Sport - Football

Referees will make or break World Cup: Pele

Seoul May 31. Soccer legend Pele has warned the success or failure of the 2002 World Cup lies in the hands of the men in black.

The Brazilian great says the part played by referees has never been so important in a World Cup as it is this year. ``I know, traditionally, the referee is the man the fans love to hate. He is everyone's favourite villain. He is the man who gets the blame from players during the game and from coaches after the game. But never, in my opinion, has the referee been more important,'' insisted Pele.

``It is crucial for the future of soccer that this first World Cup of the new century is full of great football. That means plenty of skillful soccer in midfield, then great goals. In turn, that means the cheats and the thugs must be beaten.''

And Pele urged referees to show the red card and rid the World Cup of the cheats. ``The latest trick is shirt pulling. When I played defenders would sometimes almost literally tear the shirt off my back to stop me,'' said Pele.

``But the referee could always see that. The problem now is the `little' pull on the shirt — just enough to hold a player back when he is about to break down an offside trap. The trouble is, first the referee has to see it, then he has to be brave enough to act.''

Pele hit out at the FIFA policy of employing referees from around the world instead of picking the best to take charge of football's showcase tournament.

"One of the problems in past World Cups was the way in which the referees were taken from all over the world for political reasons. If we want the World Cup to be the showcase of all that is best in football then we must have the most courageous referees not the ones with the most powerful friends,'' said Pele, commenting on the World Cup for sponsors Mastercard.

``If all the best referees are in Italy — and, for me, Pierluigi Collina, for example, is certainly one of the best in the world — then bring them all. After all, it's important for the image of the game, and especially in the most populous continent of the world, Asia, that football provides the best show possible,'' he added. — AFP

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