The controversial referee who missed Luis Suarez’s infamous bite on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini will be in charge for Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal between Brazil and Germany.
Mexican official Marco Rodriguez, nicknamed “Dracula,” did not spot Suarez’s scandalous action that resulted in a four-month ban from soccer and nine-game suspension from the Uruguay national team.
However, FIFA rewarded the 40-year-old for his performances in the tournament by selecting him for one of the biggest matches of the entire event: a showdown between the five-time champion host nation and three-time winner Germany.
But Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, perhaps wisely, refused to speak ill of Rodriguez, defending him for not having seen the Suarez incident, which, in fairness, took place away from the heart of the play.
“What do I think?” asked Scolari when quizzed during his press conference Monday. “If he didn’t see it, he didn’t see it. Many things happen that the referee doesn’t see. Fouls, something that happens in the game.
This is Rodriguez’s third World Cup but Tuesday’s game will be the first time he has been selected to officiate in the knockout stage. In this tournament, he took charge of Belgium’s group stage victory over Algeria before Uruguay’s win against Italy, but he has since been inactive for more than two weeks.
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