Referees need our help, not our hate
Referees are easy targets in the world of football – their decisions decide matches, title races and the financial health of clubs (to the tune of 30m, according to Neil Warnock).
Their jobs are unbelievably difficult – whereas Steven Gerrard and Cesc Fabregas can get away with a couple of mistakes during a game if they get in a good assist or score a goal, the Dowds and Wileys of this world don’t get that chance.
If Phil Dowd was to give a couple of yellow cards where warnings would have been sufficient, will the correct penalty decision gain him plaudits? In other words, does a good refereeing performance (which amounts to minimizing errors) get the same rave reviews as brace scored by Didier Drogba (who can miss 10 chances before putting 2 away and come away with the man of the match award)?
The criteria for judging referees is different – we look at their mistakes, we concentrate on them. These get magnified and blown out of proportion, and the media, ever the propaganda machine, feeds on these errors and conducts media trials.
Since the 2006 World Cup I’ve been saying this – the referees need more help from the footballing authorities. Their job is an impossible one – to minimize mistakes, and as such they need every little bit of help they can get.
That means technological assistance, more manpower, protection from abuse from players and managers, flexible rules that allow referees to play the situation instead of the rulebook, and most of all, respect.
They say that respect has to be earned, but I believe that in the English Premier League, the FA can start by showing respect to its referees and asking them what sort of help they need.
We don’t need yesmen in the FA or the Referees’ Association telling the public that the state of the game is top notch – it’s not.
The case of Graham Poll is a useful reminder in what has gone wrong in football.
Let me say this first – I don’t like Poll’s refereeing style. He plays it too much by the book whereas I would personally prefer to see some challenges go unpunished as long as the game’s flow was maintained. In my view he also gets decisions wrong (although according to some reports [link to rightresult post] he’s not as bad as we think).
In fact, Poll’s refereeing has pissed me off more than once. Enough to make me want to hurt him.
However, we have to stop and ask ourselves these questions:
1) Should a genuine mistake like the 3-card trick in Germany (you can see a video of Poll’s comments on that incident on BBC) lead to a public media trial and force FIFA into sending him back home, when he’s still one of the better referees in the tournament?
2) Should the FA stand by and do nothing while a referee is hounded by the press, players and fans for sending off a player (Terry, Chelsea vs Tottenham)? If the FA is convinced that Poll did nothing wrong (and that he did not say anything that amounted to ‘teaching them a lesson’), then why not talk to the media and the clubs and try to defuse the situation? The FA let it rot, and as a result the McFadden incident happened 5 days later, which brings me to the next question:
3) When will players start getting bookings for pushing, grabbing and verbally abusing the referee? How is it that the practice of swearing at the referee and blaming him for all the team’s problems has become part of our footballing culture?
4) Why is it that the FA acts only when the reputation of the footballing authorities is threatened and not when the reputation of the referee is under attack? Refs by default are expected to fuck up, everyone seems to be waiting for it, to pounce on the ref, to call him a wanker and to humiliate him.
I don’t live in England. I don’t go to matches every weekend and get caught up in the glorious atmosphere that the lucky few experience.
But thankfully, I’m also not part of a culture that belts out ‘the ref is a wanker’ and heaps abuse on opposing fans and players.
I’m not willing to accept that as part of football.
And before you tell me that the refs are paid enough to withstand that sort of abuse, let me clear out one thing – when you’re desperate for money, you think you’ll do anything for it. But once you have it, honestly, a lot of things aren’t worth it.
Graham Poll is not a perfect referee – but it’s his decisions we must target, not the man himself. As a referee, he needed the respect of the players and managers around him. Every referee needs it; they deserve it.
We see managers criticising referees before, during and after every game. We see players swearing at referees during games and complaining about them after games.
This has to stop – the referees are part of the game, not a problem or threat to it.
However, when reasonably intelligent people like Paul Wilson of the Guardian (I’d call him a cunt, but I’m sure he’s not that bad) do such character assasinations, you wonder if football authorities will ever see reason, will ever be strong enough to resist media and club influence and do the right thing.
I doubt it.
Topics: Help Football
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What I don’t understand, as an Australian, is why the three yellow cards incident has been such a problem for Poll. He’s basically come out and said that that was the prime reason for his retiring (aside from the fact that he’s no longer a young man). But Australians, quite frankly, couldn’t give a shit about the incident. We got through to the next round. We’re much more annoyed about the idiot that awarded Grosso a penalty. So who are these people making life hard for Poll? It’s not us – most people I know think Poll is a good ref. Prior to his retiring I was of the opinion that he was the best ref going around. Are English people really so petty as to be furious at the fact that Poll ‘misrepresented’ them? I’ve got news for you folks, the word impartial means he ain’t representing anything other than himself.
June 6th, 2007 @ 14:04To be honest i disagree with this article.
Genuine question Ahmed, are you English?
Its not that it has anything to do with it, but in a way it kinda has.
Point number 1) i think Hell Yes he should have been sent home from the world cup, i dont understand how you think pulling a 3 card trick is acceptable on a world stage! Accept the facts there, this guy has been making mistakes for longer than i remember and is genuinely a wanker. Look at pompey/arsenal, fuck me group of players surround him, oh il change my mind, daft twat. But i dont think you have a point there.
You also say when will players get booked for verbally abusing a referee, but want ‘some’ challenges to go unpunished. Mate have u played football, u cant help but swear at the referee, especially when the incorrect decision is given. they made the call and sometimes its the wrong one.
You want the FA to back him, Why should they? he has made the wrong decisions not them, i understand technology wise yes they should, but why should they back him up when he is a ‘professional’ referee, and has completely messed up and cost teams games.
John Terry isnt the kind of player to make up that stuff, and im pretty sure he got told shut your mouth and get away with a fine. That was the FA’s backing of Poll.
I dont think we should help referees. Its their job, technology should be introduced to help them. Not us.
And as for the chants of the referee’s a wanker, derby games do you want me to chant i love spurs,instead of my normal chant? it will never change and its part of our culture, and to be fair i love it!!
So deal with it.
P.s the reason i asked if you were english was simple. IF you were born and bred here, went to games, you would understand it. and if you didnt then i would have to say something was wrong with you.
June 6th, 2007 @ 15:22Richard
Although you obviously play the game but may I suggest you try and referee a game yourself.
The problem we have is so many players think they are “expert referees” but have never completed 90 minutes with a whistle at a decent level.
Yes, referees make mistake. Yes, these mistakes shape a match. Yes, players will curse the referee if he makes a mistake. The big problem is that there is too much abuse, swearing and shouting at referees even when they make the RIGHT decision.
Managers, players, pundits and “fans” are quick to criticise referee’s performance. Why? They have never refereed a Premiership game – what gives them the knowledge to pass judgment on the referee’s performance. You don’t here Graham Poll on the camera stating that he didn’t think Tierry Henry had a good game, or Rooney was poor, he’s not qualified to judge their performance. The problem lies in the fact that referees never get the exposure to explain match incidents after the game, so only one side of the story is heard.
As a referee myself I am not a big fan of Poll, but I sympathised with him during the World Cup. To make a mistake like that on such a huge stage is a shame. He was punished by being sent home from the World Cup and he has to live with that for the rest of his life.
There is no question it was an innocent mistake. Something that players and managers constantly do from game to game. You don’t hear of Drogba being dropped to the reserves because he missed an open goal, or Sir Alex having to manage the Man U under 18′s because he made a bad team selection. Yet people constantly want to see referees dropped to the Championship for even the most minor mistake.
Its time for the FA, the Referees and the clubs to sit down and have a long chat together. We loose 80% of new referees within 3 years of qualifying, mainly due to the abuse they get. There is already a huge shortage of referee in the UK and its getting worse.
No Referees, No Football – FACT
June 6th, 2007 @ 18:41Obviously Richard comes from the part of England where they don’t have televisions…
I think Ahmed’s point was that the FA claimed to back him but took no action to back their claim up. The FA need to either stand by the referee our quietly remove him, there cannot ever be any middle ground.
June 6th, 2007 @ 19:54Ahmed, I don’t agree with you at all! Referees deserve what they get! They’ve been given too much power to control the fate of a football matches. They are like gods. What the say goes, whether it’s wrong or not. So is they have such absolute power teh football fraternity ahs teh right to demand they make no errors!
If they have a serious problem with it they should push the football authorities to introduce technology that can help them. If players can get vilified for mistakes on the pitch that cost their teams matches, or for misconduct, a referee should be no different. It’s that simple for me. When a Referee does what Poll did at the world cup he deserves he flak he gets. Worse still when he acts arrogantly like he did vs Cheslea. He deserves to be villified all the more.
Bottom line, a referees earns respect by the consistency in his decisions, the willingness to make the tough decisions when they arise, single mindedness in executing decisions and, and a willingness to communicate with players and managers during a game to make them understand what he is doing. I don’t think a referee should complain about not being defended by th FA. When by and large on a football pitch they are the law of the land. So they should be able to live with the responsibilty that comes decisions they make. Good or bad
June 7th, 2007 @ 11:53My point here is, you can say its hard to referee, but its THEIR job. and they should be doing it correctly and consistently.
How come not many complaints came out when collina was a referee?? Oh yeah because he was a good one.
You cant be wrong and strong and thats the reason the FA dont back him.
June 7th, 2007 @ 12:20Keith, get real. Referee are not robots. They get one chance to see the incedent, from one angle and they give the decisions in a millisecond. They will make mistakes, not even Collina was perfect. Technology is not going to help, it will hinder the referees and slow the game down.
You will NEVER get a referee that make no errors. Players make errors, managers make errors and so do referee’s. Live with it, thats football.
As I said to Richard, until anyone referees a game at a decent level they will never understand how challenging, difficult and rewarding it is. As a result players, managers and (especially) supporters will always feel they can pass judgement on something they know nothing about.
No Referees, No Football – FACT
June 8th, 2007 @ 02:28Get you real Neil. I’m not claiming referee’s are robots. I live with their mistakes all the time often to my chagrin. Because over the last 2 seasons their poor standards have tarnished our game and tarnished the position of a referee in football.
Referee’s seem to want special protection from the mistakes they make. When their mistakes are costly. Worse still the ref’s never come out to tell the world why they made a decision either. As if they shouldn’t explain themselves since “they make no mistakes”. That’s is why they get so much venom.
Football has become too fast paced for a referee with no technological help to succeed in running match without making many needless and silly errors. Yet they never want to go out of their way to get the authorities to introduce technology to help their decision they’d be no real problems. You don’t seem to realise football has become to big a business to have a referee who is prone to mistakes. Even on the smallest and most basic decisions like offsides. But the ref’s and FIFA are doing nothing in terms of technological advances to improve the standards of refereeing. My impression is they don’t really care!
Because let’s be honest, what does a 4th official do? Why can’t he be sited infront of a tv screen, watching the game, connected to the center referee with a radio, to help him out with the decisions. So that he step in when the referee looks like he will blunder so that the referee can always have the best chance to make a right decision?
Furthermore why aren’t referee’s given press conferences like Managers and player? Like around 15 minutes after a game. Enough time for a Referee to view highlights of the game and try to explain why he made the decision he made, in order for the public to understand the referees point of view better?
While you defend referees you should remember people get frustrated and direct venom at them because you can’t argue with a referee or question his decision and succeed. His word is law. And it’s horrible when after a game he doesn’t even make an effort to explain why he did what he did, if it cost you the game. Especially if it’s the type of referee who doesn’t really talk to layers and managers during a game.
June 8th, 2007 @ 14:23And for information, I have ever officiated a match. I know what it means to get vilified about your decisions. And it doesn’t help if your are not approachable like a Poll or Uriah Renny. Fact is. Ref’s should be at the fore front of adding technology to the game and referee press conferences after matches. Because it would make their job so much easier. By reducing mistakes, and getting their point of view across to the football fraternity. Of course there is no football without a ref. The same way there’s is no point to football with a ref prone to basic mistakes. And referees and there lines men of late have been prone to awful mistakes. Especially lines men.
June 8th, 2007 @ 14:34Referees are not allowed to comment after the game. That is the directive of the FA, not the referee. Most referees would like to comment after a game, but they are not allowed!
As for the 4th official, that would make great viewing – Wenger and Fergie coming to blows on the touchline, where’s the 4th official?… He’s watching his little tele in case the referee makes a slight error! – I think you’ll find the 4th official already has enough to do. So do we now need a 5th official? – with the massive shortage of officials that not going to work either.
Technology such as goaline sensors will come in. Most referees accept it as inevitable. Ball crossing the line is fact, not the referees’ opinion.
As for the technology to help the referee in match incidents, look at how it would spoil the game!
Example
Drogba rushes into the box and is challenged by Ferdinand. The two players make contact and Drogba goes down. The referee thinks he knows what he saw, but the game has to be stopped for the video replay. The replay show it to be a foul on Drogba, referee gives a penalty, no arguments. Wonderful! It works!
But what if it shows it wasn’t a foul on Drogba? If there was no foul the game should never have been stopped. How do you restart play? A drop goal in the penalty area (that’ll be fun), a free kick to the defending team (that’s fair on the attacking team as they have not fouled anyone!)
Before thinking that technology will solve the problem, think about the consequences it’ll bring to the game.
Referees have always made mistakes, but believe it or not they are making less mistakes now then 10 years ago because due to extensive training and fitness, but the mistakes are being picked up more and more as there are now 22 cameras around the pitch watching every second of the game.
June 8th, 2007 @ 15:13Richard’s comments (the offensive bits) have been removed and his IP’s temporarily banned – dude, get a fracking grip, will you?
My point is that we have to look at ‘why’ refs make mistakes and then see if there is anything the FA can do to help them make better decisions.
I think they can, and I also think that criticising someone for doing a bad job because he’s already in a difficult position is unfair.
That, and the fact that we judge referees by their mistakes, not by their good decisions. If we started judging players like that as well, imagine how that would be like.
Referees need fair treatment as well as help from the FA. That’s all I’m saying.
And no Richard, I don’t accept your argument that calling the ref a wanker is something positive and I wouldn’t be proud to call it part of my footballing culture.
June 8th, 2007 @ 20:02Hear Hear Ahmed
June 8th, 2007 @ 20:57