Can’t stop now, Tampa Bay

Posted Jul 1, 2010 by Tom McEwen

Updated Jul 1, 2010 at 07:30 PM

There was a headline in The Wall Street Journal this week on a World Cup story that read: “Referees: A Rogues’ Gallery.” It cites the problems facing officials in the tournament going now in South Africa. It cites their problems, pointing out major mistakes, missed calls that affected the results of a match. The truth is it was a bit unfair, though informative, for it details several calls of officials that were dead wrong that did indeed contribute to the final score. The officials did miss these calls. However, the article failed to point out the most serious problem, not having enough officials. In these Cup matches, there is a referee and his assistant. There are 20 players on the field kicking the ball every which way.

The fact of the matter is soccer always has needed more officials on the field. It is impossible for one or two officials to be close to every play, or close enough to make a call. When the United States in general — Florida and the Tampa area specifically — began their lobby in Europe to bring the Cup matches here in 1994, those of us involved in that pursuit went to Europe to lobby FIFA president Sepp Blatter, whom I got to know very well, and others on that committee. We then suggested rule changes in soccer to make it more popular, easier to understand and follow. At that time, we thought the playing field should be smaller and perhaps the goal a bit wider. Of course nobody paid any attention, but now Blatter and soccer officials are listening to some change suggestions, such as more use of electronics to be more accurate on scoring. That will happen. Two missed goals have been witnessed by the world which soccer and Blatter acknowledged were missed, one involving America. He has said his committee will study more use of technology in the future.

Other sports have put technology and additional officials on their game staff — hockey, football, baseball and basketball — and camera lenses are far more perceptive and accurate than the human eye. Most may have thought, myself included, that soccer may have been the last to come around to these technologies. It wasn’t so. Blatter, 74, is far more farsighted than few would have suspected, he always has been that way.

When America, Florida and the Tampa area chose to seek to bring the World Cup to this country, Blatter was most helpful. He sat with us, the delegation that included Jim Smith, Cecil and Shannon Edge, Joe Robbie, Tom Landry, Rick Naff and Cornelia Corbett, among others, toured Italy following the trail of the World Cup being played then. It was very helpful. We actually made a pitch to the assembled national media as well as the Cup officials in Rome to win the bid and we did. That campaign may well be needed again in the future if leaders here want to seek another Cup. Frankly, I think they could get it. Our performance is flawless and now with soccer resurging in Tampa under Perry Van Der Beck and his associates, Tampa is a genuinely likely candidate.

The truth is this Tampa area has been all successful in national and international performances. However, the mantle is out there to be embraced and used again in such pursuits for we have established it can be done. We do, however, need 100 percent support of Florida, the Tampa area and those who have inherited the mover-shaker roles once held by others. There is indeed a need for change in this leadership fraternity that needs badly to become active now, less we are forgotten, or left in the gate.