The Dutch were lucky to finish with 10 men. The first 45 from Holland was a deadset disgrace. De Jong should have walked for the studs in the chest - no accident. Hollan did themselves and their history a great disservice today.


What do you think about the FourFourTwo article Webb Hands Out Cards Like Xmas?
HOWARD Webb set a new World Cup final record after handing out 14 yellow cards and one red to Spain and Holland in a tempestuous climax to this tournament.

Have your say.

Probably should have been a few more red and a few less yellow tbh.

he refereed well and kept control when things were getting out of hand.

It's ironic thinking the one red card that was given was in no way a second yellow:lol:

well refereed by Webb...stayed out of the limelight which some other ref's just have to have

I have to say Webb did a god job. Yes there was a lot of cards and the deflection off the wall and should have been a corner, but that was the major miss. I have to say the 442 writer should think before they write as the cards were needed to control that game.

The yellow and red cards...I have to say Webb was on top of it and if it wasn't for the early yellows I think the tackles would have been worse.

Good game by Webb, pity he didn't give a corner just before goal, but otherwise tried to use common sense to calm things down. A good reason not to have video as players appealed for something every 2 seconds.

I also have to agree with Faint...he kept out of the game even though he showed the highest amoutn of yellow cards in the final. The irony of this was lost on the staff writer claiming that it was "ludicrous 14 yellow cards".

How van Bommel didn't get sent off is beyond me. His intent was purely to take out the Spanish players.
If the ref wasn't as lenient as he was at least half the dutch side would have been on the sideline.
Robben should have got a second yellow for kicking the ball away after being called offside in extra time but the referee didn't want to send him off. So there was no yellow for Robben, then a minute later he carded one of the Spanish players for the same offence, how is that fair.

the red that wasn't even a yellow and the fly kick that was nothing that should have been a red...

Not the best refereeing, just made to look good by the abysmal standard set in previous games.

and puyol got off a second yellow for a foul (on robben when he was clean away) no more or less worse than the second yellow for heitinga

If that was a foul it was a straight red anyway, Puyol was the last man.

I think Webb pretty much got it right. It was a Hallmark match to be sure, but he didn't affect the result and all of the yellows were probably justified - so good job really.

I was really surprised Robben didn't go down tbh.

I think he had a really good game to be honest. He did let a few things go but i think he used his head and kept things in control. The last thing you want is a red card to ruin the spectacle unless its really obvious. I saw De Jong as a high boot gone wrong but i could understand a red shown there. In the end the players stupidity caught up with them. Heitinger was unlucky and i agree with his sending off. Had to make the tackle. Puyol should have gone but Robben unusually stayed on hit feet.

Puyol did foul Robben, Robben shouldn't have needed to go to ground for it to be called and Puyol to be given a Red. de Jong and Puyol were the two players who should have been having early showers.

I know what you mean, but there are 1000's of cases in football in which players are dragged or pulled and not given if they dont go to ground or highlight it.

What were the Dutch fans booing him for? He did them a great favour. They should have been down to 9 men by half time!

De Jong he deserved a red card for booting Alonso!!

A bit of a disapointing game to watch a first world cup with my young children. The constant fouling especially by the Dutch, but the continual whinging by the Spanish did not set a good example. Yes Howard Webb should have sent De Jong off for the studs to the chest, but Puyol should have either got a second yellow or straight red for grabbing Robben (highly surprising he didn't go down because he is renowned for it). I don't think Howard Webb had much choice, but how he missed the deflection for what should have been a Dutch corner instead of a Spanish goal! At the end of the day if the teams played like they played their semi-finals, then we would have had a classic, but instead they showed the younger generations how not to play fair.

The Dutch deserved every card.

Yep, but the Spanish deserved the 5 or so they got as well. Despite much of the sentiment, they were fairly cynical themselves at times.

De jong should have gone, as should have Robben when he kicked the ball into the goal well after the whistlwe had gone. So the Dutchies were lucky not to finish the game with 8. Overall he did a very good job, in difficult circumstances.

He maintained a reasonable balance between stamping down on the obvious ones but not turning into farce. Had the game ended with Netherlands down to 8, the ref would have been the major talking point. I thought Ramos unlucky to get his yellow, but the rest were probably on.

Unfortunately, once Netherlands had resolved that a physical approach was needed to counter Spain, it was hard to avoid today's scenario.

I think Howard Webb did an outstanding job. The Netherlands weren't really there to play football and were more intent on breaking up Spain's fluid passing movement by any and all means possible. He had to show the cards early or the match would have gotten a lot worse.

Every single card was justified, including the one for Sergio Ramos - not so much for the challenge itself, but for breaking up what looked a decent attacking raid down the left. He did his best to keep players on the pitch though, while still maintaining control, and he deserves great credit for getting the job done. Many other referees on that stage would have seen to it that the game ended with a lot fewer numbers on the pitch!

I disagree that Webb did a good job. Howard Webb has shown in previous finals an absolute reluctance to make difficult, controversial decisions. FIFA knows that and that is why he got the job.....

Why is there a prevailing attitude that the man that doesn't give cards (especially red) is the best referee. The best referee is the ones that gets it right..

And Webb's decision to not give De Jong a red card was an astonishing and spineless one...

Boo to Howard Webb
Boo to FIFA
Booooooo to the Dutch!

I assume from your attitude that the foot stamping and diving by the Spanish were completely OK though? They threw in some disgusting tackles, on the same level as the ones by the Dutch - but managed somehow to only conceed fouls from them, or nothing at all but play on.

2 players should have been sent off, de Jong and Puyol.

The ref was too spinless to give the 2 red cards that were and gave a red card that wasn't. He also should have had half the Spanish team in the book for either cynical fouls or diving to match the Netherlands. Neither team finished that game with a clear conscience.

Well if he had have done his job and sent De Jong off, the Puyol on Robben incident would not have made a difference..

I think you will find that most of the Spain fouls were after a succession of cynical fouls by the Dutch...Well done by the Spanish because when a team tries to kick you off the park, you must show them that you will not be intimidated.

That is why Puyol was what? the second/third player booked? The only truely terrible (as in dangerous) tackle was de Jongs. Both teams were very cynical in their tackling though.