For all his shaven headed, get amongst the players, police sergeant hardness, Webb is just a weak bottler, as he showed on Sunday and in the Cup sf. The Dutch fouled so much cos they knew he'd be too scared to make a potentially gamechanging decision. I'm not condoning their behaviour but you can see why they did it.

Thankfully an English ref got to the final or else we would have nothing more to moan about in the World Cup after the nation's team bowed out early. As it is we can delight in an English representative at the highest level so we can tare strips off him

Our Howard was caught between a rock and a hard place and probably hoped the players would react more cautiously after the first (four or five) yellow cards. Had he sent someone off early on he would have been chastised for ruining the dynamics of the game, though that clogger (every pun intended) Van Bommel should have gone early doors, along with De Jong. I didn't realise the Dutch kit that night was going to be all orange with black belts.

The card wavers should indeed go in the book though, on a different tack, I find it unsatisfying that a show of exuberance like taking off your shirt merits the same punishment as someone cynically scything down an opponent. Mind you, by the end of the game, we probably needed that psychic octopus in the middle, seeing as Howard was (on the whole, justifiably) close to dishing out the cards double-handed.

From my mostly neutral German point of view, Webb did quite a decent job on Sunday. In my opinion there was only one drastic error throughout the match. This was booking De Jong instead of sending him off the pitch regardless of the time of the match.

His job is not keeping the game dynamic, his job is keeping the game within the limits of the rules. If the players decide to substitute football with karate, then they have to improve their fighting skills in the locker room, game changing decision or not.

And Van Bommel is a matter of his own. He played the final in the same style like he plays Bundesliga games, where he faces the red card quite rarely. I do not understand that either.

So, back to the original topic... Card-waving is a job for the people on the stands, not for those on the pitch. It is simply annoying and often just childish. Nevertheless, there if a need for a seat-of-the-pants reaction of the ref. If there is a good cause for a yellow card, the ref should ignore the card waver. If there is not, the ref should inform the waver, whose decision it is to show cards. If the player does not understand that, well, show him whose decision it is...

I agree wholeheartedly with this article. Commentators, almost to a man, seem to believe that the worst thing a player can ever do is "try to get a fellow professional sent off". Clearly this is far worse than driving your studs into the chest of a fellow professional.

On a similar note, they completely overblow how bad it is for a player to spit at another player. Although spitting at someone is quite disgusting, I think, had I being playing in midfield for Spain on Sunday, I'd far rather have been facing Frank Rijkaard and having to avoid the occasional flying greener than wondering which part of my anatomy Mark Van Bommell was about to endanger next with another "tackle".

I don't quite get the "trying to get the their fellow players sent off" concept. For starts it implies assuming the referee is a spineless being with no judgment of his own.


Secondly, if a fellow driver tries to drive you off the road and you report it to the police would you be censored for "trying to get a fellow driver banned"? Couldn't be said that it was his action and not your report which got him (justly) banned?

Thirdly, it sends the message that "getting a fellow player sent off" (by no foul means, I must add, since we're assuming no faking takes place) is more censurable than sending a fellow player to premature retirement by sticking your studs into his knee.

@el_emka above is correct, and I can't grasp why so many writers and commentators seem unable to grasp that the referee isn't there to "protect" stars or avoid "spoiling the spectacle." He is there to enforce the rules.

De Jong spoiled the spectacle. He should have been sent off. Refusing to punish him (and so many other Dutch players) as the rules dictate papered over the huge gulf in footballing quality between the Spanish and the runners-up, and led to extra time when none was needed.