I feel sorry for refs. We can criticise them as well want but they're under a lot of pressure to make quick decisions which comes with a lot of responsibility. They get pressure from both sets of fans, and 20 odd players on the pitch. It's a thankless task.
They will make mistakes, they will be conned, influenced etc etc. What needs to be done:
a) Only captains and others involved in the incident should be allowed to approach the referee.
b) Introduce a tv referee who analyses the game from the stands.
Not even those involved in the incident should be allowed to approach the referee unless invited to do so. But the extra respect for referees needs to be paid for with competence. Making the wrong decision because you act on imperfect data is a "mistake", but seeing the actual incident and then incorrectly applying the rules should be a sackable level of incompetence.

