FIFA’s referee committee evaluated the performance of Koman Coulibaly, who centered the U.S.-Slovenia match, and gave him an unfavorable rating. This not only spells the likely end for Coulibaly’s time at the World Cup, but his entire crew as well.
From Yahoo! Sports:
The committee evaluated Coulibaly’s performance on a series of factors, including his condition, positioning and decision-making, said the source, who is close to senior figures on the committee.
While the official’s fitness and movement were solid, FIFA referee chiefs were concerned about several of Coulibaly’s decisions and the way he appeared to lose control of a highly physical contest.
The assignments for the final round of group matches have yet to be assigned, but given Coulibaly’s rating, there is virtually no chance he will get to referee any more matches in the tournament. However, he could still be used as a fourth official.
To be clear, the fourth official simply assists the referee at all times, helping keep track of substitutions and other forms of logging.
It’s unfortunate that Coulibaly’s crew is also effected by the situation, but I guess it goes hand in hand with many of FIFA’s bewildering rules.
