Terry Maddaford: Korean referee makes unpromising debut

nzherald.co.nz exclusive

Soccer's World Cup kicked off with the usual expectations surrounding the biggest game on the planet.

The 2002 World Cup, Fifa promised, would be the best ever with referees clamping down on the theatricals.

For the first nine matches that was pretty much the case with few cautions but, it must be added, few goals either.

How things changed in game 10.

Brazil showed all the touches and most of the class in coming from behind to beat Turkey 2-1 in one of the much-awaited first round clashes at Ulsan's Munsu Football Stadium in Korea.

It also marked Young Joo Kim's first refereeing appointment at this level.

The pressure obviously got to the 44-year-old Korean.

Just month's from compulsory retirement from Fifa's referees list, Kim struggled.

And, in the end, blew it - literally.

Stunned by Hasan Sas's goal in added time at the end of the first spell, Brazil took the initiative in the second half drawing level within five minutes of the restart when Ronaldo scored.

Within sight of an historic point in their first World Cup finals outing since 1954, the Turks were cruelly thwarted when referee Kim awarded a penalty when substitute Luizao - on for Ronaldo in the 73rd minute - had his shirt pulled by Alpay Ozalan as he raced towards the Turk's penalty area.

Clearly fouled short of the area, Kim ruled otherwise awarding the penalty that wasn't and sent Ozalan off.

Rivaldo, from just three paces, beat Turkey's gallant goalkeeper Rustu Recber, from the spot to fire up the Brazilian drums.

Just when things, surely, could not have got worse for the plucky Turks, it did.

Brazil won a late corner. Rivaldo strolled to the corner making no effort to gather the ball. Hakan Unsal, wanting to get play underway, kicked the ball at the great Brazilian catching him on the legs.

In a display any actor would have been proud of, Rivaldo fell to the ground writhing and clutching his face.

In raced Kim. In an instant, and without any consultation with his assistant, he sent Unsal off.

Both the diving Luizao and Rivaldo should have been carded for their efforts and Unsal and Alpay left to get on with it and play in Turkey's next game against Costa Rica - now a must-win affair - on Sunday.

It was unfortunate these late incidents soured what had been perhaps the best of the opening games.

If Fifa remain true to their word, we might have seen Kim for the first and last time.

Fifa have other concerns too. Despite claims the Cup is a virtual sellout there have been disconcerting gaps in the crowds at these early matches.

The England-Sweden clash was the most obvious. More than 52,000 turned up for the game in Saitama but disgruntled fans later questioned why they could not get a ticket when the stadium had 10,000 empty seats. Thousands of English supporters were left outside bashing on locked doors as they attempted in vain to get in and watch their heroes.

The opening 11 games produced 31 goals at an average of 2.81 - boosted by Germany's 8-0 romp over Saudi Arabia.

Already World Cup 2002 is settling into an all-too-familiar pattern of less than three goals a game - way short of the 5.38 goals managed by the 16 teams at the 1954 Cup.

Attendances have averaged about 38,000 - reasonable enough when compered with the 40-year low of 24,250 in Chile in 1962 but way short of the record 68,991 the Americans packed in eight years ago.

Fifa are scrambling to get things right. They are already asking how supposedly "full house" stadiums have so many empty seats.

That, and the refereeing issues, will lead to some hard talking but let's hope these off-field asides do not overtake what is already shaping as a spectacular tournament with no clear-cut favourite.