My obligatory Elizabeth Lambert post

I guess I could also have named this "My obligatory Elizabeth Lambert post, and why I have no respect for US college soccer." 

By now I'm sure everyone has seen the video of Elizabeth Lambert's antics during the Mountain West Conference tournament game between New Mexico and Brigham Young.  Heck, I've seen it on sports websites in the UK, Spain, Italy, and Argentina.   There's no question that Lambert crossed the line with her tackling and off-the-ball elbows, grabs, and pulls.  It really was an appalling performance by the defender.  What I find even more appalling was the shocking lack of action by the match referees, and I use the plural term here because the assistant referees are just as culpable as the head official.

In my opinion, any competent referee would have given Lambert a warning for that first offense and then shown at least a yellow card for subsequent offenses.  I counted at least five or six fouls that merited a booking, and one could argue that all of them were worthy of an expulsion.  If the referee didn't see the hair pull, why didn't the assistant referee see it and alert the referee?   That Lambert only received a yellow card for kicking the ball in the face of an opponent -- an action that is an immediate red card offense anywhere in the world -- is a sign of extreme incompetence on the part of the match officials.  I didn't hear any mention of that on the sportscasts, nor did I hear anything from Julie Foudy's comments on the situation, but I wasn't expecting much from either source.

Lambert has been suspended indefinitely by her home institution, but that's just the University of New Mexico doing the job that the MWC (and the NCAA) refuses to do.  There should also be an investigation into the performance of the referees, and they should be suspended indefinitely as well.  I'm not holding my breath on that one, though. 

It has been my impression that college soccer referees are extremely reluctant to hand out yellow and red cards because, in my opinion, the NCAA and the collegiate conferences see it as a Very Bad Thing when any player is ejected from a match.  They see an ejection from soccer no differently than an expulsion of a player in football, basketball, baseball, or any other team sport, without realizing that such an event in soccer is very different from a similar event in other team sports.  This episode is just another manifestation of the insularity of college athletic authorities who have no clue whatsoever about the sports that they govern, and their arbitrary rules and directives that create situations like the one we saw in Provo last week.   It is these actions, and the lack of awareness of their effects, by the governing authorities that are the reasons why I gave up on college soccer years ago.

Comments

[Trish]

My daughter has played soccer for years and I understand the emotional issue that she says was behind her actions. In watching the videos, that is the way she plays she has just been caught. Where is her coach and her parents who have allowed this to go on and on. The referees should be ashamed. Her apology means nothing.

[Frank Fountain]

Very interesting comment about referee accountability for the NCAA; however, I think the issue involving the NCAA is larger. My thought is that NCAA Soccer is one of the biggest challenges to overall success for US Soccer in general, and the apparent ineptitude of the referees in the BYU-UNM match is only the latest manifestation of this larger issue.

Think about it. NCAA Soccer has got to be one of the largest (if not “the” largest) non-FIFA sanctioned soccer organizations in the world. This is potentially holding back US Soccer in general, and NCAA student-athletes in particular. The NCAA needs to realize that soccer is unique among its portfolio of sports due to the nature of soccer’s popularity world-wide, and FIFA’s strong overall governess of the sport. Not that FIFA sanctioned referees don’t make mistakes, but are NCAA referees FIFA or US Soccer sanctioned? If not, then why not?

In addition, the NCAA should get more on board with overall concept of support for US Soccer in general. For example, why doesn’t the NCAA participate in the US Open Cup (“USOC”)? Sure, the USOC happens at the wrong time for the NCAA season, but why couldn’t NCAA teams participate anyhow (as unofficial exhibitions or training matches that do not count toward the NCAA season). USOC participation could be a reward for a first or second place standing in the previous season’s NCAA conference standings (and imagine the recruiting possibilities for the NCAA teams participating).

Imagine the possible match ups:
• UCLA – LA Galaxy;
• Ohio State – Columbus Crew;
• Maryland – DC United;
• Etc., etc. etc.
Those types of match-up would be good for the NCAA, MLS and US Soccer (I know that I’d pay to see some of those match-ups).

So, my apologies for going off on a bit of a tangent, but in my opinion, the refereeing issues at the heart of the Elizabeth Lambert issue really are just the latest example of a much larger issue.

[Amy]

I stopped playing women's league soccer about four years ago because of the style of play that the younger women were bringing to the field. The game I knew and loved was now over run by verbal bullying and physical harassment. Not only was it bad soccer, but it was unsafe. These college students were used to playing this way and no one told them any different. It is also extremely reflective of a culture of anger. Elizabeth Lambert's apology would mean a lot more if she agreed to get some counseling of the field.

[Tom fagrell]

Elizabeth Lambert is a disgrace for football as a sport, if this was in Europe she would have been smacked down on the field. I can't belive she actually thinks she is a footballer

[Go Elizabeth Lambert]

what about NFL then?
Should not we suspend all football?
You guys, these so called judges of social moral are all blind?
So NFL is not violent? Oh, they are allowed, so they can kill each other on pich?
Why don't you go look into your mirror and see what dirty tricks you play as a bunch of hypocrites?
She pulled hair for the game. You judged others and play business and politics dirty tricks for your own game and gain.
I don't see her actions were any lower moral than any US politicians or wall street or NFL players. And media uses this opportunity to get some sell and rating? They are not dirty? huh? She was over ran by her game, but surely media had clear mind to use her make some ratings on her.

I watch soccer every sat., on the the field, teenage girl poke each other and grab hair, so what! they are just little girl!!! But you guys should know better!!! You are professional!! and you pick other's (a little girl's fault) to make all you look good!!! shame on you!!!!

Why she should apology? She has right not to apologize. So Jesus won't forgive her according to your way of God's grace, huh?

There are more important things out there, that our politicians playing dirty tricks everyday, you guys seem fine, then what about a girl who pulls some hair?

What's dirty is not captured by camera, but those people who act and talk they are righteous authority.

[Farrah F.]

Ive played soccer since i was three i am now 14. This is ridiculous I understand getting pissed because your either mad or losing. But to this very day I know and so do my teammates that even if your having a bad day there sure in the heck no need to punch someone in the back or pull them by their hair. And a stupid thing the ref did was not call a yellow card after she sucker punched the girl in the back. Soccer is my favorite sport and seeing someone play like that makes soccer look like a bad sport. And "Go Elizabeth Lambert" NFL is different then soccer. NFL is football they have helmets and pads and guards to help them if the get tackled with soccer its just your shin guards. To sucker punch someone or to pull them off the ground by the hair for blocking them not only its the other teams job to block them but to do that is ridiculous. Thats all i have to say.

[1267729054]

HPFEps Thank you for the material. Do you mind if I posted it in her blog, of course, with reference to your site?