RamsTrust column: Who would be a referee?

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Referees, who would be one?
They are the men (and women) we all love to hate. To be one is to have either a very

Those who take on the role are, of course, in a no-win situation. They are harassed from beginning to end by fans of both teams, a natural occurrence and one they should be able to cope with easily, but also by those prima donnas who call themselves players. All too often the poor fellow with the whistle is chased from pillar to post by players who should know better

Is it any wonder that mistakes occur?

From one viewpoint the game has outstripped the officials who control it, especially at the Premiership level. There seems to be a need for full-time trained officials at all levels of the game. Younger officials who are fully schooled in all aspects of the game should raise the standards to match those of the players.

Maybe.

What would help is an improvement in the level of acceptance by players for the referee’s decisions during the game. One way to stop this harassment from players is to give a red card to any player showing an imaginary card inviting the referee to send off an opponent. The clubs from chairmen down to managers would jump on any player acting up after that.

That being said, there must be some way in which a manager’s comments, in the heat of the moment, can be balanced by what has gone on during the game.
Managers are called to account for the least comment about a referee, while referees are dealt with in private, if at all.

Making referees a protected species does nothing to help their cause, when players and managers are publicly hauled over the coals for a random comment.

A referee’s decision can have a deciding effect on a game and therefore on a whole season. There needs to be a public forum in which managers and referees can confront the decisions in a game without the public flogging of the manager and what can sometimes appear to be a cover up for the referee. The whole process should be open for all to see.

The game needs referees. They need the support of managers and players. The whole game needs a forum where controversy can be dealt with (not just the TV studio with so-called experts giving their thoughts). Perhaps there should be a referees’ manager who could act as the public face of all referees. This could open things out and put the referees’ side of things without an individual having to face the music.


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