Let Sleeping Refs Lie

Ol' Pierluigi would NEVER stand for this

Some things in football are essential; you need players, a ball, some kind of goals, and finally, a guy who tries ill-advised bicycle kicks on any waist-high ball that comes his way. Also, some sort of officials would be nice, and the 1,000+ who turned up for an Argentine Third Division match between Alumni de Villa Maria and Racing de Cordoba were primed for the match.

Only problem is, they forgot to organize a referee.

From the report:

A club official said referee Ariel Montero was sleeping at his home, nearly 600 kilometres away, when worried colleagues called him two hours before kick off to ask his whereabouts.

"The linesmen were in the hotel and Montero hadn't arrived and so they started to get worried," Alumni president Guillermo Morelatto said in a radio interview. "They called his house and he didn't know anything. He was sleeping. Apparently, the Council (championship organisers) said that they hadn't told him. The assistants spoke to him and he said he hadn't been told. There was a mix-up."

Nice work, fellas! Naturally, one of the clubs wouldn't accept a replacement, and because local police were unwilling to delay kick-off for Montero's late arrival, the match was called off, leaving 1,000 fans disgruntled, angry and confused (we're just waiting for the related "Riots break out at canceled Third Division match" headline later today).

So next time, remember: if you're running a soccer league, make sure your games have referees. It's what separates us from the animals.