These Guys Should Be Out of a Job

Check out the ref at the bottom of the screen.  What in the world is he looking at?

The ball clearly goes over the line, I mean, just look at the angle it has to take to get itself clear of the crossbar.  I found an article in The New York Times Online that talks about this game-changing play, and it might be the dumbest thing I've ever read.

Ukraine’s captain, Andriy Shevchenko, said through an interpreter, “The goal that wasn’t given really changed our plan because if it was given, I think the whole game could have looked another way.”

Shevchenko replaced Marko Devic several minutes after the controversial play but Ukraine still failed to put anything (else) past Joe Hart. And even at that point, a tie might not have been enough to save Ukraine, since it would have given France a half-hour to push for a point — or three — in what became a 2-0 loss to Sweden.

Sir, the point being argued by Shevchenko is not that a tie would have won them the game.  A team's play is going to change drastically in a game like this depending on whether up by a goal, tied or even down by a goal.  No kidding the tie wouldn't have helped, but it would've changed the game enough to put another goal on either side.

If you watched the game, Ukraine was putting on some serious pressure early, and kept it up for a while.  England fought back, but the way the styles would have changed would have definitely shifted this game in which the winner would have been the only one to advance along with France.

Bottom line, the ref and whoever wrote that article. Fired.