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Mark Geiger

Geiger officiating a Major League Soccer match in 2012
Born	(1974-08-25) August 25, 1974 (age 50) Beachwood, New Jersey
Other occupation	Mathematics teacher
Domestic
Years	League	Role
2002–2004	A-League	Referee
2004–	MLS	Sack
2011–	NASL	Referee
International
Years	League	Role
2008–	FIFA listed	Referee
2008–	CONCACAF Champions League	Referee

Mark Geiger (born August 25, 1974) is an American soccer referee who officiates at domestic level in Major League Soccer (MLS) and who has been on the FIFA International Referees List since 2008. He is also a member of the Professional Referee Organization (PRO). At international level, Geiger has refereed the 2012 Olympics; at the 2013 and 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cups; and at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. At the 2014 World Cup, he became the first referee from the United States to officiate a knockout match at a World Cup tournament. Before becoming a full-time referee, Geiger was a high school mathematics teacher.

Career

Geiger first took up refereeing in 1988. He became a United States Soccer Federation National Referee in 2003 and has been officiating in Major League Soccer since 2004. He has officiated in CONCACAF tournaments since becoming a FIFA referee in 2008, and has officiated Gold Cup and other international tournaments and fixtures. Geiger was selected for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in 2011, where he refereed the final.

Geiger officiated at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia. He officiated the Group E game between eventual tournament champions Brazil and Austria at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla. He then took charge of the Group B game between Uruguay and Cameroon at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá. He was appointed to the Round of 16 match between Spain and South Korea at Estadio Palogrande in Manizales. Finally, he refereed the Final with American Assistant Referee Sean Hurd and Canadian Assistant Referee Joe Fletcher, between Brazil and Portugal at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá. This is the first time an American has ever been the referee at a major men's tournament final.

Geiger was selected as the Major League Soccer referee of the year for the 2011 season, and then again in 2014.

In 2012, Geiger was selected as one of 16 referees to officiate at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Geiger took charge of the Group D match between Spain vs. Japan and the quarterfinal between Japan vs. Egypt. In 2013, Geiger was an official at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Geiger was selected as CONCACAF's representative referee for the 2013 Club World Cup.

Geiger was one of 25 referees appointed for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Geiger described the assignment to the World Cup as "an immensely proud moment". Geiger officiated the 2014 World Cup Group C match between Colombia and Greece at the Estadio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte; the 2014 World Cup Group B match between Chile and Spain at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro; and the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 match between France and Nigeria at the Estádio Nacional in Brasilia, the first American to referee in the knockout round of a FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

Geiger was born on August 25, 1974 and grew up in Beachwood, New Jersey. After studying teaching at Trenton State College, he became a mathematics teacher at Lacey Township High School in Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey, a role that he gave up to become a full-time referee. While at Lacey Township High School, Geiger was among 103 recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching in 2010.

Controversy

On July 22, Mark Geiger officiated the semi-final of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup between Panama vs. Mexico. Geiger made several controversial calls. Mexico won, 2–1, and the Panama national football team, in response protested by posting a photo of themselves on social media with a sign "Concacaf Ladrones" which translated means, "Concacaf Thieves".

On October 28, Mark Geiger officiated a 2015 MLS Cup Playoff match between D.C. United and the New England Revolution in the first round. In the final minutes of the game with a score of 2–1 in favor of D.C. United, Geiger chose not to award a penalty kick to New England for a deliberate handling offence in the penalty area by D.C. United defender Sean Franklin. Jermaine Jones, believing it should have been a penalty kick, confronted the referee for this and was physically aggressive towards him, earning Jones a red card. Jermaine Jones was charged with referee assault by the MLS Disciplinary Committee and suspended for six games.

On March 19th, 2015 Mark Geiger set a world record for worst penalty given in football history. He awarded a foul in the box for a player who tripped on air and flopped in the most amazing way. While all sane people would know this was not a foul Mark stepped up to say it was. He may be the dumbest ref in MLS history, which says something. Most youth refs have better knowledge of the game and better poise.

Honors

• MLS Referee of the Year: 2011, 2014
• Morgan J. Hellebuyck North American Officials Award 2006

References

1. "Geiger to referee U-20 final, CCL Round 2". CONCACAF. August 19, 2011. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2015. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; September 25, 2012 suggested (help)
2. "U.S. Soccer Referee Mark Geiger and Assistant Referee Mark Hurd to Participate at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia". U.S. Soccer. May 16, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
3. "Match Report - Brazil 3-0 Austria". FIFA. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
4. "Match Report - Uruguay 0-1 Cameroon". FIFA. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
5. "Match Report - Spain 0-0 Korea Republic". FIFA. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
6. "Match Report - Brazil 3-2 Portugual". FIFA. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
7. "Geiger, Hurd and Fletcher to Officiate FIFA U20 World Cup Final". Professional Soccer Referees Association. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
8. "MLS veteran Geiger named Referee of the Year". Major League Soccer. November 10, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
9. "Mark Geiger named MLS Referee of the Year; Paul Scott voted Assistant Referee of the Year". Major League Soccer. November 25, 2014. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
10. "Matchcast - Spain 0:1 Japan". FIFA. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
11. "PRO Referee Roster". Professional Referee Organization. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
12. "FCWC 2013 Appointments of Match Officials" (PDF). FIFA.
13. "Referee trios and support duos appointed for 2014 FIFA World Cup™". FIFA. January 15, 2014.
14. "Referees & Assistant referees for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™" (PDF). FIFA. January 14, 2014.
15. "Mark Geiger excited to fulfil World Cup dream". Professional Referee Organization. January 20, 2014.
16. "Referee designations for matches 5-8". FIFA. June 12, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
17. "2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil Match Result: Spain v Chile". FIFA.
18. "PRO 2014 World Cup assignments". Professional Referee Organization. June 28, 2014.
19. "Open list of prospective referees & assistant referees for the 2014 FIFA World Cup" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
20. "Presidential Math and Science Teachers Award Release" (Press release). The White House. June 7, 2010. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
21. Day, Timothy D. (June 10, 2014). "Retired math teacher Mark Geiger is the only American selected to referee the World Cup". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
22. "Referee organization head: Mark Geiger's status will not be affected by Mexico-Panama fiasco". NBC Sports. July 23, 2015.
23. "Controversy continues to cloud Gold Cup after Mexico-Panama fiasco", Sports Illustrated, July 24, 2015
24. In the 25th minute, Luis Tejada was given a red card for elbowing Francisco Javier Rodríguez on the head ("Panama, Mexico scuffle in chaotic Gold Cup semifinal match", Sports Illustrated, July 22, 2015).
    In the 88th minute, Mexico was awarded a penalty, and the ensuing argument delayed the match more than ten minutes ("Mexico tops Panama in chaotic Gold Cup semifinal", USA Today, July 23, 2015).
    In the 105th+1 minute, a second penalty was awarded to Mexico ("Penalty call sets up Mexico go-ahead goal in win vs. Panama", Sports Illustrated, July 23, 2015).
25. "Panama: CONCACAF are 'thieves'". Goal.com. July 23, 2015.
26. "Panama-Mexico official Mark Geiger backed by referee organization". ESPN. July 24, 2015.
27. Maurer, Pablo (October 28, 2015). "DC United 2, New England Revolution 1 - MLS Match Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
28. Vertelney, Set (October 29, 2015). "Revolution furious after The Geiger Show rolls into town once again". Goal.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
29. http://www.mlssoccer.com/mls-disciplinary-summary

External links

• Profile at Professional Referee Organization
• Profile at worldreferee.com
• Profile at int.soccerway.com

Template:Persondata

• 1974 births
• Living people
• American people of German descent
• American schoolteachers
• American soccer referees
• Major League Soccer referees
• Mathematics educators
• North American Soccer League referees
• People from Beachwood, New Jersey
• Olympic football referees
• Football referees at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• CONCACAF Champions League referees
• CONCACAF Gold Cup referees
• 2014 FIFA World Cup referees
• FIFA World Cup referees