Maradona slams Cup referees

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP): Argentina coach Diego Maradona lashed out at World Cup referees yesterday, saying that Germany and Spain have benefited from "horrible" officiating to reach the quarter-finals.

Spain's goal in the 1-0 win over Portugal in the round of 16 should have been ruled offside by Argentine referee Hector Baldassi, Maradona said. He also disputed the red card shown to Portugal defender Ricardo Costa and said "every contested situation went Spain's way."

bad refereeing

"I'm a good friend of Baldassi, we talk all the time, but my impression is that the refereeing was horrible," Maradona said.

"Baldassi was very bad. And the linesman was Andrea Bocelli," he said, referring to the blind Italian tenor, who will perform at a FIFA-endorsed concert to mark the end of the World Cup.

Maradona also blasted Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda, who failed to award England a goal in their 4-1 loss to Germany, Argentina's next opponent.

"I don't know if it was revenge or not, but England's goal the other day was very clear," Maradona said. "As it was also clear that the goal that the linesman gave England against Germany in 1966, it's not that it hit the line, it hit outside (the line) altogether."

disputed England goal

Maradona was recalling a disputed England goal from the 1966 World Cup final between England and Germany, when Geoff Hurst's shot struck the underside of the crossbar, bounced down and spun back into play.

Maradona was in his usual good form at the news conference in Cape Town, alternately joking with reporters and ridiculing them.

Asked by a Portuguese reporter how he would react if one of his star players asked for advice during a game, Maradona said he would call magician David Copperfield.

He turned serious when asked what he would tell his players before the quarter-final match today against Germany.

"I will ask them to play for their lives," he said. "There's an entire country behind them that hasn't seen success for a long time and now has great hopes."