The World Cup could already be over not only for the German national soccer team, but also for the German referee Daniel Siebert. The reason is an unpunished foul that should have given Uruguay a penalty. South Americans are angry and frustrated.
Edinson Cavani couldn't get his hands on referee Daniel Siebert, but the VAR screen had to believe it. Furious, Uruguay's veteran pushed the hated monitor to the ground when, after the bitter World Cup knockout. stumped into the cabin in frustration. The South Americans blamed the German referee for their failure.
Completely beside themselves, Cavani, José Maria Gimenez and the rest of the sky-blue crowd stormed in Siebert's direction after the final whistle of the group final against Ghana - in the 2-0 (2-0) victory they missed exactly one goal for the round of 16 because South Korea 2: 1 against Portugal. A goal that Uruguay saw cheated by the Berliner. "A gang of thieves, that's what they are," Gimenez scolded on the field, followed by some adult insults.
The Celeste felt "deprived of two clear penalties" after the first preliminary round since 2002, as defender Diego Godin lamented. First Ghana's Daniel Amartey (57th) had clarified robustly against Liverpool star Darwin Núñez before Alidu Seidu Cavani hit the calf in added time and he fell. In the first scene, Siebert saw the ball played according to the video images, but the German no longer looked at the quite clear foul on Cavani himself.
Uruguay's press immediately recalled the 2-0 defeat in the second group game, when Portugal were awarded a controversial penalty. "Whatever the penalty, both turned into a perverse injustice by the referees who eliminated Uruguay in the group stage," wrote the daily El Observador. What's more: "Uruguay was openly disadvantaged at this World Cup."
For Siebert, who had previously led the game between Tunisia and Australia, the desert World Cup could now be over. Precisely because of that misjudgment. "An otherwise really good performance in a very difficult game will unfortunately mean that he won't get another game as a referee. That's the referee's lot - especially at a World Cup," tweeted former referee Manuel Graefe.
If Siebert goes home, his fate will unite him with Uruguay's superstar Luis Suárez, who crouched on the bench crying for minutes after the Ghana game. The 35-year-old, who prepared both of Giorgian de Arrascaeta's goals (26/32) in what was probably his last World Cup game, said on Instagram that he was "proud to be Uruguayan, even if they don't respect us". "El Observador" was also of the opinion: "Luis Suárez didn't deserve such an end."
