US vs. England Officials Doing Homework in Preparation of Swearing

World Cup official Carlos Simon has been under fire as of late due to his history of questionable calls and behavior during soccer matches.  Although he has officiated the past two World Cups, he was recently suspended by the Brazilian football confederation for what they called a “build-up of perceived errors.” Here’s what the president of Brazilian club Palmeiras had to say about Simon:

He’s a crook, a scoundrel … just a shameless bastard. He must be in someone’s pocket. If I met him in the street, I would slap him. What he did was unbelievable and he was helping Fluminense. He should be driven out of football.”

That “crook” happens to be the lead official for the upcoming match between the U.S. and England this Saturday.  In response to England’s Wayne Rooney saying “f— you” to an official in England’s warm-up game on Monday, Simon has warned the English team to watch their cursing in their opening round match against the U.S.  In fact, he has told the teams that he and his assistants are familiarizing themselves with a list of English obscenities, so they know when they are being verbally abused by the players.

Couple Wayne Rooney’s reputation for having a short temper with Carlos Simon’s background of controversial calls and criticism from team owners and we may have a storyline that’s worth keeping an eye on during Saturday’s match.  I’m never one to root for a game that’s decided by officiating, but if the U.S. is to stand a chance against England they might need all the help they can get.

Sources:
Referee for USA-England World Cup Match is “A Crook, A Scoundrel” [The Sporting Blog]
World Cup Referee Learning English Curse Words To Better Understand Impending Abuse [The Sporting Blog]