''Hope You Die of Cancer by Marvin Close

Author:Marvin Close
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2022-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Referees

WHO’D BE one? They get dog’s own abuse inside and outside the ground, and I know that in the Premier League match officials aren’t even allowed to be on social media anymore because of the torrent of aggressive filth and vitriol they used to regularly receive. I’ve seen referees physically attacked by players, managers and fans alike – now and again all at the same time – and harassed and spat at while getting into their cars. I know some that have received death threats and been told their houses would be burned down because of decisions they’d made in a match. All of this is patently, utterly unacceptable. And, of course, everyone involved in football should remember one simple fact – no referee, no match. But …

I believe that the general standard of refereeing in this country is poor and it’s getting worse from the top down. In 2018, and for the first time in years, no British referees were selected for the World Cup matches in Russia. This is no coincidence. They only choose the best of the best. And if our best aren’t good enough to officiate at the top level it surely says something about the standard of referees we currently have down through our divisions into non-league. I can’t claim to know why exactly this is the case, but, like any footballer, I have my thoughts.

One of my first chastening experiences of referees as a young professional ended up with me being shown the only red card of my entire career. A team-mate was bearing down on goal, when one of the opposition centre-backs came flying in with a sliding tackle that was all man, no ball. It clearly bloody hurt and, incensed, my midfield mate flew at the defender. Fists were flying and I tried to play peacemaker, wedging myself between the players, pushing them apart. The ref came steaming over, brandishing a red card. Never mind, I thought, I did my best to break up the scrap. But then I realised he wasn’t waving the card at either of the other two players. It was me he was sending off. I was aghast.

‘No, you’ve got this all wrong,’ I told him. ‘I was trying to pull them apart. I was the peacemaker.’

The ref pointed towards the dressing rooms: ‘Shut it sonny. And watch the dissent, or I’ll card you again.’

I remember trotting off towards the touchline, feeling a huge sense of injustice but also thinking how bloody stupid that referee must have been, not to have had a clear and accurate view of what happened. How can he possibly have got it so wrong? I think that incident made me realise early on just how poor some of the refereeing is in the lower leagues. But it’s getting worse. As a player, I’ve been acutely aware that the standards of refereeing in the National leagues has steadily fallen. It’s something that has to change.

There’s a hoary old cliché that bad refereeing decisions even themselves out over a season.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.