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U.S. Soccer has suspended referee Jair Marrufo for two matches for receiving a jersey from Chicago Fire player Cuauhtemoc Blanco after last week's Chicago Fire-Columbus Crew match.
"The initial step in dealing with the situation was to remove Jair Maruffo from his assignment for this weekend," U.S. Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe told SBI. "After careful consideration, the decision has been made to officially suspend him for this week and the following week."
Marrufo, the 2008 MLS referee of the year, was suspended after witnesses saw Blanco toss a jersey into the referee's locker room after last week's Fire-Crew match, a match that included a controversial red card issued by Marrufo to Crew defender Gino Padula for a foul on Blanco. That red card helped spark a two-goal comeback by the Fire, which had been trailing, 2-0.
What do you think of the suspension? Is two games fair? Not enough? Too much? Think Blanco should have been reprimanded?
Share your thoughts below.
As I posted earlier Poll, Collina and many other referees have gotten token gifts like jerseys from players. Think about the tradition of exchanging jerseys between players. If Cristiano Ronaldo accepts a jersey from Cech does that mean he’ll sky one over his goal? Of course not. Totally out of control.