OK, let's cut the crap here, I am not for one second saying there is any design in any Yank refs doing favours for their own teams with respect to the Russians, so I don’t think as Colin (Red Merkin) suggests that it's a case of they 'won't let the Russians win'.
But.....I will say this much, individual decisions will be made by judges that will favour the home side, I have been there, seen it, heard it, and on the beneficial end of it (All Americans and Aftershock), it happens, just like playing on does.
Waving flags ain't gonna change that one iota.
Secondly, there is a difference between Euro teams playing over there and Yank teams playing over here and it is not because us Euros are inherently fairer judges, it's more to do with us Euros not identifying ourselves as Euros, we are either English, French, German or whatever.
Millennium events are judged by a multinational staff, so if the Yanks are playing the Swedes and the French are judging, there is less liable to be continental bias going on.
I have to say, when the Russians played in the Pittsburgh XBall Nation's cup against the Yanks, the American judging crew there were exemplary with absolutely no bias whatsoever so it can be achieved.
In some senses this bias has less to do with nationality and more to do with 'faces' you know or are friendly with and this is because when Americans are judging Americans, there is much more chance for bias to flourish as against Europeans judging Europeans.
Americans are much more likely to be friendly with other Americans than say the French with the English.
Not national bias really, more like personal bias so no need to wave any flags here Paul, just take solace in the fact you can say that your 300 million peoples are more united than ours.
