Photo by ISIphotos.com
U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley has been handed a four-match suspension by FIFA for his run-in with referee Jorge Larrionda following the U.S. national team's 2-0 win vs. Spain in the Confederations Cup, Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl reported on Tuesday.
The suspension will not keep Bradley out of the Aug. 12 World Cup qualifier vs. Mexico in Mexico City. In fact, Bradley will be able to serve the suspension during the Gold Cup even though he has not been called in. He served the first match of the suspension during the Confederations Cup final, with the first two U.S. Gold Cup matches covering the next two matches of the ban. The fourth match is a suspended sentence that will kick in if Bradley has another incident during a probationary period of six months.
U.S. head coach Bob Bradley did not sound too bothered by the decision when asked about his son's suspension on Tuesday.
“Obviously, the emotions after a game like that and a decision like that are high," Bob Bradley said. "This is typically the way FIFA handles those things.”
Bradley had words with Larrionda near the locker rooms following the Spain match, a match that saw Larrionda issue Bradley a highly-questionable red card in the 87th minute. Reports out of Spain suggesting that Bradley attempted to attack Larrionda have been proved false.
What do you think of this news? Relieved Bradley will play vs. Mexico? Angry that Larrionda still has a job as a FIFA referee? Praying he isn't chosen to referee in the 2010 World Cup?
Share your thoughts below.
Champ–
“You are flat-out wrong.”
Nope, completely right. Sorry
“If you’ve never gone after a ref, at least verbally, than you’ve never really played.”
I’ve never waited til after a game in a tunnel to go after a ref (that’s just too far out of line). It is called respect for the game.
” That is PART of the game,”
And the point is… it shouldn’t be. Why do think there is so much trouble getting and keeping good ref’s? (or in some places any refs?)
“I’m surprised he didn’t put him in the hospital. ”
I certainly hope you are not associated with any soccer program where there might be kids.
Dennis M. –
“1) it was a bad call, Bradley won the ball and the player fell over him,”
Nope, MB missed the ball and cleated the player.
“maybe he went in hard, but no way was it a red, probably not a yellow and maybe not even a foul.”
Definitely a foul, most often a yellow, could be a red (though not often)
“2) Referees make bad calls, those who make too many of them should not be doing important matches.”
Agreed
“3) M.B. should know better. I can imagine in the heat of the moment reacting badly, but by after the game, he should have composed himself and resigned himself to the suspension.”
Agreed
“4) FIFA does not suspend players for international games on the basis of whether or not they are called to be on the roster. That does tend to make red cards suspensions from semi-finals and finals fairly meaningless, but FIFA does not mete out punishments such that a player must miss only “important” games, just the next one or next several. Until/if FIFA changes this policy what they did is consistent.”
Exactly
Tom –
” I’m not sure what replay you saw where studs were up… could you point us to one?”
Every one I saw. Look on BigSoccer they have some still shots of MB’s cleats on Xabi/Xavi’s foot/ankle.
“Actually, I’d claim that M.Bradley actually won here”
And you would be wrong. He was late, missed the ball and cleated the other player.
” MB forced FIFA’s hand and their toothless response sent a bigger message to Larrionda than it did Bradley.”
It was only toothless because we happen to have a Gold Cup for MB not to play in. We (MB) got lucky, that’s all.
Brett –
“1. it was debatable on whether it was a foul, no way arguable a card… if the ref was card happy, then yellow at best….”
his cleats were down, he connected with the ball and he came from the front (slightly from the side)….”
Nope. His cleats hit (Xabi, Xavi?) in the foot/ankle area, after he came in late (i.e. he missed the ball). Isn’t often a red (but certainly could be), but almost always is a yellow.
“still a 3-4 game ban for yelling at a ref after the game is crap”
Nope, confronting a ref after a game (mind you not on the field but waiting in the tunnel – premeditated) is “crap” (and MB should know much better than that)
The USMNT drew 3 red cards in 5 Confed Cup matches…maybe they were weak in cases, but they were reds. Our playing style, how we interact with officials – these are all contributing factors. So – as a big MB Jr fan, I’m actually fine with this. The USMNT needs to adjust to how the international game is called so that it doesn’t shoot itself in the feet repeatedly (see winnable game vs. Italy).
This suspension costs us nothing – but if we adapt for next year and have fewer cards, I think it – and the other red cards – might prove to have been a blessing in disguise.
Except Dennis they had the authority to suspend him for time instead of games. If there was supposed to be teeth in this suspension, FIFA could have made it last 3 months or whatever.
I’m sorry but I think FIFA is clearly sending a message and it isn’t to Bradley.
Four things:
1) it was a bad call, Bradley won the ball and the player fell over him, maybe he went in hard, but no way was it a red, probably not a yellow and maybe not even a foul.
2) Referees make bad calls, those who make too many of them should not be doing important matches.
3) M.B. should know better. I can imagine in the heat of the moment reacting badly, but by after the game, he should have composed himself and resigned himself to the suspension.
4) FIFA does not suspend players for international games on the basis of whether or not they are called to be on the roster. That does tend to make red cards suspensions from semi-finals and finals fairly meaningless, but FIFA does not mete out punishments such that a player must miss only “important” games, just the next one or next several. Until/if FIFA changes this policy what they did is consistent.
Sooo… anyone who disagrees with Iammetro is a fool. Maybe he should get his own site so we can all bask in his vastly superior soccer knowledge. BTW some of Beckham’s 60yd passes to a running Giggs 10 or so years ago is some of the most beautiful soccer I’ve ever seen. Oooops forgot they’re Brits, it was ugly.
that ref was ridiculous! he blew the confed cup for us. Bradley’s absence in the final and being forced to start feilhaber instead of bringing him in as a sub instead of klejstan killed us. that ref should be banned. what a joke
F Larrionda
Also, maybe it’s just my optimism, but I’m almost glad–not glad but almost–that MB got that red card. Sometimes the only lessons you truly learn from are the hard ones that hurt. Even though it wasn’t a red card, that was a silly tackle in that stage of the match and he needs to be careful, especially in the World Cup. I love his fiery attitude but you can strike a balance
meyers7, I’m not sure what replay you saw where studs were up… could you point us to one?
Actually, I’d claim that M.Bradley actually won here – because scrutiny has remained on Larrionda for the bogus call. If MB never goes after the ref, this gets swept under the rug at FIFA as just another complaint. However, in his actions, MB forced FIFA’s hand and their toothless response sent a bigger message to Larrionda than it did Bradley.
Was he wrong to go after the ref? Yes. But sometimes doing the wrong thing ends up producing the right result.
There is no reason why Bradley need to do that. There is a bias against American players in Football. Just having conversations with typical central Americans or my family members, shows me that the world doesn’t know about American Football.
Bradley was 3 minutes away from playing in his first final. Was the tackle bad? No. Was it a red card? Hell no. Does he know that he was playing for a team that played two games with 10 men? Yeah. Did he ever consider that fact that International Refs aren’t gonna side with them when playing Brazil, Italy, or Spain? Apparently not.
Lucio or Carles Puyol would’ve had their one game suspension rescinded. I’m not that big on conspiracies, but there’s obviously different rules for not just Americans but people who speak English. When Latin players tackle hard it’s applauded and encouraged, but when British or American players play hard it’s “ugly football”.
Posted by: Ben | July 07, 2009 at 10:07 AM
No fool. It is called ugly football cus its just that ugly. And you want to complain just look at all the unnecessary tackles done in MLS. Jumping up in midair at a player and missing doesn’t take from the fact that it is a reckless challenge. And the Brits aren’t known for dirty tackles, Italians are. Brits are known for not moving the ball through the mid with short passes. They go with long balls which is ugly football.
Seriously, I love how more and more I see fans coming out and running their mouths on the game but don’t know anything about the rules themselves.
I’m with Rastafari.
FOCUS ON AZTECA.
Pretty meaningless suspension. He wasn’t going to play in the Gold Cup anyway.
We CANNOT have this fool ref a game of ours again!
Heck, i’m glad he did it….hasnt turned out to hurt us and that crap ref needed an earful.
How come that a$$-clown Larrionda doesn’t get suspended? FIFA is such a freaking joke.
meyers7 –
1. it was debatable on whether it was a foul, no way arguable a card… if the ref was card happy, then yellow at best….
his cleats were down, he connected with the ball and he came from the front (slightly from the side)….
2. while not smart, completely understandable… oddly enough if it were on the field, nothing would have happened… but time to mull things over, to stew on the crap that was that card pushed mikey over the top…. and im sure thats what FIFA took into account…
still a 3-4 game ban for yelling at a ref after the game is crap… what with poorly timed and sometimes intentional tackles see only a red and that is it…. strange world we live in…
Does anybody else find it funny that he’s able to serve the suspension via a tournament he wasn’t even scheduled to participate in? Why not give him a 100 game suspension for all games played in Guam?
Absolutely stupid ruling by FIFA
Meyers —
You are flat-out wrong. In 100 different scenarios of that same tackle it’s a red once. This was that once because it was Larrionda. In no possible way is that a straight red — it shouldn’t even have been a discretionary red. It was a blown call and it mattered. Let Larrionda ref some Premier League or Bundesliga games — there won’t be enough players to finish.
If you’ve never gone after a ref, at least verbally, than you’ve never really played. That is PART of the game, as well as PART of what makes MB our most important player. He tackles hard — Mastroeni is dirty without art, Bradley tackles hard with skill. Passion is important, and there is no way MB should tone it down at all. This is what comes from being an aggressive player, and sometimes you just deal with it. Call it idiotic, probably it is from a logical post-game view — but what if you’d just given 87 minutes of blood and sweat to get your home country into the biggest game of its recent soccer history, you were 22 years old, and some jack-ass made a bad call that was guaranteed to keep you out of that game? I’m surprised he didn’t put him in the hospital.
Man its hard reading some of the idiotic posts here. (I know, I know..don’t read them, but anyway)
1) it wasn’t a “horrible” call by the ref. Bradley came in late and caught the player with his cleats. Is it always called a red? no, sometimes a yellow. should it be called a red? probably. (one player is cleating another). Was there much damage? no. could there have been, YES
2) you can’t go after refs. particularly after games. its one thing during a game when emotions can be in control. But waiting for a ref after the game in the tunnel….completely wrong. Its one thing when you have an idiot parent doing this but when you have someone who is supposed to know about respect in the game….completley idiotic.
3) FIFA hands down the suspension. It is not up to them whether the player would be called in or not. The point is to punish the player, not the team. The team isn’t supposed to give up a 23 (or 30) spot. Players always server their suspensions by not being called up. They miss the opportunity to play for national team. That’s their punishment.
Just happens to work out for us,
Come on people, don’t be stupid.
all of you clowns ripping bradley don’t understand what its like to be a highly competitive athlete, in theory yes he should have just walked away. but come on, he was a huge reason why the us dismantled egypt and upset spain only to have a chance to play on the biggest stage against brazil taken from him by an idiot
DCJosh- the other day you were telling me how deep we were in Midfield. What gives?
This doesn’t make much sense.
How can he serve a suspension when he’s not even on the Gold Cup roster?
I hear Mexican officials are mobilizing to petition FIFA not to allow Bradley to play at Azteca on the 12th.
Let’s see what happens.
Goalscorer24- Bradley Jr yelling=thuggish Mexican asst hitting= merely passionate
I love FIFA making players accountable for their actions, but what about making the REFS accountable for their calls? Especially straight red cards. It was a yellow for sure, but I don’t see how it was a straight red. He did have his studs up, two footed, but he retracted his legs, bending his knees, when he went in for the tackle.
It should have been a yellow card, with a warning that the next foul he commits results in a sending off. The refs are too card-happy in major competitions.
I can’t wait until we get Edu and Jones into the rotation so we aren’t so weak in the center of the midfield.
Bradley Jr. has to be more careful. I am surprised by the size of this suspension in comparison to the Mexican asssitant that slapped Hedjuk. To me, being slapped is a much more serious offense, and yet the assistant was only suspended 2 games.
Larrionda already has a grudge against the USA, so it’s not like Bradley is going to make things any worse by bitching at him in a language he doesn’t understand.
Depending on what kicks off the extra game, FIFA may actually have gone out of their way to make sure Bradley actually sits a WCQ. My understanding is that 4 games is the norm for the incident with the ref after the game. If they suspend him 4 games, he misses the Gold Cup group games… no loss. But by suspending one, if he were to pick up a yellow vs. Mexico, that may trigger the extra game suspension, which would have him out for the next WCQ.
I hope MB got his words worth!
funny how 99% of the people on here are bashing the kid for losing his cool, yet i guarantee all of you have lost your cool in a game before…. else i doubt you’d have actually played the game…
emotions are HIGH… they just beat the #1 team in the world, and the ref gives you a cheap red on a clean tackle so you miss the finals… i would be furious…
a 4 game suspension for yelling at a ref after the game is harsh…. i am agreeing with several here who think FIFA saw the 1 game against brazil and the 3 gold cup games as meaningless (and not participating in)as a way to smooth this over…. and lets not forget that the USMN received several additional roster slots for the Gold Cup without asking… coincidence??
Ben- excellent point. English speaking= ugly football. All others= strong, determined or crafty.
If the US wants to play at a high level, Bradley is as important or more than any player we field.
What happens on the Pitch should stay on the Pitch! Watching the replay, you can’t just throw yourself at someones ankles,it was a reckless tackle. Bradley lost focus for a second and paid for it. You don’t have to break someones ankles to get a red card, maybe it was due to fatigue that his tackle was miss-timed, but this should help Bradley grow and stay focus for 90+ minutes in future matches.
ok, for anyone thinking that FIFA was handing down a soft suspension, think again. a suspension is just like a red card, in this case, FIFA said that Bradley has to miss the next three matches, two of which have already happened. this suspension is in line with others for approaching the referee after the match (remember that Drogba and Ballack were suspended by UEFA, not FIFA directly, and they won’t have to travel to those matches either, or be on the roster.) the US got lucky that the next official games were basically meaningless, that’s all.
Azteca… You can play Michael…
Focus son, FOCUS!!!