Question:
My husband and I are referees for a long while. We were wondering your opinion on the Elizabeth Lambert (“dirtiest” female soccer player) story. We haven’t heard much (which is unusual)about the referees that were doing that game. We feel that most of the responsibility for the continuation of such “unsporting”, violent conduct lies with the referee crew. Why wasn’t she ejected early in the game instead of letting this game be get out of control. We understand that we miss things but this sure seemed to occur over and over.
USSF answer (November 24, 2009):
Your reasoning appears to be logical and sound. However, because this game was not played under the auspices of the U. S. Soccer Federation and under the Laws of the Game, and because it was not refereed by officials assigned by the U. S. Soccer Federation or its affiliates, we can take no official position on this matter.
