Football Needs a Shake Up

With the poor officiating witnessed in so many matches at all levels, the devastating impact that bad (or no) decisions can have on a player/club and the discontent/anger they bring to disillusioned fans, it's time football moved into the present age and took a leaf out of the books of tennis, cricket and rugby.

Here are what surely must be regarded by all football fans as essential changes to the game:
1. The referee should be able to call for video evidence if he is unsure about a decision
2. Both captains should have the right to call for video evidence if they feel a serious injustice has been done. Each captain to have a maximum of 3 calls in a game (including extra time in cup matches)

Similar rules have been shown to be very successful in those sports in which they have been introduced. Once everyone has seen the video evidence, or know that video evidence has been reviewed with no bias, resentment of bad decisions becomes a thing of the past

 

1. It's a difficult one in football because there are few natural stopages unlike the three sports you mention Ron. Tennis has a gap between each serve, Rugby stops every couple of minutes anyway and Cricket is the same as Tennis gap wise. With football it can be several minutes before a break occurs. Unless of course you just mean goals or sendings off. A player can't just stop a game if he thinks there has been a foul or handball for example to question it. I just don't think it would work.

I do think there needs to be some sort of action though and that is mainly in the standard of Referee they employ. The Carlisle Manager Keith Curle was scathing on Tuesday night having lost a player in the previous game after 34 seconds only for it to be overturned and then losing his keeper in that one to what he describes as a diabolical decision. He refused to go into the Ref's room to discuss anything saying it would be a complete waste of time as it would change nothing and was too late. He also expected to get done by the FA for this. Yet the Ref who sent his 34 second player off was rewarded with a Championship game for his next one despite changing Carlisle's game and chances and costing them points. Bad Ref nothing happens. Manager points it out and gets fined. I hear it so many times now how bad officials are.

My computer seems to have a mind of it's own at the moment and I can't type without the words jumping up and down and alter the first para layout. Anyway, you get my drift from what I've said so far.

 

I think, with the sort of rules I mentioned, that it would be a good way of monitoring referee decisions (and non decisions) and therefore improve the standard. What's monitored improves. Too many overturned decisions and ref gets a yellow/red card, Decisions that get over ruled after the game are too late to affect the result; they need sorting on the spot. It would have to be the captain make the call and he should be responsible enough to only make legitimate calls. Too many calls that aren't legitimate could result in a yellow/red card. In reality I would suspect that only match changing decisions would be called. I don't believe the prospect of calls would have any affect on the stoppage time as the time it would take to get the official decision would, more often than not, take less time than the arguing that would otherwise ensue. Sometimes it takes an age to restart the game after a heated disputed decision

Any argument against these rules can be easily countered. For the sake of the game these rules must come in, sooner rather than later.

 

I do agree with you that it is essential that something changes in football. Bad decisions can cost clubs an awful lot of money these days and by doing so would damage some beyond repair. I'm sort of torn by what can be done and what would work without it disrupting games beyond recognition. Some teams would no doubt use opportunities to stop play as a way to disrupt as well if it were allowed. It's hard to prove a player isn't injured who is laying on the floor clutching some part of his anatomy so how you would prove a Captain wasn't making a complaint for nefarious reasons I don't know.

I suspect if somebody with a brain cell in the FA, if that sort of person exists, were to put their mind to it perhaps they could come up with something that would improve matters. God knows it's needed. My best guess though is nothing will be done and they will just carry on with bad decisions that clubs get punished for with no comeback and if they complain will continue to be punished again. Referees will continue to be blameless and linos will see nothing whatsoever for 90 odd minutes every Saturday. I believe temporary blindness is a real medical condition but I just never realised how many people suffer from it at weekends.

 

Another issue i would bring in ron is that decisions in tennis (as the best example) are very cut and dry - in or out etc. With football its not always clear - think how many times a decision can be replayed on sky and the pundits disagree, we disagree at home and referees may disagree with eachother. You will still get people arguing bias regardless I suspect. However (as a referee myself especially!) I agree that a shakeup is needed and that respect for officials is appauling, both from the crowd and from players

 

Maybe, if the playback isn't conclusive the ref's decision stands, or they have a bounce ball (or whatever it's called). Where the ref has made a contested decision,there could be 3 outcomes of the video play back. 1. Decision stands. 2 Decision reversed 3. Inconclusive, bounce ball. Where the ref calls for a decision/video evidence, he just takes the advice given.

The fact that some other sports have failed is not a reason to not use a much needed facility. Sometimes the best ideas are not implemented properly initially and instead of perfecting the facility they use the failures to resist change. A more positive approach is required to get it right.

 

I wouldn't want to be a ref these days.

 

I wouldn't want to be a Ref either but would say in response to the above that whilst it is quite right for Officials to expect respect from players, managers and the baying crowd it is also something that should cut both ways. The arrogance of some of the officials leaves a bit to be desired. Keith Curle would not go into the Ref's room to discuss. Reason given is that it is a total waste of time because they never listen anyway. Why invite anyone in then? Also the inconsistency shown by officials is glaring. That's in the same match let alone week to week. Whilst we all moan about officials, in the end if they have at least been consistent we get on with it fairly quickly and accept it even if reluctantly. But they blow for a foul one minute and then leave exactly the same sort of foul the next. Some Officials do seem to be swayed by crowds as well and are biased in the end even if they didn't set out to be. A prime example of poor officiating was the Ref at Argyle v Wycombe and this isn't an attempt to rake up old news. He was the worst Official I've seen in years. He allowed your players to do more or less as they pleased to slow the game and disrupt it. Some Argyle supporters blamed your players and branded them as cheats but in reality it was all down to him. They did what he allowed and he was the only one who could have changed it. His punishment was non existing but your club and mine got fined. Do I expect the FA to do anything to change any of this?? Nah not a chance. All they are concerned with is that the cash register keeps going ching..