Ref Focus is a recurring feature here at In The Opinion Of The Referee that condenses all of the referee’s decisions, player management incidents and goals into a much shorter video format.
USA Referee Mark Geiger, along with assistant referees Sean Hurd (USA) and Joe Fletcher (CAN) turn in a solid performance in the group stage match between Spain and Chile.
Of note in this match is Geiger’s aggressive handling of dissent. See the incident in the 25th minute of the match for a particularly good example. I understand that Geiger speaks some Spanish, so it is possible he is addressing the players in Spanish (notwithstanding the fact that many of the ESP players speak English).
In contrast to many of the Premier League referees that we’ve studied on these pages, Geiger’s approach tends to be a bit more firm and formal. His performance demonstrates that many different styles of refereeing and player management can be effective.
In The Opinion Of The Referee 
4 responses to “Ref Focus: Mark Geiger, ESP v CHL”
Fantastic game by this crew.
LikeLike
well, understanding and speaking some basic foreign language ALWAYS help!
LikeLike
Mark and his team have done an outstanding job on their assignments…..Fifa should give them serious
consideration for the Semi Finals if not the Final. GREAT WORK
LikeLike
At 4:21 . This yellow card was for failure to respect distance on the restart, not delaying the restart. If the player kicked the ball away prior to the restart then it would have been delaying the restart. I’m sure if this was in the attacking third and there was an advantage, Mark would have came back and cautioned the player for FRD.
LikeLike