Here Today... Gone To Hell!

The Swiss referee who disallowed a goal by England in their Euro 2004 quarter-final with Portugal says he has been put under police protection.
Urs Meier told a Swiss radio station that he been advised to go into hiding after receiving death threats.

He has been accused by England's tabloid press of being responsible for the national team's defeat.

Mr Meier said he had received more than 16,000 e-mails after his address was printed in a newspaper.

Mr Meier told Swiss Radio International that he stood by his decision on the goal, but that the public response had come as a shock.

"We have security problems in my office. We have security problems for myself and this is not the right way to handle this referee decision if it is right or not right," he said.

His house was tracked down by reporters from England's largest-circulation tabloid, the Sun, who planted an English flag outside it. (My bold type - for fucks sakes, what kind of scumbag cretins are they? Fuck you if you buy that rag)

British MPs have also tabled a motion in the House of Commons criticising the quality of refereeing in the tournament, the Press Association news agency reported.

Mr Meier said he found the "overheated" reaction from the English media and fans hard to reconcile with the image he used to have of the country.

"I was always of the opinion that fair play in England is really important, and also the respect from the officials, but I never expected this reaction," he said.

"I hope that after the Euro and after some days, they forget something and I have my private life back."

i can't understand some people's attitude towards football

it's a game! not a life or death situation.

the treatment Meier has received has been appauling :no:

The english tabloids are disgusting. They've basically called the english football team and Henman, failures and embaressments because they "didn't try".

Tim Henman is a step below the big guns, but he is the best we (I am English) have got, and always gives his all. The guy lives and trains in Florida, I don't blame him getting away from the pressure and crap thats brought on him, fuelled by the tabloids. If I was an English high profile celeb or sports star, I'd be away from there ASAP!

They are just pure filth.

Remember a few years ago? Henmania?! Or during the World Cup when the tabloids give you a free English flag or something to "get behind the team" when the team wins a few games?

How they change. Perfect word for it Chris, disgusting.

yes this was disgusting the way people have reacted to a fair decision...the ITV news were just as bad, giving out his website name and email address and encouraging people to send him hate mail

so much for trying to take the english flag back from bigots...take one foot out of the swamp and put the other one back in...

It's the whole fucking English culture.  It's awful.  I'm disgusted that in a "civilized" society things like this are allowed to happen.

What's disgusting is a referee doing what he is ordered to do. None of you know,but Romania was left out of Euro 2004 by moronic decisions made by mister Urs Meier in the Denmark-Romania game.  

How can you not be frustrated?Can anyone honestly tell me that a goal like Sol Campbell's would have been disallowed in the Premier Lague???

What you fail to realise is that it is not the Premier League.

What is the need to take it out on a referee? Bad decisons are made every day. Yeah, call him a cunt. But this went way too far, and action against the "news" stations and tabloid papers needs to be taken.

Anyway, 99% of the time goalkeepers will get that decision, they always will and always have.

FOOTBALL. GAME.

Yeah...but the rules are the same.

 I don't expect anyone to reply to this, because of the general dead feel the sports section has to it, and how long ago Chris's post was, but hey ho, just for the record, I'd like to add that I felt the decision to be wrong, and I was also aware of Romania being left out because of Urs Meier, and to add to that, didn't I hear somewhere that it was he who dis-allowed Sol Campbell's goal in the last world cup or something? I dun remember, but even my mother knew as soon as she saw the guy walk on to the field, that he didn't seem to like England, because she'd seen him referee poorly in our opposition's favour, some time in the past. The whole match was awful. There was another particularly notable incident when one of their players ran at one of our players and practically assaulted him! And yet somehow the free kick went against us. That was the single most outrageous refereeing decision I've ever seen in an international match. Dis-allowing the goal was bad, but that one was ridiculously awful.

Yeah, but don't tell me a referee in a game at your school is gonna make the same calls as a referee in the Premier League.

The rules are the same....  :P

I'm sure they have different policies in international games and national leagues. If they decide they're gonna cut down on the faking injuries in a tournament, you'll notice it on how the referees make their calls.



/jarmo

So why is European referreeing any better than in England?  Because they give a free kick when someone breathes on the goalkeeper?  Look at how much divi..i'm sorry, simulation you get in the italian leagues.  If anything, premiership reffereeing is better.

Who said anything about being better?

It's just a fact that international tournaments aren't the same thing as Premier League. You're just saying everything should be like in the Premier League.

By the way, the world's best football referee isn't British. Isn't that weird since you seem to think Premier League should be the model for all tournaments?  :P



/jarmo

The Premier League SHOULD be the model for all Football tournaments,not just because of the refereeing,but because the mentality: They behave like men.They don't dive or stay 5 minutes on the ground because of a bad tackle,they allways aim for the ball and they allways try to score.

  But the most amazing thing about the English championship is that,no matter how many non-English people are on the pitch or on the bench,the game's british spirit is there

Either you're being very sarcastic, or you're watching some other league. All I see are cheaters, it's very seldom, in any league of football to see sportsmanship, let alone the premier league. It's far behind the Italians, but getting there.


Haha, yes! Arsenal running down the corner flag with 20 minutes of the game left.
Rape arrests, killings, missing drug tests, suspected racial beatings.......what a spirit.

Yeah, but he went to the English Premier League of Referee's and Eyes.





Ok, I made that up, and you have a very good point.  But I still think it's retarded how goalkeepers get free kicks for being looked at.

oh please. english ppl love soccer (football) more then their wives.