2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral

110
Refereeing report
points for improvement and the importance
of employing good practices for future
matches.
The refereeing delegation stayed at the
Windsor Barra Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, where
they received excellent hospitality and enjoyed
good facilities, suitable meeting rooms, and
a gym that met the needs of the referees. In
addition, special mention should be made
of the attention and professional support
received from the Local Organising Committee
and its partners, particularly for matters such
as transport, logistics and different sporting
facilities for the referees’ practical training
sessions with well-prepared football players.
Members of the Referees Committee took on
the important role of assessor and assisted the
match officials in the venues. Accordingly, they
were responsible for FIFA refereeing matters
and supported the referees’ needs for the
entire duration of their stay in the respective
venues. A technical instructor assisted in
carrying out the functions of a match analyst.
The members of the Referees Committee
and the instructors carefully monitored all of
the match officials’ performances, and their
evaluations were very positive. In summary,
the refereeing of this competition was very
successful.
The high level of fair play on the
playing field during this tournament
was noteworthy as, compared to other
tournaments, there were relatively few
fouls, and fewer yellow and red cards were
issued.
The preventive measures of meeting and
talking with the teams beforehand, both in
the coach and team administrator workshop
and in the Team Arrival Meetings (TAM),
were effective. Having a strong working
relationship with players and coaches on
and off the field of play was instrumental in
fostering mutual respect.
Goal-line technology (GLT) was employed
at this World Cup with great success as the
system helped referees in situations where
it would have been nearly impossible for
the referees to detect a goal having been
scored. For the very first time in World Cup
history, the GLT system was used in the
match between France and Honduras to
help the referee to correctly award France’s
second goal, which would have been
virtually impossible to detect without the
help of this innovative system. The referees
also used the vanishing spray with great
success to ensure the 9.15-metre distance
was observed at the taking of free kicks.