CARSON, Calif. -- It's that time again, time for the "Ask the Insider" segment....
Today's question comes from: Christopher AaronWhat do you think of the quality of refs that CONCACAF has for these games? Do you think the calls they are and aren't making change the outcome of the games in big ways?
The level of refereeing in the CONCACAF Champions League has certainly left something to be desired and in an important tournament such as the CCL, it is certainly a shame that the officiating has taken on such importance.
The decisions by referee Alfredo Peñaloza to send off Robbie Keane drew considerable headlines and took away from what was an entertaining match between the LA Galaxy and Isidro Metapán. Certainly, errors by CONCACAF referees have been known to play a role in matches and the Galaxy are no stranger to this.
In last year's edition of the tournament, the Galaxy found themselves the victim to suspect officiating during their group stage game against Monarcas Morelia in Mexico. In the closing stages of an intense match at the Estadio Morelos, Keane appeared to score the would-be game winning goal, but his goal was ruled offside by Honduran linesman Oscar Velasquez. Despite video replays appearing to show the contrary, Keane's goal was disallowed and moments later, Morelia would score a goal of their own -- a goal that also received protests for offside -- to give them a 2-1 victory.
To prevent these types of errors, CONCACAF must have provide a review process to assess referees as well as open them up for questioning from a pool reporter upon request as is the practice in MLS. Although these measures are unlikely to cause immediate change on the quality of the officiating, they will provide some needed transparency.
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Thanks Christopher, you can get your tickets by e-mailing socialmedia@lagalaxy.com. For everyone else, remember to leave your questions on the LA Galaxy Facebook page following the club's next match against FC Dallas on August 26th for the chance to have your question featured and win tickets to an upcoming Galaxy game.
