The World Cup is over for another four years and already the post
mortem has started into some "strange" refereeing decisions.
The pundits and commentators were having a field day. The armchair
"experts" were putting forward their collective opinions on this
decision and that decision and coming up with
thecorrectinterpretation.
The man-in-the-street had all the answers and the expression "I told
you so" was, no doubt, heard on many a street corner around the world.
But what about the men who had to make those decisions?
What about the match officials whose job it was to get it right first time?
What was their side of the story?
In my opinion the refereeing standard was, to a large extent, quite good.
*.Sure there were things that the refs didn't see, but perhaps should have.
*.Sure there were incidents that the assistants could, and perhaps
should have seen but didn't.
*.And there were incidents when red and/or yellow cards should have
been issued but weren't.
There was a report in a German newspaper that suggested the match
officials, particularly the referees, were given instructions by Fifa
to downgrade, as it were, red cards to yellow and yellow cards to a
verbal warning. Fifa have denied this.
You could be forgiven for thinking that this was correct, particularly
in some of the games, when there appeared to be near anarchy on the
field.
It has to be said also that certain players spent more time on the
ground than on their feet. The amount of diving and cheating by some
left an awful lot to be desired and certainly did nothing to enhance
the "beautiful game".
In my opinion, all players are capable of indulging in shenanigans to
achieve their desired goal (excuse the pun) of getting that
all-important result for themselves and their country.
Of course it's not only in World Cup games that this sort of behaviour
is prevalent.
It's a common feature at local and international club level. The
desire to win is paramount and, if cheating and diving is required to
succeed, then the attitude appears to be, so be it.
The introduction of goal line technology (GLT) was only used a few
times and each time the ref got it right.
Then there is the "shaving foam", whereby the referee will indicate
where the ball is to be placed and where the defensive wall will line
up 9.15 metres from the ball. In my opinion this is also a good idea
so as to make sure that the law is complied with.
.
*.Isn't it a sad state of affairs that this "shaving foam" is required?
*.Isn't it indicative of the unprofessional behaviour of some players,
who will not retire the required 9.15 metres and stay there until the
free kick is taken?
*.Where is the FIFA FAIR PLAY rule in all of this, or does it actually exist?
I believe that more technology is required to help the referees
perform their duties. Television has advanced to such an extent that
every player and every match official has a camera on them. No matter
what they do it will be replayed in slow motion from several different
angles and sometimes amplified.
*.What chance has the referee got who doesn't have access to this
footage to help him make a decision?
*.Is it fair on the refs to be criticised in view of this?
*.Is it fair to the supporters that their team could be denied a goal
because of a human error?
The major criticism has been that such actions by the ref would slow
the game down. Isn't it a small price to pay in order for justice to
be seen to be done?
In my opinion it will have to come into being and the sooner the
better for all concerned. Referees have been assaulted, threatened and
even killed for decisions they've made and perceived to be wrong in
the eyes of some.
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