(12) Czech Rep-Italy

 

Highlights

Report

Great game, and with it a great refereeing performance by Antonio Lopez Nieto - the Spanish official who ensured both strong decisions and grip on both the differing first (exciting, open play) and second (typical 'away' performance as Czech sat back) halves. Lopez Nieto told a Spanish newspaper that after the game the referee assessor, Ken Ridden from England, informed him that he would be in the running to receive a knockout appointment; Ridden gave the Spaniard a very strong score, a '9', in his report. 

Ridden's words proved accurate as UEFA selected Lopez Nieto to take charge of the France-Netherlands quarterfinal. In returning to Anfield as he did, the Spanish ref secured an impressive feat: of the seven knockouts referees, five had beaten a rival from their own country to the appointment. But, the Malagan official was the only ref of the five to have entered Euro'96 as the number two ref and been 'promoted' over a colleague (Diaz Vega). Having now watched both of their respective matches, I would agree with that ruling by the UEFA referees committee and indeed praise them for it - Diaz Vega had been given the Champions League final, but past achievements did not carry excessive favour in this 'Spain duel'.

From the Czech Republic vs. Italy game (won dramatically and surprisingly 2-1 by the Czechs, Italy though having played the last hour of the match with ten men), some talking points about the refereeing:

Analysis

1. << Due giallo = rosso >> [clip]

In the first half, Luigi Apolloni was correctly sent off having been cautioned twice by Lopez Nieto. The initial booking was for an unmalicious but reckless high kick (on seven mins), and about twenty minutes later, the Italian centreback made a reckless sliding tackle on Karel Poborsky. The sequence was very dramatic because the Spanish referee played advantage from Apolloni's offence, only later issuing the cards after a Dino Baggio committed a body check on Pavel Nedved (in a SPA-ish scenario!), and the unsmooth nature of the showing procedure, "fumbling" as Martin Tyler aptly put it. 

Looking back in 2025, we can say: a) it would have been optimal to use a delayed whistle after Apolloni's tackle and, once it was clear the Czech ball upfield was not to amount to anything, then stopped play and award a freekick, second yellow card; b) nowadays, assuming everything the same, Lopez Nieto would have ordered an indirect freekick earlier than play was stopped, as Apolloni actually played the ball in the attempted Italy attack before they lost the ball; c) imagine the mobbing these days!

2. << Did Kuka kick out? >> [clip]

That last point is also rather prescient here. Apolloni was sent off in the 29th minute, and in the 31st, Pavel Kuka and Paolo Maldini had an off-the-ball set-to in which the Czech striker seems to transgress, but was ultimately solved by a Maldini-initiated handshake. No replay was shown of the incident. It seems to start with a (hard to clock) foul by Kuka, who makes a late but careless charge into the Italian defender. As a reaction to the foul, Maldini then makes a very small kick at Kuka; as a reaction to that, it seems the Czech stamps down on his opponent's calf, not with high force - but the intent of his act seeming clear.

The most interesting questions here for me revolve around the quite well-placed linesman, Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco: it seems he didn't perceive anything clearly (or he would have 'buzzed' the ref using his flag?), and in theory could Lopez Nieto have gone out to him anyway to have a 'public conference'? Maldini's fair play ensured none of that was really neccessary, and despite not perceiving the episode, and it seems that when the Spanish referee did step in, both players respected his presence and warning.

3. << Suchoparek spared >> [clip]

Czech defender Jan Suchoparek committed eight fouls in this match, five of which came after his deserved (in fact, very good) booking in the 21st minute for a shirt tugging tactical foul. For all the talk at the time of the card numbers in this tournament, Apolloni was the very first player to have been sent off with a second yellow card: Suchoparek was fortunate not to have followed him. Of the five circa-caution fouls committed by the Czech Republic no3, three were clearly careless, but in three incidents (one a play on call) he definitely ran the risk. The foul in the 80th minute was the closest call for him (see above). Miroslav Latal was also lucky in one scene, committing a subtle but rather cynical off-the-ball block; Lopez Nieto contented himself with only giving a freekick in that episode, not noticed by most people.

4. << 'Punishing the technical' >>

This match had two 'faces', with a very open and exciting first half, but a 'cat and mouse' second when the Czechs sat back deeper and held on to the 2-1 lead that they'd amassed. After halftime, Lopez Nieto issued two yellows for technical offences which very likely you wouldn't see given at a big tournament these days. Also during the second half, in added time, he correctly gave a YC for a foul which wasn't DOGSO.

5. << Flagging linesman? >>

An incident (here) of interesting technique to signal a freekick displayed by Manuel Lopez Fernandez! Overall both his decisions and those of Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco were good in this match.

6. << Shades of Slavko >>

Finally, in this scene with Lopez Nieto's gestures and style of running, I was struck by the similarity to the Slovenian from nowadays football.

Matchsheet

Antonio López Nieto - 7 Victoriano Giráldez Carrasco - 7 Manuel López Fernández - 7 Juan Ansuátegui Roca (assessor: ridden)	Czech Republic 2-1 Italy Fri 14June 730pm, Liverpool Group Stage
Cze  Suchopárek (21') - SPA (Holding)  Látal (51') - UB (disrupting freekick)  Kuka (60') - DtR (playing after whistle)  Kadlec (90') - SPA (Tackle)	Ita  Apolloni (7') - Challenge  Apolloni (29') - Tackle  Fuser (+92') - Tackle