FIFA's rematch call bad: lawyer

The Australian September 7 Decision by soccer's world governing body, FIFA, to play a World Cup qualifier again because of a referee's mistake, will shake the foundations of international sport, a leading Australian sports lawyer warned yesterday. The president of the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association, Simon Rofe, said FIFA's action violated one of the basic tenets of sport. "This is quite extraordinary," Rofe said. "It's a referee's decision. We all accept that referees are not perfect and they make judgment calls that may not be correct, but in the field of play, it's their call. "If they get it wrong, drop them to reserve grade, but don't have the matches replayed. Once you open up that door, where does it end?" Other peak sporting bodies were quick to rule out following FIFA's lead yesterday. Football Federation Australia declined last night to comment on whether FIFA's decision would affect the game in Australia. In the World Cup qualifying match between Uzbekistan and Bahrain on Saturday, Japanese referee Toshimitsu Yoshida ruled against a penalty scored by Server Djeparov because of encroachment in the penalty area by an Uzbek team-mate. But Yoshida did not allow Uzbekistan to retake the penalty, as stated in the rule book; instead he awarded a free-kick to Bahrain, who went on to win 1-0. FIFA has ordered the teams to play a rematch on October 8. The decision was approved by Lennart Johansson, chairman of the 2006 World Cup organising committee. "Taking into consideration that the referee ... had indeed committed a technical error, as a consequence, the match needed to be played again," FIFA said in a statement. Rofe said every decision made by a referee or umpire affected the outcome of every game. "Who's to say the player would have scored the goal again?" Rofe said. "It's the thin end of the wedge because there are plenty of instances where the referee gets it wrong. "After the match between West Coast and Sydney, even the umpires' boss Jeff Gieschen said the umpire got it wrong. Are we going to drag all of them back to play that game again?" Sydney coach Paul Roos dismissed that option, saying tongue-in-cheek: "I think we're a bit too tired and exhausted to get back over again this week so we might have to leave it until after the grand final. "Seriously, it does open up a can of worms. People can see whatever game it is, there is going to be mistakes." "As much as everyone in every sport would like a replay when they happen (Swans fans have muttered about taking the AFL to court this week), it's just unworkable." Gieschen admitted on Saturday that umpire Shane McInerney erred in Friday's qualifying final when he awarded a free-kick against the Swans, which led to a vital West Coast goal in the last quarter. Rofe said it was impossible to reproduce the same circumstances to make a rematch entirely fair to both teams. "You just have to live with it at the time and get on with it," he said. "Even those sports that do have appeal processes, like horse racing and cycling, usually only adjudicate on disqualifications, and the appeals are heard immediately after the race by people who are on site." He noted the Court of Arbitration for Sport had consistently refused to hear appeals against referees' decisions, and he would advise all sporting organisations to take the same approach. Other sporting organisations contacted yesterday were similarly reluctant to step into such a minefield. The AFL confirmed it would not have a rematch because of umpiring mistakes. Australian Rugby Union spokesman Strath Gordon said neither the International Rugby Board nor SANZAR (which runs the Super 14 competition) had provisions for games to be played again in the case of an officiating error. "The tournament rules indicate games must be played in accordance with the laws and the referee is the sole judge of law and fact and there's no appeal mechanism for an officiating error," Gordon said. International Cricket Council spokesman John Long said the body did not, and probably would not, consider playing games over because of bad decisions. "An essential part of the spirit of cricket is respecting the umpire's decision," Long said. National Rugby League chief operating officer Graham Annesley said he "could not envisage any circumstances that would result in such an outcome".