We have a few raging debates on here about referees, but surely we have never seen anything like the fiasco over the penalty-that-never-was in the egg ball game following Scotland's defeat.
Mistakes and refereeing go together like gin and tonic (?!). I have been known to vent my spleen about refs over the years. We've all seen last minute penalties "wrongly" awarded and for that matter poor calls on corners or free kicks that lead to heartbreaking goals. As fans we come away and curse the ref, and that's part of the game.
But if the FA were to start saying that the ref got it wrong would only inflame things. I know that they rescind red cards, and this is a bit odd but ultimately may be seen as righting an injustice against a player. But to come out and say the referee gave a wrong decision when the rules say he can't refer the decision is a disgrace. This isn't a bunch of sofa sitting pundits viewing things from all angles condemning the ref - it's his own ruling body. Coming hard on the heels of Jose being fined and banned by the FA for criticising referees the timing is immaculate!
When I ran youth teams, I always reminded them that without the ref they couldn't play. I wouldn't have been a referee for a gold clock, but I'm glad that young men and women who love the game choose to follow that path. It's hard to take, but refs give what they see. That what they see is influenced by the reaction of players and the crowd is taken as read. As I said to my missus this morning, we'll only get a penalty on Sunday if Clyne actually shoots Mane. We know that refs are swayed by home crowds and the histrionics of players. That's how it is. Referees do a tough job as honestly as they can. They make mistakes. To publicly pillory a referee is to make it less likely that good people will continue to choose this route to be engaged in sport.
Mistakes and refereeing go together like gin and tonic (?!). I have been known to vent my spleen about refs over the years. We've all seen last minute penalties "wrongly" awarded and for that matter poor calls on corners or free kicks that lead to heartbreaking goals. As fans we come away and curse the ref, and that's part of the game.
But if the FA were to start saying that the ref got it wrong would only inflame things. I know that they rescind red cards, and this is a bit odd but ultimately may be seen as righting an injustice against a player. But to come out and say the referee gave a wrong decision when the rules say he can't refer the decision is a disgrace. This isn't a bunch of sofa sitting pundits viewing things from all angles condemning the ref - it's his own ruling body. Coming hard on the heels of Jose being fined and banned by the FA for criticising referees the timing is immaculate!
When I ran youth teams, I always reminded them that without the ref they couldn't play. I wouldn't have been a referee for a gold clock, but I'm glad that young men and women who love the game choose to follow that path. It's hard to take, but refs give what they see. That what they see is influenced by the reaction of players and the crowd is taken as read. As I said to my missus this morning, we'll only get a penalty on Sunday if Clyne actually shoots Mane. We know that refs are swayed by home crowds and the histrionics of players. That's how it is. Referees do a tough job as honestly as they can. They make mistakes. To publicly pillory a referee is to make it less likely that good people will continue to choose this route to be engaged in sport.
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