This week Brian argues that maybe its time we cut referees some slack.
In professional football the standard of refereeing is undoubtedly excellent, and no I'm not being sarcastic! Today's referees are fitter, smarter and much more accurate than the referees of years gone by. This enables the game to flow freely whilst giving the players the maximum freedom available within the limitations of the rules of the game.
At grass roots level however referees are few and far between. This very rarely prevents games from going ahead, but have you ever wondered why referees are in such short supply at the lower levels of football?
One reason for the short fall in referees is their inability to carry out two tasks at once. From personal experience I have discovered it is extremely difficult to act as a scapegoat for players and spectators alike, whilst trying to remember every rule of the game.
Nevertheless this doesn't just occur at the lower levels of the game. One example of this is my first trip to Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC. Myself, my younger brother and father made the trip to London as we all support the mighty blues.
I remember being amazed at the size of the stadium and being in shock as I met my hero, Chelsea player Gianfranco Zola. However my most prominent memory of the day wasn't meeting Zola. It was my father, who was a qualified referee at the time, jeering the referee, David Ellery, at the top of his voice.
My point is that the shortage in referees is inevitably a part of the game, as abusing the referee when he/she makes a mistake is all a part of the fun of watching the game. However this is far from fun for the referee.
If people are unhappy however arguing against the introduction of video referees, similar to those used in rugby, simply doesn't add up. It doesn't stop at physical violence however. In many parts of the world referees are being abused physically, with people prepared to throw coins and other missiles if a decision doesn't go their way.
From my own experience I know that referees hate nothing more than constant abuse and jeering, and so, if football fans are opposed to the introduction of video referees they must make a decision. Learn to respect referees or learn to live with video refs!
About the team
This story was produced and edited by Brian Smyth. It was published by Reach for the Sky website.
