In Focus: Match 40 - West Germany vs. Netherlands, Juan Carlos Loustau
The hottest period of the West Germany - Netherlands derby matches was undoubtedly the late 1980s-early 90s (as explored in this excellent piece in the FourFourTwo magazine). It was against this background that the two faced each other in the second round of the Italian World Cup in 1990.
Juan Carlos Loustau from Argentina was the referee, famously sending off Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler simultaneously, after Rijkaard had spat (twice) at Völler, undetected by the on-field officials. Ten against ten, the West Germans won a dramatic game by two goals to one. This post offers a detailed analysis of the Rijkaard-Völler incidents, and a look at how Loustau fared in the match as a whole.
Refereeing Highlights
Preface
Not only for being by far one of the two most sonorous matches of World Cup 1990 thus far, West Germany's clash with the Netherlands in the eight-finals of the tournament promised fireworks. In footballing terms, Franz Beckenbauer's squad were quite clear favourites, having blazed through the group stage as comfortably the best team in the competition. Netherlands meanwhile, despite being current European champions, had spluttered through the sleepy Group F by drawing all three games to advance.
To handle the second leg of Italia 1990's Super Sunday, FIFA appointed Juan Carlos Loustau from Argentina as referee. Loustau had experienced a low-key group stage (no cards shown), taking charge of Costa Rica's surprise upset of Scotland, and Spain's victory against Belgium, correctly awarding a couple of penalties in the latter. Interestingly, this was exactly the same designation strategy as four years ago in Mexico: a UEFA referee took charge of the top South American duel in the second round (Agnolin for ARGURU), while a CONMEBOL official had control of the big all-European tie (Espósito for ITAFRA).
It would be interesting to know FIFA's exact rationale for Loustau's designation: was it more of a political choice after Quiniou was given Brazil vs. Argentina, or was it the deliberate placing of the Argentine into this particular encounter. Loustau's grasp of English was quite basic, so as for both his group games, he would be accompanied by fluent Spanish speakers for linesmen: Vincent Mauro (USA) and Elías Jácome Guerrero (ECU). Mauro had been reserve referee for Loustau's first game, and run the line on his second, while the Ecuadorian official Jácome did exactly the reverse, vice versa (lined game 1, reserve on game 2).
Vincent Mauro came from a politically important nation, and was favoured by FIFA whilst showing a decent-to-good level of performance as linesman. Jácome Guerrero's flag work was much less extensive (only one game), but he'd convinced in that Costa Rica vs. Scotland tie. Completing the quartet was reserve referee Jean-Fidèle Diramba. The man from Gabon had ended any chances for later field appointments in Italy having not flagged an offside winner in Korea vs. Uruguay (link). His designation constituted the periodic FIFA courting of the sub-Saharan nations with match official appointments.
To handle the second leg of Italia 1990's Super Sunday, FIFA appointed Juan Carlos Loustau from Argentina as referee. Loustau had experienced a low-key group stage (no cards shown), taking charge of Costa Rica's surprise upset of Scotland, and Spain's victory against Belgium, correctly awarding a couple of penalties in the latter. Interestingly, this was exactly the same designation strategy as four years ago in Mexico: a UEFA referee took charge of the top South American duel in the second round (Agnolin for ARGURU), while a CONMEBOL official had control of the big all-European tie (Espósito for ITAFRA).
It would be interesting to know FIFA's exact rationale for Loustau's designation: was it more of a political choice after Quiniou was given Brazil vs. Argentina, or was it the deliberate placing of the Argentine into this particular encounter. Loustau's grasp of English was quite basic, so as for both his group games, he would be accompanied by fluent Spanish speakers for linesmen: Vincent Mauro (USA) and Elías Jácome Guerrero (ECU). Mauro had been reserve referee for Loustau's first game, and run the line on his second, while the Ecuadorian official Jácome did exactly the reverse, vice versa (lined game 1, reserve on game 2).
Vincent Mauro came from a politically important nation, and was favoured by FIFA whilst showing a decent-to-good level of performance as linesman. Jácome Guerrero's flag work was much less extensive (only one game), but he'd convinced in that Costa Rica vs. Scotland tie. Completing the quartet was reserve referee Jean-Fidèle Diramba. The man from Gabon had ended any chances for later field appointments in Italy having not flagged an offside winner in Korea vs. Uruguay (link). His designation constituted the periodic FIFA courting of the sub-Saharan nations with match official appointments.
Indeed, to underline this point: Diramba was the only non-Spanish speaker ever appointed by FIFA to work with Juan Carlos Loustau in the World Cup finals. A final interesting note is that Loustau would have known that his Italia '90 was going to be over at fulltime: all of the referees knew that if their nation progressed to the quarterfinals, it was game over for them. If Brazil had beaten Argentina, then Loustau would have had a very good shot at, even, the final (if this game went well). Instead, he was completely out, a fact that Loustau would have been first able to comtemplate a mere two-hours before kick off in Milan.
Big Decision
Everyone knows the story. Frank Rijkaard spat in Rudi Völler's mullet (twice!) and both were sent off by the Argentinian referee, in one of the World Cup's most famous, and infamous, episodes. A bewildering decision for most. Just how did the referee, Juan Carlos Loustau, apportion the same punishment for spitting Rijkaard and his victim, Völler? Let me try to explain [20': timestamp].
Looking back, what I find most remarkable is how quickly everything escalated. The sequence of events which triggered their ejections was the first incident of any note between the two all match. Unless I missed something of course, but believe me, I was looking very closely myself! Relations between the two had gone from zero to sixty at a stunning rate of knots on the pitch. The whole contremtemps starts after a late tackle by Rijkaard on Völler, which draws the game's first caution from referee Loustau. Rijkaard was angered, as he thought the German had gotten him booked by diving. It was definitely a foul, but I can at least see where Rijkaard was coming from: one could argue that the caution was slightly exaggerated. But only slightly, if anything; the call was basically sound.
Presumably, Völler says something back in retaliation to Rijkaard (not of a racist nature, as later confirmed by Rijkaard himself). Whatever it was, it really must rile the Dutchman up, as he then spits at Völler! Just as German television did on our full match record, this was missed by the Argentine referee, as he was jotting down Rijkaard's caution at that exact moment. As soon as Loustau missed the spitting offence (of course, a clear red card itself), he was doomed.
Looking up, the referee from Argentina sees Völler furiously confronting Rijkaard and shouting in his face - as one would be, having been spat at! Of course, Loustau has missed the spit, so he must assume that Völler hadn't calmed down after the tackle, and the FRG attacker is consequently delivered a caution. I wonder if Loustau had pulled Völler over, and tried to issue him a calming chat, as delivering the yellow card, then maybe he could have prevented what happened. I'm not sure this was practically possible though: 1) that really wasn't Loustau's style, hard-trained by very rough South American matches, and anyway he didn't speak English; 2) it is surely impossible to calm someone down when they have been spat at; 3) Völler was really furious and Loustau surely realised it wouldn't have succeeded anyway.
So the best that the Argentinian ref could really do was this firm caution to Völler, and the message to cut it out. Understandably for spitting-victim Völler, it didn't calm him down; both he and Rijkaard were still completely seeing red mist, as Loustau signalled for the original freekick to now be taken. The kick is centred towards the penalty area. Völler wins the header, but is penalised by the referee for a foul. Then, Völler and goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen engage in a pretty comic collision, with both seemingly gunning to 'get' the other, before pulling out at the last second.
Both Rijkaard and Völler had completely lost their rags at this point. If not for there being other players around, I'm sure that the pair of them were going to try and spark each other; remember, this was not a few seconds after the foul in question (remember, this is all Loustau saw), but going on for at least a minute afterwards. Klinsmann chaotically pushing Völler away, and to the ground, probably sealed both of their fates. In the same vein as Mario Díaz de Vivar sent off Messi and Medel at Copa América 2019, Loustau obviously felt that he had exhausted all other options, that Rijkaard/Völler had completely lost the plot for a prolonged period of time, and that if he didn't send them both off, then the game would decend into a fight. Hence, Loustau sent them both off for a kind of "Violent Conduct - Fighting".
For good measure and to heighten the sense of injustice, Rijkaard then spat at Völler again (this time with all the cameras trained onto it), and they both left the field of play, with both teams resuming a man light. So what to make of it all then? Well, in a way, Loustau was right - if he hadn't sent both off at that juncture, then the game would have decided into a complete fight. But missing the first spitting offence, and Völler recieving the same punishment as Rijkaard, leaves a rather sour taste in the mouth indeed (pardon the pun :)). For most, understandably, Völler's red card was a tragedy. Given that he actually didn't do anything, and that the referee missed Rijkaard's clear spitting prior, one has no choice but to assess Loustau's management of this series as a clear match error.
Presumably, Völler says something back in retaliation to Rijkaard (not of a racist nature, as later confirmed by Rijkaard himself). Whatever it was, it really must rile the Dutchman up, as he then spits at Völler! Just as German television did on our full match record, this was missed by the Argentine referee, as he was jotting down Rijkaard's caution at that exact moment. As soon as Loustau missed the spitting offence (of course, a clear red card itself), he was doomed.
Looking up, the referee from Argentina sees Völler furiously confronting Rijkaard and shouting in his face - as one would be, having been spat at! Of course, Loustau has missed the spit, so he must assume that Völler hadn't calmed down after the tackle, and the FRG attacker is consequently delivered a caution. I wonder if Loustau had pulled Völler over, and tried to issue him a calming chat, as delivering the yellow card, then maybe he could have prevented what happened. I'm not sure this was practically possible though: 1) that really wasn't Loustau's style, hard-trained by very rough South American matches, and anyway he didn't speak English; 2) it is surely impossible to calm someone down when they have been spat at; 3) Völler was really furious and Loustau surely realised it wouldn't have succeeded anyway.
So the best that the Argentinian ref could really do was this firm caution to Völler, and the message to cut it out. Understandably for spitting-victim Völler, it didn't calm him down; both he and Rijkaard were still completely seeing red mist, as Loustau signalled for the original freekick to now be taken. The kick is centred towards the penalty area. Völler wins the header, but is penalised by the referee for a foul. Then, Völler and goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen engage in a pretty comic collision, with both seemingly gunning to 'get' the other, before pulling out at the last second.
Both Rijkaard and Völler had completely lost their rags at this point. If not for there being other players around, I'm sure that the pair of them were going to try and spark each other; remember, this was not a few seconds after the foul in question (remember, this is all Loustau saw), but going on for at least a minute afterwards. Klinsmann chaotically pushing Völler away, and to the ground, probably sealed both of their fates. In the same vein as Mario Díaz de Vivar sent off Messi and Medel at Copa América 2019, Loustau obviously felt that he had exhausted all other options, that Rijkaard/Völler had completely lost the plot for a prolonged period of time, and that if he didn't send them both off, then the game would decend into a fight. Hence, Loustau sent them both off for a kind of "Violent Conduct - Fighting".
For good measure and to heighten the sense of injustice, Rijkaard then spat at Völler again (this time with all the cameras trained onto it), and they both left the field of play, with both teams resuming a man light. So what to make of it all then? Well, in a way, Loustau was right - if he hadn't sent both off at that juncture, then the game would have decided into a complete fight. But missing the first spitting offence, and Völler recieving the same punishment as Rijkaard, leaves a rather sour taste in the mouth indeed (pardon the pun :)). For most, understandably, Völler's red card was a tragedy. Given that he actually didn't do anything, and that the referee missed Rijkaard's clear spitting prior, one has no choice but to assess Loustau's management of this series as a clear match error.
If you were wondering: five months later when they met on opposing sides in Serie A, Rijkaard apologised to Völler. The Dutchman stated that because his wife left him on the eve of the tournament, he had played the whole of Italia '90 whilst being highly strung (explaning his caution vs. Eire). The two had respected each other before the incident, and went on to be personally friendly in passing years.
Match
Somewhat surprisingly, the game wasn't especially challenging to referee for Juan Carlos Loustau, probably owing much to the sophisticated level of technical play which both teams offered (certainly, the two games on this day were a cut above anything else from this World Cup so far), in addition to the strong personality and manner of the Argentine referee, which I will touch on later.
Moreover, it was a game of individual incidents for Loustau, and I don't think it is too unfair to state that he probably missed one too many incidents, including both spits by Rijkaard. Going through the scenes:
Moreover, it was a game of individual incidents for Loustau, and I don't think it is too unfair to state that he probably missed one too many incidents, including both spits by Rijkaard. Going through the scenes:
(To add: the version of this match I used comes from German television, who on a number of occasions diverted from the world feed to show their own live and replay angles; by rewatching some of the scenes on the FIFATV version, you can get a more complete view of the incidents by viewing both the linked timestamps from 'my' version, and the video that FIFA put onto YouTube)
(clip) 1' - There weren't as many incidents of settling scores early on as one might have expected, but Andri van Tiggelen going straight through Pierre Litbarski was one. Accordingly, and well, Loustau warns Van Tiggelen.
(clip) 7' - Loustau was a very enthusiastic giver of offsides throughout the game, and on this occasion, he was absolutely wrong to overrule his linesman Elías Jácome Guerrero, who had played a good onside. How on earth did the Argentine referee think that his position on the pitch was an appropriate one to overrule the perfectly positioned Jácome Guerrero...
(clip) 20' - See above
(clip) 20' - See above
(clip) 23' - Jan Wouters trips Lotthar Matthäus down with emotions still running high after the red card. No yellow card for Wouters is absolutely consistent with the (naturally) lenient line towards SPA offences in 1990 (compared to reckless), with Matthäus running towards 'traffic'. The way Loustau deals with John Van't Schip's dissent is not be found in any textbooks, but given that he didn't speak great English, his general style and how he presented himself on the pitch, it was successful management I'd say. In general, Loustau was able to bring calm to the game after the dual red cards after a few minutes.
(clip) 32' - Correct caution to Jan Wouters for reckless tackle.
(clip) 33' - Should West Germany have been awarded a penalty for a holding offence on Jürgen Klinsmann? I think so. Most visible from the live sequence, Jan Wouters gives Klinsmann what appears to be a clear pull on the arm - presumably having sh*t himself that Klinsmann got goalside of him in a very promising position. As I touched on in the Costa Rica vs. Scotland report, Loustau's positioning was often a bit weird, and it cost him a decent view of this incident - he is too fussed about judging the offside by himself, and hence has no chance at all to assess this potential penalty as a consequence.
(clip) 39' - Having hurdled Andreas Brehme's quite late tackle, Van't Schip commits a very crafty stamp on him, stamping on Brehme's calf from the jump. Nowadays, it would be considered a clear violent conduct, but back then, such plays were kind of accepted as coming with the territory.
(51' - West Germany score, 1-0!)
(clip) 58' - Ploughing a somewhat mythically lone furrow upfront, Jürgen Klinsmann decides to elbow Berry van Aerle as the two prepare to contest a fly-kicked ball coming down. It is hard to say if Klinsmann performs a 'De Rossi vs. USA' from the footage, but the effects of his strike on Van Aerle aren't to be contested - he seriously hurt the Dutch fullback, who was substituted due to his injury a few minutes later. The duel was missed by Loustau in its entireity.
(clip) 62' - Even acknowledging the comparatively lenient line in 1990, Aron Winter should really have been booked for his tactical bodycheck on Lotthar Mattäus here; a rather promising attack was building. Still, Loustau's decision remains acceptable for its time.
(clip) 73' - Marco van Basten is rightly cautioned for flagrantly reckless tactical foul on Matthäus.
(clip) 79' - Caution for Matthäus, who carried on after Loustau's whistle; the Argentine referee hadn't signalled for the freekick to be taken yet. But, what is the gesture just before the freekick is taken then?
(A funny note: with roughly ten minutes left, Loustau's watch is removed from his wrist. I don't know if it breaks off, or because it stopped counting the time, the Argentine official just took it off, but certainly it disappeared from his wrist! You can see him looking out very visibly to both Jácome Guerrero and Mauro for hints about the time after that)
(clip) 32' - Correct caution to Jan Wouters for reckless tackle.
(clip) 33' - Should West Germany have been awarded a penalty for a holding offence on Jürgen Klinsmann? I think so. Most visible from the live sequence, Jan Wouters gives Klinsmann what appears to be a clear pull on the arm - presumably having sh*t himself that Klinsmann got goalside of him in a very promising position. As I touched on in the Costa Rica vs. Scotland report, Loustau's positioning was often a bit weird, and it cost him a decent view of this incident - he is too fussed about judging the offside by himself, and hence has no chance at all to assess this potential penalty as a consequence.
(clip) 39' - Having hurdled Andreas Brehme's quite late tackle, Van't Schip commits a very crafty stamp on him, stamping on Brehme's calf from the jump. Nowadays, it would be considered a clear violent conduct, but back then, such plays were kind of accepted as coming with the territory.
(51' - West Germany score, 1-0!)
(clip) 58' - Ploughing a somewhat mythically lone furrow upfront, Jürgen Klinsmann decides to elbow Berry van Aerle as the two prepare to contest a fly-kicked ball coming down. It is hard to say if Klinsmann performs a 'De Rossi vs. USA' from the footage, but the effects of his strike on Van Aerle aren't to be contested - he seriously hurt the Dutch fullback, who was substituted due to his injury a few minutes later. The duel was missed by Loustau in its entireity.
(clip) 62' - Even acknowledging the comparatively lenient line in 1990, Aron Winter should really have been booked for his tactical bodycheck on Lotthar Mattäus here; a rather promising attack was building. Still, Loustau's decision remains acceptable for its time.
(clip) 73' - Marco van Basten is rightly cautioned for flagrantly reckless tactical foul on Matthäus.
(clip) 79' - Caution for Matthäus, who carried on after Loustau's whistle; the Argentine referee hadn't signalled for the freekick to be taken yet. But, what is the gesture just before the freekick is taken then?
(A funny note: with roughly ten minutes left, Loustau's watch is removed from his wrist. I don't know if it breaks off, or because it stopped counting the time, the Argentine official just took it off, but certainly it disappeared from his wrist! You can see him looking out very visibly to both Jácome Guerrero and Mauro for hints about the time after that)
(clip) 84' - A clearly overlooked foul by already-cautioned Jan Wouters on Matthäus.
(85' - West Germany score, 2-0!)
(clip) 87' - A flagrant, even borderline violent, late 'striking charge' on Stefan Reuter by Ronald Koeman. Loustau gives a freekick and nothing more.
(clip) 88' - Penalised for holding Marco van Basten, Jürgen Kohler conceeds a penalty in the last minutes of the game. After the second goal, despite the Dutch scoring the spot kick, the game felt rather 'done' already at this point. The merits of the call? It seems that Kohler does hold Van Basten, but rather just outside the penalty area, though it does look close. Impossible to be sure, either way, from the footage though, maybe Kohler's reaction can give us some clue anyway.
(89' - Netherlands score for 2-1! But it isn't enough, as after around a minute and a half of stoppage time, the referee blows the final whistle! West Germany go through to play Czechoslovakia in the quarterfinals, whereas the Netherlands are down and out of the competition)
Precis: Contrary to how the German story goes, Juan Carlos Loustau was a good and able referee, no doubt about that. The Argentine's thesis for success in his games was as a firm leader on the pitch, able to take the intiative on the field of play and assure match control, more than being able to deeply assess every single incident and present a faultless technical accuracy during his matches. In many of the mentioned incidents (especially 39' and 58', I'd also add 33' too), these were de facto accepted parts of football for the time, whereas nowadays, referees are trained by videos and guidelines to detect such offences.
Of course, the missed spitting incident and 'unjust' ejection of Völler rather clouds how one can assess this performance anyway. That aside, I wouldn't judge Juan Carlos Loustau too harshly; actually, I'd be relatively positive, given that he assured match control, had a consistent approach to disciplinary control and avoided clear and evident errors in this big and quite challenging game.
To end this section on a slightly different note then. I must say, Juan Carlos Loustau's aesthetic is quite something: the brilliant Adidas 1990 shirt, short-sleeved, old-fashioned analogue watch (for most of the game!), no undershirt + gold chain, very firm/distant/serious manner. WOW! This always struck a chord with me somehow - Loustau always seemed so 'cool' and vogue. In the same way that bringing back kits from this era has become very vogue in today's football, I would happily bring refs with such an aesthetic!
Of course, the missed spitting incident and 'unjust' ejection of Völler rather clouds how one can assess this performance anyway. That aside, I wouldn't judge Juan Carlos Loustau too harshly; actually, I'd be relatively positive, given that he assured match control, had a consistent approach to disciplinary control and avoided clear and evident errors in this big and quite challenging game.
To end this section on a slightly different note then. I must say, Juan Carlos Loustau's aesthetic is quite something: the brilliant Adidas 1990 shirt, short-sleeved, old-fashioned analogue watch (for most of the game!), no undershirt + gold chain, very firm/distant/serious manner. WOW! This always struck a chord with me somehow - Loustau always seemed so 'cool' and vogue. In the same way that bringing back kits from this era has become very vogue in today's football, I would happily bring refs with such an aesthetic!
Linesmen
As noted above, Juan Carlos Loustau liked to play a very active role in determining and detecting offsides himself, which made the work of his linesmen in this match - namely Vincent Anthony Mauro and Elías Victoriano Jácome Guerrero - even trickier. Certainly, it was the Ecuadorian who had it hardest given the very-to-extremely challenging body of work that he faced as second line in this match.
Given the relatively brittle confidence that these referee regulars had when taking the flag already, even good linesmen like Jácome faced an uphill struggle having been wrongly overruled by their team leader as early as minute seven. After that, Ecuador's official performed okay, but not really more, with a mistaken flag at 57' his biggest error (clip). Vincent Mauro by contrast was significantly quieter, and hit an expected level performance. A 55' onside was his biggest, and best, call of the day (clip).
Given the relatively brittle confidence that these referee regulars had when taking the flag already, even good linesmen like Jácome faced an uphill struggle having been wrongly overruled by their team leader as early as minute seven. After that, Ecuador's official performed okay, but not really more, with a mistaken flag at 57' his biggest error (clip). Vincent Mauro by contrast was significantly quieter, and hit an expected level performance. A 55' onside was his biggest, and best, call of the day (clip).
Balance
A game ever-defined by the enduring memory of Frank Rijkaard spitting at Rudi Völler. That two top players were involved in such a stomach-churning incident in such a top game, makes this match one of the most infamous in the history of the World Cup. In sending Völler as well as Rijkaard off, referee Juan Carlos Loustau signed his name to infamy too - he was about fifteen yards away from the (first) spit, and having missed it, he could only watch on as the two lost the plot thereafter.
Sending them both off was about the only weapon that Loustau had left; he was very fortunate that West Germany came out as winners, or an even bigger scandal would have been seen. In German culture, he is considered a rather poor, hot-headed referee, but in reality, this is far from the case. Loustau was a very good official, and despite some mistakes, I don't really think you can say that he reffed a bad match - Völler aside (DFB's appeals regarding his ensuing ban were (always going to be) rejected by FIFA).
Sending them both off was about the only weapon that Loustau had left; he was very fortunate that West Germany came out as winners, or an even bigger scandal would have been seen. In German culture, he is considered a rather poor, hot-headed referee, but in reality, this is far from the case. Loustau was a very good official, and despite some mistakes, I don't really think you can say that he reffed a bad match - Völler aside (DFB's appeals regarding his ensuing ban were (always going to be) rejected by FIFA).
Given that Argentina had progressed earlier in the day, Loustau knew that his World Cup was going to be over after this match anyway (probably the Völler red would have seen to it if not), so he joined the Dutch squad on the proverbial plane home after this match. Both the reserve referee and second linesman Elías Jácome Guerrero would too - the Ecuadorian unlucky for sure, but in the end, his mistakes both as ref and linesman were just too clear. While West Germany looked set fair to reach the World Cup final after this win given how their side of the draw was shaping up, Vincent Mauro could have had slightly more modest hopes, but he would indeed reach the last eight as a linesman, and even further as the reserve referee.
| Juan Carlos Loustau (ARG) Vincent Mauro (USA) Elías Jácome (ECU) Jean-Fidèle Diramba (GAB) Officials | West Germany 2-1 Netherlands Round of Sixteen Sunday 24th June at 9pm (Milan) |
 Völler (21') - Aggressive Behaviour Matthäus (79') - Delaying the Restart | Rijkaard (21') - Tackle Wouters (32') - Tackle Van Basten (73') - Challenge |
 Völler (22') - Violent Conduct | Rijkaard (22') - Violent Conduct |
