Mark Geiger

[Anonymous]

Was he THAT bad?

I watched the game without a horse in the race and thought Colombia was running at 11 out of 10 on the “hot” meter in the first 3 minutes. They were fired up against England but their excitement (and frustration) seemed to boil over way too quickly.
Not until ET and the sub launching a rocket did they seem to get their act together to tie it up.

Prior to that they were out of control with the fouls and miss timed passing.

Anyway, I did not think the ref was any worse than other bad games this cup.

Am I off?

I had no idea who he was prior to this game. I watched the game and thought Colombia just did not play well for 90 minutes of regulation.

[Anonymous]

He did a mostly good job. He got all of the big calls right and never let the game get out of hand (which could have easily happened given Colombia's consistently dirty play). The only problem is that he's American, so he is not respected by the players the same way as European referees they are familiar with. Given Colombia's reputation, that game probably should have gone to a more established referee (like the Argentine, Serbian, or Italian), but overall Geiger handled it well, and should certainly be a candidate for the semi-finals (finals are out of the question though).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He did a mostly good job. He got all of the big calls right and never let the game get out of hand (which could have easily happened given Colombia's consistently dirty play). The only problem is that he's American, so he is not respected by the players the same way as European referees they are familiar with. Given Colombia's reputation, that game probably should have gone to a more established referee (like the Argentine, Serbian, or Italian), but overall Geiger handled it well, and should certainly be a candidate for the semi-finals (finals are out of the question though).

Did you notice England's dirty play too? Henderson and Maguire's flopping and Kane starting the foul that resulted in the penalty he scored? Stones kicking Falcao in the head while he was on the ground? It was a tough game to referee, but I thought Geiger did a poor job and was an embarrassment for the US. And I was rooting for England at the start of the game. I do really like Kane and several of the others, but was glad to see Henderson choke on the PKs.

[Anonymous]

Trippier’s dive would’ve made Dani Alves shed a tear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He did a mostly good job. He got all of the big calls right and never let the game get out of hand (which could have easily happened given Colombia's consistently dirty play). The only problem is that he's American, so he is not respected by the players the same way as European referees they are familiar with. Given Colombia's reputation, that game probably should have gone to a more established referee (like the Argentine, Serbian, or Italian), but overall Geiger handled it well, and should certainly be a candidate for the semi-finals (finals are out of the question though).

There is a reason he has a horrible reputation, not because he's american but because he sucks.
Also, Colombia doesn't have a reputation as a dirty team. You are backing your argument with made up "facts".

[Anonymous]

Geiger was terrible. One of the hallmarks of a good referee is consistency. Whether the ref calls a "tight" game, or "lets them play", as long as he is consistent the players will adapt. But when foul calls start to seem totally random, like they're based on nothing more than the ref's own internal game or rock-paper-scissors, the players will rapidly lose respect for the ref's basic competence. Sensing weakness, they'll naturally start to compete for influence.

I didn't even realize it was an American ref at first, and I found myself thinking this was the first game I've watched where the refereeing seemed as poor as watching my kids' games.

[Anonymous]

After the penalty kick, the Colombian player were out of control. He should have called the captain over and waved off the other players. If any of those player continued, the cards should have been give out liberally. This is where the game was out of control. Coiombia lost my support at that point.

[SoccerRef]

Geiger did a decent job in a brutally difficult game. Combined with his earlier games, FIFA was happy enough with his performance to keep him around until the end of the tournament...an honor in itself. He'll most likely be a VAR in one of the last three games.

[Anonymous]

For those who did not see the game, here is a summary:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/jul/06/david-squires-on-england-dark-arts-and-their-world-cup-campaign

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After the penalty kick, the Colombian player were out of control. He should have called the captain over and waved off the other players. If any of those player continued, the cards should have been give out liberally. This is where the game was out of control. Colombia lost my support at that point.

What exactly did they do that was so harsh? The head butt? I agree it is a carded offense but the English player was hit on his chin and he exaggerated it by covering his eyes/ face.
Everyone says the Colombians were dirty but few point out what exactly was dirty? England were just as dirty.

There is a double standard, even on the Fox broadcast, when English players did anything it was called gamesmanship, when a Colombian did, it is was dirty.
Also if you watch the Kane PK call, Gieger actually pushes Kane when he tried to get passed Sanchez.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After the penalty kick, the Colombian player were out of control. He should have called the captain over and waved off the other players. If any of those player continued, the cards should have been give out liberally. This is where the game was out of control. Coiombia lost my support at that point.

Agree.

I was pulling for Colombia until that game and how they went crazy. It is a shame they embarrassed themselves and country during and after the match with their behavior.
Back to being known for their cocaine and coffee and thug soccer players.

Wow...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After the penalty kick, the Colombian player were out of control. He should have called the captain over and waved off the other players. If any of those player continued, the cards should have been give out liberally. This is where the game was out of control. Colombia lost my support at that point.

What exactly did they do that was so harsh? The head butt? I agree it is a carded offense but the English player was hit on his chin and he exaggerated it by covering his eyes/ face.
Everyone says the Colombians were dirty but few point out what exactly was dirty? England were just as dirty.

There is a double standard, even on the Fox broadcast, when English players did anything it was called gamesmanship, when a Colombian did, it is was dirty.
Also if you watch the Kane PK call, Gieger actually pushes Kane when he tried to get passed Sanchez.

Yes--the double standard was truly amazing, as was Jordan Henderson's flop after Barrios hit his chin with almost no force. Many reports indicated that Lingard had punched Barrios in the back to start the confrontation, and he likely assumed it was Henderson. Kane definitely was the instigator of the foul with Sanchez, though for some reason most of the replays didn't show the start of the play. And Maguire was big ol' thug throughout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After the penalty kick, the Colombian player were out of control. He should have called the captain over and waved off the other players. If any of those player continued, the cards should have been give out liberally. This is where the game was out of control. Colombia lost my support at that point.

What exactly did they do that was so harsh? The head butt? I agree it is a carded offense but the English player was hit on his chin and he exaggerated it by covering his eyes/ face.
Everyone says the Colombians were dirty but few point out what exactly was dirty? England were just as dirty.

There is a double standard, even on the Fox broadcast, when English players did anything it was called gamesmanship, when a Colombian did, it is was dirty.
Also if you watch the Kane PK call, Gieger actually pushes Kane when he tried to get passed Sanchez.

Yes--the double standard was truly amazing, as was Jordan Henderson's flop after Barrios hit his chin with almost no force. Many reports indicated that Lingard had punched Barrios in the back to start the confrontation, and he likely assumed it was Henderson. Kane definitely was the instigator of the foul with Sanchez, though for some reason most of the replays didn't show the start of the play. And Maguire was big ol' thug throughout.

Well that is FIFA for you. I recall Bacca controlling the ball at the top of the 18 and then being thrown down...no call from Gieger but also no replay shown on TV. FIFA has this well controlled. It is still the most corrupt sports organization next to the NCAA. Gieger is just a small drop in the bucket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After the penalty kick, the Colombian player were out of control. He should have called the captain over and waved off the other players. If any of those player continued, the cards should have been give out liberally. This is where the game was out of control. Colombia lost my support at that point.

What exactly did they do that was so harsh? The head butt? I agree it is a carded offense but the English player was hit on his chin and he exaggerated it by covering his eyes/ face.
Everyone says the Colombians were dirty but few point out what exactly was dirty? England were just as dirty.

There is a double standard, even on the Fox broadcast, when English players did anything it was called gamesmanship, when a Colombian did, it is was dirty.
Also if you watch the Kane PK call, Gieger actually pushes Kane when he tried to get passed Sanchez.

No. Geiger should have issues a least three cards. Colombians were trying to intimidate and distract Geiger as they crowded around him. Maybe one warning, one yellow, the next a red and another red after that. Colombia was a disgrace.

[Anonymous]

England’s flopping was shameful as well. Geiger had no control over the game, and was clearly favoring England, though Colombia certainly helped make up his mind by acting like egomaniacs and playing dirty. Then during the shootout you have Pickford delaying the shooters by going to get his towel from the corner flag, and Geiger does nothing about it. The whole game was a pantomime.