Comments on: Boothroyd Charged – Whatever Next?

By: noodlÃ©

noodlÃ© — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:31:48 +0000

interesting that the comments above are calling for technology to assist referees. the obsession with replays and the like is part of the problem… everyone needs to calm down and come to terms with the reality that referees will make mistakes… and those mistakes are part of football.

there are 23 men on the field in a game of football.. and every one of them will bugger things up from time to time. isn’t that why we love the game? it is the imperfections that make it perfect.

a referee gets crucified when he gets a tough penalty decision wrong… far moreso than a goalie who misses a punch which leads to a goal conceeded, or a winger who shoots into the side netting instead of playing the ball to his teammate who’s unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box. why do we expect immeasurably higher standards from the referees than we do of the players who, lest me forget, are often paid fifty times as much.

when managers, players and supporters learn to accept, and even love, the natural flaws in referees then we will learn to forgive those errors that are just a natural part of the game. THEN we can save our excitement and fury for the decisions which truly defy all belief.

By: RB

RB — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:42:01 +0000

You asked how many of the managers are charged, well let’s not forget that the referee, by FIFA Law, is not supposed to show cards to coaches, only a player or substitute or substituted player may be shown cards. Usually the referee will walk over and talk to the coach and gives him his first warning or sometimes a verbal caution with a warning that if he has to come over again he will be ejected. Their behavior quickly changes and the ref doesn’t see them again. The only solid evidence is the misconduct report the ref will write up about the caution or if it comes to it, the ejection that will clearly be seen by everyone, if the cameraman is on top of his game. Cards aren’t handed out by the book, they are handed out to communicate to the player how the referee wants them to behave. That is based on the temperment of the game, and is never consistent. Sometimes the referee will recognize that a players dissent is based on emotion not anger and he won’t issue a caution, just talk to him. Taking a referee class on the Laws of the Game, and actually refereeing themselves, might help all sports writers and announcers get a better understanding of the game they are reporting on. They might then understand how difficult the job really is and why the calls vary. It’s not always by the letter of the Law but by the Spirit of the Game.

By: Ces

Ces — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:13:47 +0000

I’m all for adding a fifth official who is stationed at a monitor and can watch instant replays. I don’t think refs should be replaced, but certainly using all the tools that are available would make the referee’s job easier and the game more just overall. It seems odd that it hasn’t already been done.

As for Boothroyd, I’m surprised the FA had the balls to say word one to him after the embarassment of that phantom goal being awarded.

By: Henrik Hegedus

Henrik Hegedus — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:46:55 +0000

By allowing only Captains to talk to the ref, most of the ‘chasing scenes’ could be spared.

I am also for the introduction of a certain level of technical assistance and I believe the idea of professional referees is not too wild either.

By: :)

:) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:03:36 +0000

I thought ronaldo’s yellow was because of that outrageous dive?

By: GT

GT — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:01:58 +0000

The time has come to replace refs with technology. There will be less chance of errors, no disrespect because there will be no one to shout at, and although there will be a lot of jobless people, it would be for the good of the game.