LFR Sports

SKETCHY REF AND STENCH OF CHEATING FROM ITALY TAINTS U.S. DRAW

Jorge Larrionda will rue the day he botched the Americans chance at beating Italy. Most are in agreement, the red card given to Pablo Mastroeni was warranted and possibly colored by a chance to even the man advantage the U.S. enjoyed. Eddie Pope's red card five minutes later seemed a bit contrived for most.

What is one to think when such dubious officiating occurs in a match with Italy? The top league in Italy, Serie A, is presently enmeshed in a scandal so explosive that rumors are Juventus may be relegated to the second division. Italy's top goalie was questioned by authorities a week before the World for his involvement in betting on soccer matches. The coach, Marcello Lippi and his son; a sports agent has been questioned and the president of Juventus and other top teams in Italy have been accused of match-fixing in cahoots with referees. Here's what the New York Times reported about Larrionda:

Larrionda was barred for six months in 2002 by his country's soccer federation for unspecified "irregularities." Two days before the suspension, he had been chosen to officiate at the 2002 World Cup, which he was then forced to miss.

"irregularities" could mean anything, but sound ominous. One of the things we must learn from the steroid scandal unfurling in baseball is that when peculiar things start happening on the field, it's not because the ball is "juiced" or the ref just had one of those days, but serious attention must be paid to the obvious. Larrionda had an ulterior motive and did not make decisions based on the play on the pitch.