-2
Barca-1

Correction: Henry will win the game for Arsenal than some crazy gunner fan will run on the film and give him a arsenal jersey with henry on it.

Barcelona v Arsenal
Champions League Round F
Stade de France
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Kick-off: 7.45pm (ESPN2)

Pregame Notes:

Champions League Latest Form
Arsenal - W, D, D, W, W, W
Barcelona - W, D, W, W, W, L

Barcelona leads the head-to-head series 1-0-1 ... The two games were played in 1999 during the Champions League and Barcelona won 4-2 at the Nou Camp, while the two squads drew 1-1 at Highbury ... Leading scorers in Champions League action -- Barcelona (Ronaldinho 7, Eto'o 5, Deco 2) and Arsenal (Henry 5, Pires 2, van Persie 2) ... Temperature today in Paris is 66 degrees with a light rain and winds at 10 miles per hour ... The referee for the 2006 Champions League Finals at the Stade de France in Paris is Terje Hauge of Norway.

I'm pulling for Arsenal, I say 2-1

Da**ed Officials!!

Was this official really out of line to do this? Would he have made a difference in the game today?

Personally, I say no to both, kind of crazy.

Check their websites for update info on the match. Also check out Arsenal's new stadium.
Barcelona -
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/eng/home-page/home/home.shtml
Arsenal-
http://www.arsenal.com/index.asp

Barcelona wins 3-1...BTW Chelsea signs Ballack..The rich get richer.....

ESPN SportsCenter had a decent preview of the match this morning. Jeremy Schaap did a nice piece on Ronaldinho.

Regardless of who wins today, both Arsenal and Barcelona are winners in terms of financials!

quote:

---

UEFA Champions League finalists FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC stand to gain considerable financial benefit from their successful runs to this season's showpiece.

Guaranteed revenue
If they win the final at the Stade de France tomorrow night, Arsenal are guaranteed revenue - from performance and starting bonuses, points bonuses, television market share and winning the title - of around €37.3m. If they finish as runners-up, the Londoners will pick up approximately €34.7m. Success for Barcelona means approximately €31.5m in total revenue. If the Spanish side lose, their income for the season, in provisional figures, will amount to close to €28.9m.

Final participation
Included in the total for participating in the final, the UEFA Champions League winners will collect approximately €6.4m, with the runners-up receiving approximately €3.8m. All figures are to be considered as provisional. Final accounts for this season's competition will be ready in mid-June.

---

So, that's a possible $47,807,396 in U.S. currency for the winners -- unbelievable!

stupid ref!!!

20'--Jens Lehmann receives a red card for tackling Samuel Eto'o and preventing a goal.

Gotta say I'm not a fan of Lehmann being sent off.. but it's still a pretty good match.

Arsenal 1
Barcelona 0
38:00 minute 1st half

38'--Sol Campbell heads home the first goal off a set piece from Thierry Henry

halftime still 1-0

halftime
Arsenal-1
Barcelona-0

The arsenal backup goalie is playing great after coming in for Lehmann. Also, Barca are getting more scoring chances since they moved Eto'o into the middle away fromt the left wing.

sidenote: I just hope this coverage isn't representative of the World Cup coverage we'll be getting this summer. Goodness!

keep the updates coming

63' Arsenal 1-0 Barcelona ... A half hour to play!

Eto'o 76th - what speed!

1-1

GOAL GOAL GOAL OLE OLE OLE ETO'O SCORES IN THE 76' MIN.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Right between keeper's legs.. ouch.

81st 2-1 Barcelona

GOAL GOAL GOAL BARCA SCORES AGAIN!!!! THE SUB BELLETTI COME THROUGH FOR BARCA!!!

Ugh!!! The outmanned Arsenal are just seeing wave after wave of Barca Giants run right through them. Time to go for broke with Robert van Persie, Jose Antonio Reyes, or Dennis Bergkamp and abandon any defending whatsoever -- 2-1 or 4-1 doesn't matter at this point.

reyes is subbed into the game for arsenal

barca gets a lato corner in the 89' min

3 min of stoppage time

The play-by-play commentary on UEFA.com and Soccernet says the officiating has been dreadful. I'll have to watch the replay tonight -- "real work" kept me in the office today.

Full time! Unlucky break for the Gunners today. Great run for Arsenal in the Champions League this year and at least the Gunners are assured of CL play next year.

BARCA WINS BARCA WINS BARCA WINS, FINAL
BARCA-2
ARSENAL-1

BARCA GET TWO GOALS WITHIN 4 MIN LATE TO WIN THE GAME!!!

Officiating was pretty bad, but if anything it was in favor of Arsenal rather then against them. Just seemed to make some strange decisions, never really have complete control of the game, and started to give out make up cards towards the end of the game.

A fitting end to Barcelona's storied season!

I thought Eboue's performance was rather disgraceful. His first dive that won Arsenal the free kick (off of which they scored) was pure theatrics. Later in the second half he was hit and took about 10 tumbles and I thought it was too much acting. The ESPN commentators (I think it was Marcello Balboa) only made it more disgraceful by saying "He did what he could to sell it and credit to him for that."

Eto'o had a wonderful night and contrary to what the commentators thought I think he was rather useful up top but having Ronaldinho up top made Barca try to bypass the midfield for the first 20 minutes.

The Barca defense had some troubles and I think this was mainly caused by Oleguer who was finally and fittingly subbed out. Puyol got burned on several occasions (one time sensationally by Henry) and I was scared initially with Marquez on Henry but they stuck it out.

The red card deal I think was unfortunate and I almost think that giving Barca the goal would have been punishment enough but the ref clearly thought a card would be better suited. Eto'o would have been clear through and Lehman caught his foot and I feel the most for Pires who was unfortunately sacrificed and taken off the field. A sad end to his last match with the Gunners.

Ronaldinho was a little bit off with his free kicks but had a pretty good performance otherwise. The Arsenal defence contained him and did a good job to try and stifle his footskills (although Campbell and Eboue were franticly hacking at his feet at one point).

Of course it is easy for me to judge everyone from my chair and I think full credit has to be given to both teams, Arsenal for taking the lead with a man down and Barca for proving their worth. As everyone could see before and after the match there is an enormous amount of mutual respect between both sides and fittingly so.

BARCA BARCA BARCA BARCA!!!

The ref sucked by the way

look, arsenal played 2/3 of game with ten men and a secondhand keeper, and they had henry having to play it safe in the final 30mins because of a questionable yellow card. And, through all of those obsatcles and conflicts, they still managed to score and hold a one goal lead for a majority of the match!
For a taste of reality to all of the Barcalona fanatics out there, a full force arsenal squad would have easily won hands down.

HENRY FUMES AT POOR OFFICIATING

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry accused referee Terje Hauge of favouring Barcelona after the Gunners lost the Champions League final 2-1 to the Primera Liga side.

An emotional Henry claimed the official ignored a series of challenges on him and insisted Arsenal had "made ourselves proud".

He told Sky Sports 1: "I don't know if the referee had a Barcelona shirt on because they kicked me all over the place.

"Maybe next time I'll learn how to dive. I expect the referee to do his job but I don't think he did."

Henry said: "Henrik Larsson was the difference but I didn't see Ronaldinho and I didn't see Eto'o.

"So many times (Carles) Puyol should have got a yellow card, so many times (Rafael) Marquez came from behind to take my ankles.

"We made ourselves proud."

Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg said on ITV1: "They had a lot of possession but we were leading until the 76th minute. We could have won it, this is hard for us.

"They are a great side but I felt we controlled it quite well; unfortunately they got the goals."

Henry added on ITV1: "I've been told that the first goal (by Eto'o) was offside. They are already a good team, so if you help them, it is going to be very difficult to beat them."

The Frenchman had a chance to finish Barca off when Alexander Hleb played him in but his low shot was easily saved by Victor Valdes.

"I had nothing in my legs, nothing whatsoever," he said.

"No disrespect to Barcelona, I feel we played better than them when it was 11 against 11.

"We can be proud, we can be more than proud but I'm sorry, some of the refereeing today was horrendous."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admitted he will now try to convince Henry that his future is at the club.

"I do not know how difficult it will be [to keep Henry] but we will try to do it. It is not in my hands. It is Thierry's hands."

He added on Sky Sports 1: "I felt we played a great game and gave everything. We had a few chances in the last 20 minutes but it was difficult.

"I also felt their first goal was offside."

Asked how much the referee influenced the match, Wenger added: "A lot. We have lost it and it is difficult to take. This team have been fantastic today and right through the European season.

"I knew we could hang on and I knew nerves would play a part in their game. They did not look especially dangerous.

"But we will do it again and I believe the team is growing a lot after this season.

"We have plenty of good young players who have contributed a lot.

"This team are strong. Sometimes you can come back even stronger."

Lehmann understood the referee's decision to send him off rather than letting play unfold.

"He could have given advantage to Barcelona but the referee had to make a very quick decision and it is difficult for refs to make the right decisions," the German said.

"It was fantastic (watching from the bench) until the first goal of Barcelona. We've done very well and fought fantastically, it was a great achievement from the team to play 10 against 11 against a good side.

"But unfortunately I think their first goal was offside. We had a referee in the final who makes two decisions against us."

Asked whether a referee who operates weekly in the Norwegian league should be officiating the Champions League final, Lehmann told Sky Sports: "We have lost and it's over but everybody has to learn out of everything.

"Barcelona have the capability to play quickly, so we should have taken a guy who is used to this pace."

Lehmann added on German TV station Sat 1: "You don't play in those kind of games very often and to have an ending like this is very tragic. It feels tough.

"In football you make mistakes and then you get punished for them. We played great with 10 men and it is a pity that it did not go well for me.

"What really makes me sad it that the equaliser was an offside goal. If the referee had been a bit more alert, we would have maybe won 1-0.

"I expected him to send me off but I immediately thought it was not all over as we could have won the game with 10 men.

"I cannot look ahead (to the World Cup) right now. Now is the time to be sad."

Ashley Cole was more philosophical in defeat than some of his team-mates, and told Sky Sports: "We lost the game but it's not worth moaning about the offside, it's finished, we have to get on with it. The lads deserve credit, they've chipped in and done well as a team."

England team-mate Campbell, whose goal looked set to be the winner until the final 14 minutes, said: "Losing Jens so early on is going to cause problems but we battled well.

"A few decisions went against us but you just have to keep going. We've done well this season, it's a shame we couldn't just finish off the game.

"We passed the ball well, they're a great team and passed it around well too but we had a couple of chances where if it goes our way they're dead and buried."

Those of you who know me know I'm an Arsenal man through and through. It's not the excruciating nature of the loss that is so disappointing, however. Barcelona is a fantastic team, I’d told my team all year they were the best team in Europe, and had they been playing anyone besides Arsenal I would have been pulling for them. What I find to be so disappointing is that Lehmann was sent off. I say this not because I think that would have made the difference (we'll never know) but because this final had all the potential to be a real barn-burner. We had two, very attacking-minded sides that were really going to go at it, back and forth for 90 minutes. Instead, sending Lehmann off, the first red card ever in a champions league final, effectively killed the game. After that, it was like watching the attack on the Alamo. Seems to me advantage should have been played allowing the Barca goal, and then giving Lehmann a yellow card, would have been the right call. Although I have to admit that as soon as it happened I said Lehmann had to be gone. Even the referee has now admitted he shouldn’t have ejected Lehmann. Oh well. I guess if I were a Tottenham fan I’d suggest the game be played over!

Nobody on this thread has given credit to Henrik Larsson, a late substitute who set up both Barca goals.

Thierry Henry knew it:

Henry said: "Henrik Larsson was the difference but I didn't see Ronaldinho and I didn't see Eto'o.

It was a very exciting game. Unbelievable that 10-man Arsenal got the first goal.

I am a referee and the biggest shame is this game was about a lot of "What if's" because of the referee's decisions. Once he blew the whistle he had absolutely no choice but to give a red card on the keeper. Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity. BUT, where is the advantage call when you need it. Should have been 1-0 Barca with all 22 on the field.

Then, Henry wants to talk about dives to the newspapers, the Arsenal goal came off of an absolute dive that was sooooo easy to see.

Lastly, the yellow card against Henry was harsh. Tough to say that was even a foul. Maybe in U-14 rec but not in a UEFA final. That had to force him to play differently with 30 minutes to play.

I agree with MP that Eboue's dive that led to the Arsenal goal was a disgrace, and even more disgraceful was Balboa's sanction of that type of thing.
It seems a pattern for Wenger and Henry to whine about the refs. Firstly, Henry had 2 chances, one in the first 2 minutes and one in the second half when he was clean through, to have won the Cup.
His yellow was harsh when you look at the incident in slow motion, but when I saw it at first in real time it looked pretty nasty and that's what the ref reacted to.
Arsenal can't complain about the decisions going against them. Eboue committed enough fouls to have been sent off twice. If he had been carded when he made that disgusting dive to get their goal, as he should have, they would have been down to 9 men. He committed 2 more fouls later that deserved yellows and he didn't get them, so they can't complain about the refs being against them.
What would have been a travesty would be for Arsenal to have won it by that one goal off the free kick. Barca were the better team.

How about how Marcello was on a strict "don't comment unless asked to policy"

God I hate him. That was great.

By Chris Harris

It was only a matter of time before Arsène Wenger was asked about Thierry Henry's future at his pre-match press conference and, sure enough, just a few questions had come and gone before the subject of Arsenal's captain cropped up.

Henry was a constant menace to Barcelona's defence in Paris but, just when you thought the French striker was going to get his hands on the European Cup, two quickfire goals shattered his and Arsenal's dreams.

Now Wenger, not to mention Arsenal's fans, will wait for Henry to confirm whether he is staying to lead Arsenal at Emirates Stadium or whether Wednesday's night showpiece was his swansong for the Club.

Henry will announce his intentions before the World Cup starts on June 9, but Wenger intends to speak to his captain before the deadline. After all, the Frenchman's plans for next season will be dictated by his captain's decision.

"I will try to talk to him because we have to prepare the season," said Wenger after the 2-1 defeat against Barcelona.

"We have many young players in this team, it is progressing and it has a big, big future, but we need Thierry Henry to achieve that because he is such an influence to our side.

"He can help them to quickly become a big force in the world. He said he would [decide] before the World Cup so there is not long to wait now."

Both teams had/have reason to lament about the call on Lehman's foul. Barcelona lost a goal and Arsenal lost two starters and was forced to play with ten. Give some credit to the ref for his statements today that he should have delayed his whistle a bit to allow the goal. I think Henry had reason to complain about the treatment he received on the back of the legs by the Barca defenders but nobody can deny their equalizer. From where I sat, Eto'o was on.
I'm an Arsenal man myself but I've got to tip my had to Barca. They deserve the title but I would love to see a rematch... 11 v 11.

Granted I couldn't understand much of the game (as it was entirely in French), but at least the visual doesn't change across countries.
I was very disappointed with Ronaldinho. 3 or 4 free kicks and not a single on goal. And then I was disappointed in Barca in the last 10 or so minutes where they just started playing keep away. Horrible. Definitely not Joga Bonito.
No comments one way or the other as far as the officiating.

i guess we could give a cup for biggest whiners, cpmlainers, and cry babies, i think arsenal could win this one easily, even with a man down!!!

The referee admitted he made a mistake, I think UEFA made a mistake appointing an officiating crew from Norway in the first place. They were clearly not up to the task.

"I would have liked to have taken a few more seconds before I made a decision," Hauge told a Norwegian newspaper.

"If I'd done that, I could have given a goal and given a yellow card as well."

Thats all well and good for him to say now, but UEFA should really have the best officials at the Champions League final, regardless of where they're from (obviously excluding the nations contesting the final).

It isn't sour grapes from Arsenal at all and I believe that they have legitimate grievances. Early doors they looked to have settled into the final far better than Barca did and created far more chances. Henry, who is usually calm and collected no matter what happened on the field was clearly upset and felt that the ref had been wearing a Barca shirt.

All said, neither team covered themselves in glory - the referee was a total disgrace and ruined what could have been the greatest final ever played, Henry won out in the battle of the stars against a Ronaldinho who looked more like his old self at Paris St.Germain (yes he did actually play for someone else other than Barca) as he was moody, hot&cold and when he did have the ball he was selfish and failed to use it effectively.




The only thing that was proven last night was what Jose Mourinho has been saying for the last few months - Barcelona are the greatest team in the world (at beating teams with ten players).

marcelo balboa (spelling?) is a horrible commentator.. he stutters and cant get his words out at all.. he makes stupid and repetitive points and im very disappointed to hear hes one of the main commentators for the world cup this summer..

Well I gave Arsenal a lot of stick last year and this year they were a different team (much improved without Viera) and better to watch.

After the same Ref messed up so badly in the Chelsea home leg against Barcelona, (Mesi vs Del Horno - another Red card) I cannot believe he was chosen for this game. Doubt he'll ever do another final with an English team in it.

Based on the fact a Barcelona player had to commit three bad fouls before he saw a yellow, I have to say I thought he favored them.

On the night Barcelona deserved to win, but probably due to the 10 men and in my opinion the very poor refereeing in general. Of course we'll never know if 11 v 11 would have meant Arsenal would win. Eto had no space to work due to Arsenal being forced to defend, and that may have helped them stave off Barcelona for 75 minutes.

Let's hope things even themselves up and Arsenal get the luck (or a Ref with an English Grandfather) next time.

how bout that half time commentary from the ABC actor? what was his name? does he really know a thing about soccer? i hate ABC/ESPN more and more each day...you can't keep it on the channel for two minutes without hearing about ABC's NEW HIT DRAMA!!! TUESDAY NIGHTS AT 8 P.M.!!!!!!!!! CHECK OUT EMILY's REASONS WHY NOT! Did they really think advertising that garbage would make anyone watch it?

Can't wait to be bombarded with ABC promos throughout the Cup.

Oh...and as far as Arsenal's complaints about the officiating... Cry yourselves back to Londontown. The referee could not see a clear advantage, as (I think it was Giuly) was running on to finish it, and the foul was clearly red card worthy; had he not blown the whistle, and Giuly ended up getting tackled or blocked, the ref would've lost his job and probably been murdered. Hindsight is 20/20, and I was as let down as anyone to see a red card in the first 15, but it was not in any way a bad call.

And complaining that Barcelona was diving? How was it that Arsenal scored in the first place? There was clearly ZERO contact and it was a total dive, so that argument should go no further.

Good news for Arsenal fans!

Henry Pledges His Future with Arsenal

quote:

---

'I hope to stay for as long as I can keep running. I could not face leaving the fans. They are like my family.

My team showed me I didn't have to leave. They showed me they had heart.

Everything was up in the air for a very long time. But at the end of the day, the team raised their game.

Don't get me wrong. I love Barcelona. But on Wednesday night, Arsenal showed me they had heart."

---

A lot of people are slamming this ref. Think about this for one moment:
If the ref had waited before he blew the whistle and the ball had gone to Ludovic Giuly as it did. Then Giuly had missed!! Once Giuly takes posession of the ball the advantage has been realised and so then the ref cannot take it back. If Giuly had missed all he could have done was to Give Lehman a yellow and gone with a goal kick if the ball had gone wide.
Is that fair to Barcelona?? They would have said that Lehman should have gone and they got robbed.
The ref didn't know what would happen once the ball went to Giuly. In this case he scores and everyone is on the ref's back.
But he could have missed and I think Lehman deserved more than a yellow for what he did.
The ref did the right thing.
Blame Lehman for doing such a stupid thing so early in the game.

Bazza & MK#11 - the referee did all that he was expected to do and once he had blown his whistle for the initial foul there was no way he could ever change his mind. What everyone is upset about is not that Lehmann was sent off, but that by sending Lehmann off the referee (who was clearly out of his depth) ended the match as the spectacle everybody had waited all year too see.

There is no disputing the fact that Lehmann deserved his red-card, but, if the referee had waited a fraction of a moment longer (as most top-class referees do) to see if there was an advantage to Barcelona, he would have seen Giuly slot home - Lehmann would no longer have completely prevented a clear goal-scoring chance (albeit by default), the goal would have been the punishment for Arsenal and the game could have continued in the attacking vein in which it started.

Personally, I felt a little bit shortchanged by the referee's decision as the Champions League Final is second only to the World Cup Final as a showpiece for the sport... and I neither shelled out for a flight/hotel/ticket as many thousands did do nor do I support either of the teams involved.


But don't just take my word for it

I think AF raises a very good point. At what point does a good referee do his job within the parameters of the rules versus within the paramaters of the game at hand? Very little is as simple as black and white on a soccer field. In this case the referee was within the parameter of the laws by blowing the foul or allowing advantage. Good referees are able to see the advantage and enjoy seeing a goal scoring opportunity come off a no call. No two situations are exactly alike and no two games are exacly alike. A referee's style will often determine how a game may be called so how much does a good referee alter his style to fit the game being played? Everyone would rather watch a European final at 11 v 11 so wouldn't a referee do what he could to avoid a red if he were justified to issue it or not?

Referee's have to apply the laws of the game without prejudice to either team OR the circumstances. Ref's are often asked if they would issue a red card in a final in the first 2 minutes of a game or the last 2. The question is really superfluous. Ref's are paid to make tough decisions and believe me if he had played the advantage and Giuly had missed he would be getting slated in the Spanish press right now.
Players are responsible for what they do. Lehman is to blame, not the ref.
As for the link to Blatter, most people in Europe regard him as a fool and will totally ignore his opinion on pretty much everything.
To say that because this ref is from the Norwegian League he shouldn't have done this final is condescending. He hasn't just jumped from Norwegian club games to this match. He is a FIFA ref which means he has done full internationals. In England a lot of people said the same thing about an American ref in the World Cup in Italy in 1990, that because he only refs in the States he shouldn't be at the World Cup! That's nonsense and we all know it. There are refs here that could ref anywhere and I'm sure there are in Norway too.

I'm saying that there's discrecion within the laws of the game. Ref would have been within the laws of the game either way he made that decision. If Giuly were given that chance and missed, I would think that HE would be slated.

no one on ABC or ESPN really know what they are talking about!!! they just kind of make stuff up as the game goes along, that is why the WC is going to suck this year, just like all the other years!!!

Champions League referee admits mistake

Bazza, surely you're not going to continue arguing this point after the President of FIFA AND the referee in question have both said he made the wrong call.

If the advantage had have been played and Giuly missed, he would have been slated, not the ref, I firmly believe the referee would have been given a lot of credit to try and maintain the flow of the game.

And to elaborate on what EC said previously about discrecion within the game and the ref being right either way - perfectly put - its knows as FIFA Law 13 - the commonsense rule.

FIFA did make a bad call having a referee from Norway, they have a weak domestic league and obviously their officials are not up to officiating elite-level matches such as the Champions League final - I think there were much better alternatives around than that crew!! One of the linesmen posed in a Barca jersey for a newspaper a few days before the match for heavens sake!!

"Professionalism" - this is the Champions League Final don't forget!!





PS: Terje Hauge has refereed nine (9) top-level matches this season (05/06) and in those nine games he has issued a staggering 31 yellow cards and two red cards!!

i dont know that giving 31 yellows and two reds qualifies you as good, it just means the game goes a lot slower, and the ref likes giving cards. come on 33 cards in 9 games, that is ridiculous!!!

So are you saying that no ref form the US should ever referee high level games such as World Cup??
Because the Norwegian League is a lot better quality than MLS.
FYI, Blatter is a fool, I wouldn't listen to anything he said. The ref actually said he could have waited a few more seconds with his whistle, but that he was happy with what he did.