By Alfredo Di Cesare
09 Jul 2024, 15:23 PM EDT
Edgardo Codesal is a historic figure in Mexican refereeing and soccer. Today he is retired, but he belongs to the FIFA Refereeing Committee. In Nuestra Copa, a program from El Diario de Nueva York, we had the luxury of having him as a guest to analyze the refereeing aspects of the 2024 Copa América.
With his calm and technical way of explaining, Codesal said that today’s football has not managed to eliminate errors in plays, in part, because the game system has surpassed the control system.
“After the 2002 World Cup, I insisted that the System of Play had surpassed the System of Control (refereeing) because football was played very quickly. We suggested the VAR at that time. There was very harsh criticism from President Blatter saying that this would never happen,” he confessed.
For the former World Cup referee, there should be no mistakes with this technology. However, he found several shortcomings. The first is that there is no good instruction for those handling the cameras. Secondly, he believes that since it is still controlled by a human, there will be room for error.
Thirdly, Codesal emphasised that referees have become dependent on the VAR and have lost the ability to sharpen their senses. “It is a great tool and with the VAR we should have zero errors. Although with the VAR very big errors continue to be generated. I think there is poor instruction for the people behind the cameras.”
“We have not found an ideal formula because the person who controls the VAR is a human being. That is the situation that has been seen in this Copa América,” he added.
Referees in the semifinals of the 2024 Copa America
Only 24 hours earlier, Conmebol appointed the refereeing team for the semi-final matches. On other occasions, this had been done 72 hours in advance. For the Uruguay vs. Colombia match, the most difficult according to the magnifying glass of the former Mexican soccer director, the main referee will be César Arturo Ramos.
The entire group of referees will be Mexican. Codesal said he has known Ramos for many years and stressed that he is one of the best in the world for his honesty. On the other hand, the shortlist will be Chilean.
Hands in football
Another issue that never ceases to create controversy and that Codesal explained perfectly in Nuestra Copa was the issue of handball inside the area. For the former referee, the problem was having changed and added so many features to the rules.
“The problem has an underlying issue. It comes from the International Board, which is the only one capable of modifying the rules of the game due to the rights it has. They have added so many ingredients to classify a deliberate hand that they have practically led to enormous confusion,” he said.
For the Uruguayan naturalized Mexican, it is important to return to the old system. Hands were only judged or interpreted if it was seen that there was intention. “We must return to the principle of the voluntary hand.” Although he also warned that “human suspicion will always be present in the analysis.”
Keep reading:
· Argentina vs. Canada: Why is there no extra time in the Copa America semi-finals?
· Copa América 2024: journalist goes viral for making James Rodríguez uncomfortable in an interview
· Copa América 2024: Conmebol confirmed refereeing teams one day before the semi-finals