New and updated World Cup referee stats

More and updated stats about the World Cup referees.

Most cards this World Cup
Howard Webb: 17 yellow cards (in 3 matches)
Yuichi Nishimura: 15 yellows (including one second yellow card) and 1 red card (in 4 matches)
Khalil Al Ghamdi: 15 yellow cards and 1 red card (in just 2 matches, so his average number of cards per match is the highest during the South Africa World Cup)

Lowest average number of cards
1 by Michael Hester: 1 card in 1 match
2,66 by Ravshan Irmatov: 8 yellows in 3 matches (Saturday he’ll officiate his 4th match)
3 by Massimo Busacca: 2 yellows and 1 red in 1 match
3 by Wolfgang Stark: 9 yellows in 3 matches
3 by Viktor Kassai: 9 yellows in 3 matches
3 by Roberto Rosetti: 5 yellows and 1 red in two matches

Youngest/oldest referee (years/days)
24y 193d Juan Gardeazabal, ESP 1958
27y 62d Francisco Mateucci, URU 1930
53y 236d George Reader, ENG 1950

Most red cards
6 Arturo Brizio Carter, MEX 1994-1998
5 Joël Quiniou, FRA 1986-1994
4 Jamal Al Sharif, SYR 1986-1994
4 Felipe Ramos Rizo, MEX 2002
4 Graham Poll, ENG 2006
4 Valentin Ivanov, RUS 2006

Refereed most matches
8 Joël Quiniou, FRA 1986-1994
8 Jorge Larrionda 2006-*
7 Jan Langenus, BEL 1930-1938
7 Benjamin Griffiths, WAL 1950-1958
7 Juan Gardeazábal, ESP 1958-1966
7 Ali Bujsaim, UAE 1994-2002
7 Carlos Simon 2002-*
7 Frank De Bleeckere, BEL 2006-*
7 Benito Archundia, MEX 2006-*
6 Ivan Eklind, SWE 1934-1950
6 Arthur Ellis, ENG 1950-1958
6 Nickolaj Latychev, URS 1958-1962
6 Jamal Al Sharif, SYR 1986-1994
6 Arturo Brizio Carter, MEX 1994-1998
6 Gamal Ghandour, EGY 1998-2002
6 Roberto Rosetti, ITA 2006-*
6 Oscar Ruiz, COL 2002-*
Jorge Larrionda has officiated 4 matches during this World Cup and now holds the record with Joël Quiniou.

Carlos Simon is not sent home and got two good performances. There’s still a chance of him getting his 8th World Cup match. Frank De Bleeckere also got the chance to reach the amount of 8 matches, because he officiated 3 matches so far in SA.

During this World Cup Jorge Larrionda has officiated four matches, but he was send home after the controversial (non-)goal by Frank Lampard against Germany. Rosetti is also back home after an clear offside goal from Argentina against Mexico.

For everyone who missed the appointments of the quarter finals on my Twitter page: HOL-BRA Nishimura URU-GHA Benquerenca ARG-GER Irmatov PAR-SPA Batres.

Refereed most matches in a tournament
5 Horacio Elizondo, ARG 2006
5 Benito Archundia, MEX 2006
4 John Langenus, BEL 1930
4 Nikolai Latyshev, URS 1962
4 José Ramiz Wright, BRA 1990
4 Sandor Puhl, HUN 1994
4 Joel Quiniou, FRA 1994
4 José Torres Cadena, COL 1994
4 Franck De Bleeckere, BEL 2006
4 Lubos Michel, SVK 2006
4 Jorge Larrionda, URU 2006 and 2010
4 Roberto Rosetti, ITA 2006
4 Ravshan Irmatov, UZB 2010*
4 Hector Baldassi, ARG 2010*
4 Yuichi Nishimura, JAP 2010*

Baldassi officated three matches in the group stage and 1 match in the round of the last 16. Yuichi Nishimura refereed yesterday in the quarter final between Holland and Brazil. Ravshan Irmatov will officiate his 4th match on Saturday 3rd of June. Will he get the final?

And for everyone who missed the appointments of the quarter final stage via my Twitter account: HOL-BRA Nishimura URU-GHA Benquerenca ARG-GER Irmatov PAR-SPA Batres.

In a few days I’ll publish an interview with Jaap Uilenberg about the movie Kill the referee and next week about Dutch refereeing.

Have a good day, and if you have some good ideas for my blog, just let me know.

World Cup referee facts and statistics

Referees in this World Cup are mild to the players according to the card stats. They’ve given 101 yellows and 9 reds after 29 matches. Remarkable is the low average of yellow cards (3.5 per match), especcially when you compare it with the average of 4.8 cards per match at the World Cup in Germany in 2006.

I’ve tried to find some interesting referee facts (with the help of Fifa statistics). First the World Cup 2010 referee facts:

Tallest referee
Wolfgang Stark (Germany) with 191 cm

Shortest referee
Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) and Benito Archundia (Mexico), both 170 cm

Average height
181,3 cm

Longest international career
Benito Archundia since 1993

Shortest international career
Michael Hester since 2007

International since (youngest)
Five referees started refereeing international matches when they were 26 years old: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan), Joel Aguilar (El Salvador), Marco Rodriguez (Mexico), Pablo Pozo (Chile) and Oscar Ruiz (Colombia).

International since (oldest)
Stephane Lannoy at the age of 37

Birthdays during World Cup 2010
Frank de Bleeckere will become 44 on the 1st of July.
Joel Aguilar will become 35 on the 2nd of July.
Koman Coulibaly will become 40 on the 4th of July.

Countries who make theire refereeing debut
El Salvador: Joel Aguilar
Malaysia: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh
New Zealand: Michael Hester and Peter O’Leary
Seychelles: Eddy Maillet
Uzbekistan: Ravshan Irmatov

World Cup 2010 match with the most cards (including 20th June)
Germany – Serbia with referee Albert Undiano (Spain): 5 yellow cards for Germany (including two yellows for Miroslav Klose) and 4 yellow cards for Serbia.

Facts about the World Cup referees in general.

Most World Cup matches
Joel Quiniou from France officiated eight matches at three different World Cups: 1 match in 1986 (Mexico), 3 matches in 1990 (Italy) and 4 matches in 1994 (USA).

Archundia in action in Leipzig at the 2006 World Cup. Photo Matthias Book Creative Commons

Most matches at one World Cup
Benito Archundia (Mexico) and Horacio Elizondo (Argentina) refereed five matches in only one tournament, both at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Archundia was the first with five matches in one tournament; Elizondo officiated in the final.

Most red cards by one referee at World Cup tournaments
Mexican referee, Arturo Brizio Carter, holds the record for sending off seven players in the six matches that he officiated in 1994 and 1998.

First referee who officiated the opening match as well as the final of the same World Cup
Horacio Elizondo was appointed for the opening match and the final at the World Cup 2006 in Germany. In the final he send off Zinedine Zidane after headbutting Marco Materazzi.

Fifa adds a note to the last fact: “In 1950 the Englishman George Reader directed the inaugural match Brazil-Mexico and also the last match of the final group Uruguay-Brazil but this one not technically considered as a final.”