Referee!
Nick Armitage has a go at Premiership refs

2 March 2004

In today’s game there is so much at stake, it’s no longer just pride or points, it’s money and plenty of it.  The FA and Premiership, whilst getting extremely rich on the back of the interest in the game, seem oblivious to the effect that one man appointed by them, can have on a club.

Graham Poll, Mike Riley and Paul Durkin are generally considered to be amongst the top referees in the world.  I’ve seen utterly baffling decisions by all three of them.

In the next tier you have the likes of Uriah Rennie, Phil Dowd, Rob Styles and Steve Dunn.  Pick a good one here if you can.  How many times have one of these completely ruined a game of football?

Then several tiers below these you will find examples such as the myopic Matt Messias.  The ability to keep up with Premiership football is beyond this man.  Referees as poor as him should be consigned to junior league football.  Let them bewilder kids far away from anything important.  At least here they have a slight chance of improving.

A club can spend all week preparing for a game and ninety minutes following that game plan to the letter; all that hard work can be undone with one bad decision from one man.  What recourse does a club have to a poor refereeing decision?  If the manager subsequently complains to the referee no action can be taken.  If the manager then complains to the media he is fined.

No matter how much the referees deny it they appear to be biased towards the top teams.  Look at the penalties for and against Manchester United at Old Trafford.  Only an idiot would claim that this is due to United posing more of an attacking threat at home.

On the road these teams use every trick in the book with impunity to break the opposition’s rhythm.  Many examples spring to mind but one incident from the last home game against Manchester United stands out.  United were stretched and we had good possession through Hibbert who was carrying the ball forward at pace into space in the United half.  The next opponent for Hibbert was thirty yards up field but van Nistelrooy came from nowhere to run across the path of our marauding right back.  The result was a blatant body check on Hibbert with no attempt to play the ball.  Van Nistelrooy then raised his arms thereby denying responsibility.

The foul was pre-emptive and cynical and made solely to break up play.  It was the act of a sly and cowardly cheat, simple as that.  A free kick was conceded at such an angle and distance from goal it could never be a threat from a dead ball no matter how good the delivery.  By the time United had delayed the free kick they had eleven players back behind the ball and were waiting to counter attack.  Why wasn’t van Nistelrooy booked?

I haven’t yet mentioned the ease at which robust world-class forwards in the Premiership can get knocked over in the box.  Combine this with the willingness of referees to point to the spot.  Remember our long-faced Dutch ‘friend’ going down in front of the Park End last season?  Remember how quickly Mike Riley pointed to the spot? 

My two year-old nephew would be harder to knock over than Holland’s finest striker.  The same nephew can also differentiate between a push and a dive; quite miraculous when you consider that Mike Riley still hasn’t mastered this and he has over forty years more life experience behind him. 

In that final game last season I admit that United outplayed us, as they invariably do, but both of their goals were the results of incorrect decisions by Mike Riley.  We gave them a run for their money but lost 2-1 and as a result missed a place in the UEFA Cup.  How different things could have been…

Anyone can see that it is difficult for referees to be consistent in such a heated arena and refereeing is anything but easy.  It’s rare for the top teams to have a player booked for a trip or a slightly mistimed challenge.  But when I regularly see players from the ‘lesser’ teams booked for tackles with less intent in less threatening areas of the pitch, I really do wonder if these referees are as impartial as they claim.

Ask yourself how many times has Steven Gerrard got away with late, reckless two footed tackles?  When he moves to a real big club he’ll get away with even more.

How many blatant penalties have you seen not given for the ‘lesser’ teams?  When you watch a game on the television they are given at the drop of a hat for Arsenal, Man United and the other usual suspects.

Remember the Pires dive earlier this season?  I know football is only a game but in the context of the game, that incident was downright scandalous.

Bias, when identified must be eliminated.  Many Premiership managers have complained about it and I doubt that every occasion was solely down to sour grapes.  The FA should look long and hard at this issue, it has been swept under the carpet for years and as a consequence the game has suffered.

Bias is one issue with referees but mistakes are another issue entirely.  I think that anyone who has played football would admit that it is difficult to control twenty-two adrenalin-fuelled footballers, two fervent and often furious benches and two linesmen.  All too often the referees just get it so wrong.  Unfortunately for the cynics many of the problems with referees are really down to plain old honest mistakes.

Any profession worth it’s salt has codes and methods to enforce accountability amongst it’s members.  Referees are now professional but accountability within this particular profession is a double-edged sword.  Who regulates them?  How can they realistically be punished for decisions they claim to make in good faith?  If a decision was wrong how can club possibly be compensated?

On the flipside, what credibility do referees have when they and their peers make the same mistakes over and over again?

In the current climate the fate of a club may hinge on a split second decision by one man.  This one man could make a decision based upon an obscured view that could relegate a club or knock them out of a cup.  The financial implications for clubs can potentially be disastrous.

Uriah Rennie has recently gone on the record to say that it would be a good idea for technology to be introduced into areas of the game.  He also stated that this technology must be available at all levels right down to grass root.  How impractical is this?  Many Sunday League clubs can’t even afford nets and flags.

This farcical get out clause should not be allowed to detract from the fact that referees at the highest level, need real time support that can easily be provided.  A referee in the stands, with access to video evidence in important but contentious decisions can only benefit a colleague on the pitch.  I don’t see a downside.  The first, and potentially most welcome casualty of this change would be diving.  It could also help to prevent the intimidation of officials that the top clubs endlessly engage in.

Rugby Union has demonstrated that technology can be incorporated into a game without disrupting what appeals to the spectator i.e. a fast paced flowing game.  Any aid that can serve to validate a correct decision or over rule an incorrect refereeing decision must surely give the referees greater credibility and the respect that they are so lacking. 

Refereeing mistakes do spoil the game and have done for years, but they need not be accepted as part of the ebb and flow of football.  Now there is a very easy way to eliminate many of the most damaging ones.

Do FIFA and UEFA possess the will to change?  Judging by past history, it appears that the frustrating status quo will remain.

Nick Armitage

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