LAUGHING MATTER
Referee lacked courage to red card Cristiano Ronaldo
MOSCOW — Enrique Caceres lacked courage in the biggest moment of this World Cup.
The Paraguayan referee was presented the opportunity Monday night to give Cristiano Ronaldo the red card he deserved.
Frustrated after wasting a penalty and being bottled up by a relentless Iranian defence, Portugal’s divisive star landed a glancing elbow to Morteza Pouraliganji’s face.
At least one referee — a “video assistant referee” — deemed Ronaldo’s actions qualified as violent conduct.
A review of the off-ball interaction was ordered only because the VAR ruled Caceres’ decision to not punish Ronaldo was a “clear and obvious error,” the threshold for reviewing potential red card incidents.
But replays clearly showed Ronaldo’s elbow connected with Pouraliganji’s cheek, sending the Iranian defender to the surface in Saransk before Caceres took a second, third and fourth look via video review.
He had the evidence he needed to make the biggest call of his career — one that probably would have seen Portugal’s World Cup end this Saturday in Sochi.
But he didn’t have the courage to give the best player in the world what he deserved: A sending off in what might have been his final World Cup fixture.
Ronaldo might have followed in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane, his former Real Madrid coach, who was sent off in his final World Cup match with France.
Ronaldo’s smile upon see Caceres decision — strangely a yellow card — wasn’t just one of relief. It resembled that of a younger brother who’d just got one over on their older sibling.
He knew he’d escaped justice because of his name, his accomplishments and because Portugal’s opponent was a lowly AFC qualifier nobody cared to see move on at this tournament.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz didn’t shy away from the big decision post-game. The Portuguese national said he’s prepared for his countrymen to speak the worst of him.
“There is an elbow —an elbow!” Queiroz said. “Elbow is a red card. In the rules it doesn’t say if it’s Messi or Ronaldo it’s (different).”
It was just the start of a post-game rant that took on a life of its own, with Queiroz bizarrely likening VAR to his daughter telling him she’s only “a little bit pregnant.”
“The truth is not offensive,” he added. “It’s not insulting. The truth must be respected. We need to know who is refereeing the games.”
The truth, though, is that we know who refereed Monday night’s decisive Group B fixture. Caceres just failed to come up with the right conclusions.
“In my opinion, (FIFA president) Mr. Infantino, everyone agrees that VAR is not going well,” Queiroz added. “It’s not going well. That’s the reality. There are a lot of complaints.”
But just as Ronaldo should have been sent off for violent conduct, Iran shouldn’t have been awarded a late penalty that amounted to little more than a make-up call.
The real conflict post-game wasn’t whether Portugal deserved to go through behind Spain. It’s whether Ronaldo should be involved when Portugal meets Uruguay this weekend.
“In my country, I know what will happen, I’m creating (problems),” Iran’s Portuguese coach added. “It’s not a problem for me.”
The only problem Monday night involved Caceres talking himself out making the right decision.
Queiroz also wondered why decisions involving video review aren’t far more transparent. Why shouldn’t fans know more about the conversations that happen between the VAR and the referee on the field?
“You have one system that cost a fortune, five or six people inside, and nobody takes responsibilities,” Queiroz explained.
It was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic when he concluded his five-minute antiVAR diatribe.
“Give me a break,” Queiroz finished. “Anyway, congratulations to Portugal. I hope Portugal reach the final.”
He leaves this tournament with the belief Iran deserved better.