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State of the Game - Ref rage
Join the State of the Game debate on the abuse suffered by referees and the damage it is doing.
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Join the State of the Game debate on the abuse suffered by referees and the damage it is doing.
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Comments
Mark Huitson says...
Any dissent - 10 yards up the field. Not retiring 10 yards - move the spot 10 yards up the field. It works well in rugby. The players will soon learn to control their colleagues and those unable to reform will soon be considered a liability. Messrs Beckford and Kandol got their just desserts at Gillingham. The game also needs to cut out the play acting. You don't get it in other sports so why football? Leave the diving for the swimming pool. TV pundits need to consider the impact they have. Questioning decisions from all angles also undermines the referees. Rather than harp on about a mistake a more understanding stance might be taken - especially as very few, if any, of the them have refereed the professional game. Support the officials or you will end up without any at grassroots level. The result will be disgruntled unqualified players missing their game to blow the whistle or run the line. More mistakes and more dissent. It's a viscious downwards spiral.
Posted 14:35 21st April 2008
Graham Elliott says...
HOW TO STOP DISSENT AT A STROKE! The experiment of moving a free kick on 10 yards was a failure because it was mandatory for the ref to book the player concerned.... and they probably couldn't be bothered!!! Take the mandatory booking away and it would be much more effective. Open your mouth and the free kick moves forward 10 yards as in Rugby. The players would soon get the message!
Posted 14:13 21st April 2008
Simon . says...
I am currently referee officiating at non, semi and professional level and will be managing an u10 team next season for the 1st time. I will be asking every parent to sign an individual letter stating that they will not abuse any offical, opposition players or supporters, (if they do not then their child will not play for the club). If they do break the agreement and do not ahere to this then they will not be welcolme anymore and worst of all their child will not play for the team any longer. (you try telling your child why they cannot play for their team anymore). On top of this if any player commits this offence the same pricnipals will apply. (although not sure about 2/3 strike and out for the child, any thoughts? I have got to start somewhere as i want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone including the referee and especially getting the young players used to showing this respect before they get to adult football.
Posted 14:13 21st April 2008
Paul Williams (Leeds United fan) says...
I have to agree with some of the comments recommending taking a leaf out of rugby referee's rule book. I see guys weighing 20 stone, 6ft+ looking like little school boys when warned by the ref about chatting back and let's face it rugby is a much more physical game than football. I would like to see football captains and managers only speaking to refs and perhaps a 10 minute sin bin or players on report for contravening the rule. Today's footballers have been put up on pedestals and are petulant and abusive when things dont go quite their way, sometimes reminding me of 5 yr olds who have had their bag of sweets taken off them. Of course referees have to improve their performance as well but as with just about anything if the numbers available are dwindling the quality of those prepared to pick up a whistle will also be reduced.
Posted 13:48 21st April 2008
Paul Chandler says...
I am a referee of a few years experience and I treat adult games differently than youth football (I referee boys as well as girls) and referee 12 games a month (on average) and have done 6 in a single week-end. For youth football, I explain to all the players what I expect of them and how I will referee the game. I also praise the good aspects of the game as it goes on. I normally only get complaints from parents when I do not give a foul, but normally nothing from players as they accept what I have said before the game. For adult football - the same does not apply. I refereed on team twice this season - the first time their coach was playing and I was the worst he had ever come across. The second time - he did not play and he was pleased to meet a referee who allowed both teams to tackle and have a bit of physicallity without keep blowing his whistle. My style did not change, but the match circumstances were different. It is a passionate game, but everyone is there to play because they want to. For youth football - it would be easier to ban parents - or at least have them step away from the touchline and prevent them from being so close. For adult football, the players complain throughout the game because there will always be 11 people on the field who think you gave a wrong decision, but as long as hands are shaken at the end, that is the end of the matter. The solution is to instill honesty into players and officials. I have watched games where things are heated, but as long as the referee stands firm, players realise that decisions will not be altered by arguing. If a referee makes a mistake and admits it - but stands by his decision - it is accepted if it is explained. Each referee is different and will act in a situation to match the circumstances - so they will always be inconsistent. They are human (honestly) and can only give what they see. Arguing about a decision will not change it.
Posted 13:22 21st April 2008
Chris Kershaw says...
My 11yo son was sent off for raising his hands and going forehead to forehead with a player who had just made a bad challenge. I dont mind this it is the rules and he was wrong. He has just recieved a 42 day ban and a £38 fine. Where does an 11yo find £38!!! I took him to watch Huddersfield Town V Leeds United last week and a Leeds player did the same and was only booked my son was not happy at this. More needs to be done at the top level kids copy the top players
Posted 13:11 21st April 2008
Robert Horton says...
I totally agree that reff's should get respect. However respect is a two way street. My son plays for a youth football team in the local area. Whilst playing on sundy this week he was sworn at abused by the opposing team. We know that the reff heard the abuse because he told the players concerned numorous times that that kind of languege is not acceptable. At the final whistle the ref was approached and was asked to explain his reason for not doing anythink about the abuse. We have now been informed that because we questioned the reff we are to be reported to the league for abusing the ref. What king or message dose that send to our players!!!!!!
Posted 13:09 21st April 2008
Nick Lake says...
I think we need 4 linesmen, 2 on each side and 2 in each half. in terms of calling offside then a player is off only if both flags are raised. i think the rugby rule would be great for football, captains only talk to ref and the ref has the power to move a further 10 yards for descent and maybe even, as they do in rugby, the ball is only out if it touches the ground out of play (or in goal) this will make it easier to call goals or not
Posted 13:04 21st April 2008
Frankie Murton says...
I'm 13 years old and play Sunday league football. I have seen many referees abused by parents of the other team. I think that this is a serious problem as this could mean many referees giving up and also putting them under pressure. In one of my matches I was playing only to hear one of the parents and also one of the players on the other team scream and swear at the referee because of a decision he made when a player was tripped up.
Posted 12:38 21st April 2008
Pete Griffiths (Wrexham fan) says...
I was out watching a local game the other evening, when I heard a terrible verbal assault on an ageing referee by the team's player-manager. True the referee's performance was a little dodgy but the language I heard was truly shocking. I think it's a sign of weakness from such people when they resort to such awful language. They should get rid of them all on a boat to Ibiza or somewhere similar!
Posted 12:32 21st April 2008
Alex Adams says...
Why can't we take a direct example from rugby union, where by the referee is called sir, swearing is not tolerated and any dissent after a decision is given results in the free kick moving up 10 yards. This is how the referees at my school managed a football game. Having played rugby myself I appreciate that there are more vents for aggression in the game but I have also played football and you just have to grit your teeth and accept what happens! From Alex in Eastbourne
Posted 11:42 21st April 2008
Michael Chan says...
I am not a referee, but I am a fan of the NFL and rugby as well, I do not see why we can't combine two of their rules and apply them to football.. Only captains allowed to talk to referees and for managers, 2 "challenges" per game. I think whilst this may be stop start at certain areas of the game, I do not think it will have a massive impact in terms of timing. For example, 4 challenges per game may take 12 mins which would be added on in any case..
Posted 09:24 21st April 2008
Jim Gardiner says...
I am a retired Referee who also played the game before Refereeing. When I am watching football these days the main problem I can see between players and Referee is over familiarity. When you look at the incident between Mike Riley and Ashley Cole. Cole calls Riley "Mike" and not Ref and when Cole has his back to the Ref you can clearly see Mr Riley shouting "Ashley, Ashley Turn and Face me" In my days I would have been Mr Cole and Refereee the only names used. Mr Riley also let football down by not showing Cole a Red car. It should have been a straight red for the tackle, however a yellow for the tackle and then a second yellow for the gross dissent would have been the minimum in this case. Get back to the Ref being called "Ref" and the players by their Surname and it will be a start to some form of respect being present. Although in some cases Referees from Kent who sent off the Liverpool player for asking a question, go to far the other way and Referee the game in a very Hoighty Toighty manner running about with his nose in the air and talking down to players. There are 23 contributants on the field of play and all must show respect to each other or the game is in trouble.
Posted 21:44 20th April 2008
Alex Crosby says...
While agree abuse has to be cut down to a minimum, and while I think that the FA should consider only allowing captains to talk to the ref, I think it's important to remember that football is in itself a frustrating game, and if a player gets booked and walks off a mutters something, or if a player gets a decision against him and shouts something, then the referee must tolerate it. If the player gets in the referees face and there is obvious abuse then, yes, he should be punished, but the odd shout at the referee just because he's not the captain, or the odd "what was that about?" to the ref should be allowed.
Posted 19:28 20th April 2008
Gerard Murphy says...
I played local soccer for over 35 years. When I started the tough men of the game would go in hard on tackles, but they also took it when you went in hard. There was no I'll sort you out after the game. But on Saturday night in Town you would not pick on them for a fight. They understood on a pitch if you go in hard expect others to do the same and carry on. There were thugs but few & far between. Today there are bullies and thugs as long as they have a few hard guys in there team to back them, they think that they are proffessional boxers. The sport should have stopped it long time ago, it's the same thugs & bullies who's names keep croping up, week after week season after season. To support the referees and other players why dont the F.A. send a signal by 2 strikes and your out for good. A game I played inn, a bully on my own team swung a punch at his opposite number and before he landed it the other guy let go a right hook and my team mate was on the floor. After the game I walked up with the guy who landed the punch and he said ' I'm giving up this game it's to stress full I,m going back to boxing'. I took my hat off to him. They need to get the thugs out of the game train the youngsters not to answer back at the ref. Put some respect back into the beautiful game.
Posted 18:56 20th April 2008
Joe Giannandrea says...
While I fully agree that refs get loads of abuse, it would be naiive of us to fail to point out that many of the referees in Britain, and no doubt all over Europe, are over-protected when they make howlers. The truth is that there is too much inconsistency in their decisions and they seem to be beyond accountability. People expect the players to be 110% accountable for their actions yet the referees aren't. On the streets, if a cop was to victimize certain individuals they would have hell to play with. On the soccer field bad refs can have an affect on the income of inoccent players. Why are they not accountable for their acctions when they screw up? This is what infuriates players and clubs and is one reason refs get so much abuse. Get the cotton wool off these guys and make them accountable for their disgraceful and biased decisions which cost teams points, causing losses of leagues and cups and players their livlihood. These refs are not so inoccent.
Posted 16:22 20th April 2008
Peter Ellis (Liverpool fan) says...
I have now cut down on the number of games I do because of the abuse, it is not being addressed by anyone. People in charge are still wondering why so many referees leave. Lack of support or help by FA's has got us into this state of play. The either address it quicker or risk a very chronic shortage of qualified referees.
Posted 18:01 19th April 2008
Alex Hall (Arsenal fan) says...
I believe that if a player gives a referees any verbal or physical abuse then that player should be sent off stright away. If a player abused me during a game this is what i would do i wouldnt care if you played for man united or Brentford reserves you would be off. Im hoping to start reffing kids games so i can instill this respect from an early age.
Posted 16:04 19th April 2008
Kieran Hill (Chelsea fan) says...
we have to remember one thing, a ref is only human! just like players are only human, so why is it if the ref misses something everyone goes off the wall and doubts the refs credentials? when if a player believes he has been fowled and he hasnt its also the refs fault for getting it right?? at the minute a ref cant do anything right in english football because he is always constanly faulted to what they do wrong rather then praised for what they do right. now im not saying that ive never shouted at a ref before or seen some terrible decisions, cause i would be lying. ive seen refs make some absoulutley horrible decisions but we still need to respect them cause like i said we are all just human, and the sooner people realise that the better the game will be.
Posted 14:01 19th April 2008
Noel Bergman (Liverpool fan) says...
Referees should be off-limits except to captains and managers, but they should also be more forthcoming with those. And if football is to learn from other sports, it should be less arrogant about video replay. Consider, if you will, tennis, where we have seen a considerable drop in tension between players and officials due to the introduction of technology to adjudicate line calls. Selective and limited use of video replay at points that naturally cause a stoppage of play. Referees don't change their minds because player arguments are not the kind of thing that would. But ask a Rob Styles if he'd have liked to have a second look at the penalty he gave Chelsea against Liverpool early in the season. With him having the option of video replay to take another look, he might have changed his mind.
Posted 13:31 19th April 2008
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