Wolfgang Stark
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Stark is a German
football referee. He has refereed matches in the Champions League
and qualifications to the European Football Championship
and the World Cup
. In 2007, he refereed five matches at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
including the controversial semi-final between Chile
and Argentina
.
He was questioned for his performance overseeing the Chile–Argentina match in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, having "lost control of the match early" and for issuing seven yellow card
s (out of nine) and two red card
s against the Chilean team during the match. In total he issued 53 fouls, 30 of which he charged to Chile.
Following the match Stark and his colleagues were surrounded by livid Chilean players who were restrained by members of the Toronto Police. Stark then had to be escorted off of the pitch and into the dressing room tunnel by police officers for fear that he would be attacked by the crowd and/or Chilean players at the National Soccer Stadium
. Chilean players, still angry after losing the match, fought with and were pepper-sprayed by police officers outside of the stadium. The players were temporarily held inside the stadium by the police for several hours and were released without being arrested.
Stark was criticized for his performance in the Champions League match between Chelsea F.C.
and Internazionale
in 2010 by the Daily Telegraph
. A report claimed that he had missed two clear penalties for Chelsea.
Stark's performance has also been questioned in some Madrid-based newspapers after Real Madrid
's 2-0 loss to Barcelona
in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League. The Diario Marca
also took issue with a penalty Stark awarded to FC Barcelona
in their 3-2 defeat of AC Milan in the next Champions League season's group stage, saying “Aquilani grabbed Xavi inside the box but the contact was not enough to topple Barca brain.” The Italian press was less conclusive, with the Gazetta dello Sport calling the decision “generous”. After the incident he then booked the wrong player, when in fact he should have cautioned Alberto Aquilani
who would have been sent off for the offence as it would have been his second booking.
Stark was selected as a referee for the 2008 Summer Olympics football tournament
and for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. In the 2010-11 season of the German Bundesliga he was elected worst referee of the first half of the season by the players.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football referee. He has refereed matches in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and qualifications to the European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
and the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. In 2007, he refereed five matches at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup , hosted by Canada from June 30 to July 22, 2007. Argentina defeated Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth...
including the controversial semi-final between Chile
Chile national under-20 football team
Chile national U-20 football team, also known as Chile Sub-20 or La Rojita, is part of the Federación de Fútbol de Chile. The U-20 team is considered to be the breeding ground for future Chile national soccer team players...
and Argentina
Argentina national under-20 football team
The Argentina national under-20 football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level....
.
He was questioned for his performance overseeing the Chile–Argentina match in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, having "lost control of the match early" and for issuing seven yellow card
Penalty card
A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense. The referee will hold the card above his or her head while...
s (out of nine) and two red card
Penalty card
A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense. The referee will hold the card above his or her head while...
s against the Chilean team during the match. In total he issued 53 fouls, 30 of which he charged to Chile.
Following the match Stark and his colleagues were surrounded by livid Chilean players who were restrained by members of the Toronto Police. Stark then had to be escorted off of the pitch and into the dressing room tunnel by police officers for fear that he would be attacked by the crowd and/or Chilean players at the National Soccer Stadium
BMO Field
BMO Field is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,800 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...
. Chilean players, still angry after losing the match, fought with and were pepper-sprayed by police officers outside of the stadium. The players were temporarily held inside the stadium by the police for several hours and were released without being arrested.
Stark was criticized for his performance in the Champions League match between Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in 2010 by the Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. A report claimed that he had missed two clear penalties for Chelsea.
Stark's performance has also been questioned in some Madrid-based newspapers after Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
's 2-0 loss to Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League. The Diario Marca
Marca (newspaper)
MARCA is a Spanish national daily sports newspaper owned by Unidad Editorial. The newspaper focuses primarily on football, in particular the day-to-day activities of Real Madrid CF...
also took issue with a penalty Stark awarded to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in their 3-2 defeat of AC Milan in the next Champions League season's group stage, saying “Aquilani grabbed Xavi inside the box but the contact was not enough to topple Barca brain.” The Italian press was less conclusive, with the Gazetta dello Sport calling the decision “generous”. After the incident he then booked the wrong player, when in fact he should have cautioned Alberto Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Milan on loan from Liverpool. He is also part of the Italian national team. Aquilani is a central midfielder, who can operate in a holding position or an attacking position in the hole behind the strikers...
who would have been sent off for the offence as it would have been his second booking.
Stark was selected as a referee for the 2008 Summer Olympics football tournament
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...
and for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. In the 2010-11 season of the German Bundesliga he was elected worst referee of the first half of the season by the players.
Games at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
| Date | Time (UTC+2 UTC+2 UTC+02 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:-Central Africa Time:*Botswana*Burundi*Democratic Republic of the Congo... ) |
Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 June 2010 | 16:00 | 1–0 | Group B 2010 FIFA World Cup Group B Group B of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 22 June 2010. The group consisted of Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic and Greece.... |
55,686 | ||
| 23 June 2010 | 16:00 | 0–1 | Group C 2010 FIFA World Cup Group C Group C of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 23 June 2010. The group consisted of England, the United States, Algeria, and Slovenia... |
36,893 | ||
| 26 June 2010 | 16:00 | 2–1 | Round of 16 2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage The knockout stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. It began on 26 June with the round of 16 matches, and ended on 11 July with the final match of the tournament held at Soccer City, Johannesburg, in which Spain beat the... |
30,597 |