The Ref

More trouble for Markus Merk, the referee for the USA v. Ghana game.  Not only are Americans complaining about that call that led to the penalty kick that won the game for Ghana, now Ghana complains about the booking to Michael Essien that forces him to miss the next match.

'The insistence on yellow cards is crazy,' Arena said. 'It is taking good players out of the tournament. The mandate to show yellow cards has gone overboard.'

And he added: 'Essien out of the next game is unfair. The tackle was actually good. I feel bad for Essien. He will miss the next match. He is a great player.'

Hmmm, the opposing coach, even after a bitter loss, complains about the call.  Indeed I thought there were a ton of bad calls on both sides, and I certainly hope we don’t see Merk again in the tournament.