By Davidde Corran
November 16th 2009 @ 5:31am
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The hypocrisy of referee criticism
Chelsea's Didier Drogba, second from right, remonstrates at referee Tom Ovrebo as they leave the pitch following their Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match against Barcelona at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Wednesday, May 6, 2009. AP Photo/Jon Super
He lay prone on the ground. All 189cms of him was still, except for what looked like spasms as his legs lashed out in pain and alone, except for the suspicious looks from the 40,000 people who surrounded him.
“We’ve seen this before” they all thought. “He better get up before he gets substituted off like in the Champions League semi-final last year,” they muttered. Yet a vicious studs-up kick to the chest had put him there.
As the player finally got to his feet and was helped towards the sideline the referee showed him a yellow card and wrote the name Didier Drogba into his book.
Later on that evening a man’s nose would grow purple in anger as his cheeks flushed red. If it was possible steam would have no doubted billowed from his ears as he complained that “The referee’s position to make the decision was absolutely ridiculous… It was a bad decision, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Finally adding, “You lose faith in refereeing sometimes, that’s the way the players are talking in there – it was a bad one.”
There was no mention of the kick from one of his players that meant Drogba would be forced to withdraw from the Ivory Coast’s World Cup qualifier the following weekend.
Nor was it pointed out that despite their efforts and dominance, his team had failed to score and so they wouldn’t have won anyway. But what else would you expect? It was the man who is slowly turning into the boy who cried wolf, Sir Alex Ferguson.
These two incidents weren’t alone. From Wayne Rooney mouthing “12th man” into a TV camera through to the pundits on the other end of that lens ‘analysing’ the referee, there were no shortages of people ready to stick the boot into the officiating of Sunday’s Premer League tie between Chelsea and Manchester United.
In truth, what the fallout from this match proved is not the below standard of refereeing right across the globe, but that the refs have bugger all chance of getting it right anyway.
From players who try to con referees right down to the media who bay for the blood of an official after he puts in a bad shift, there is little chance for match officials to find their feet.
It’s worth remembering that while we also criticise players and managers, thanks to their team’s fans, they will always have supporters. There’s no referee fan group and thus little public support for match officials.
Have you ever seen a TV or radio program systematically breakdown the correct decisions of a referee? However after a ‘scandalous’ game it’s not uncommon to see every controversial decision replayed in every possible angle and the ‘correct’ decision decided upon by a panel of pundits.
In Europe many newspapers will rate a referees performance in a match but that’s as close to a pat on the back a referee can hope for form the media.
I’m not saying match officials shouldn’t be criticised, but the continued focus on ‘controversial’ decisions isn’t helping things.
Until everyone involved in the game commits to assisting referees to make the right decisions the game will continue to be plagued by bad officiating.
Simply put, conning referees, over-criticising them and using them as scapegoats perpetuates a cycle of poor officiating.
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Robbo said | November 16th 2009 @ 7:06am | Report comment
No doubt that kick would have hurt a lot – but nowhere near as much as Drogba was pretending.
Freud of Football said | November 16th 2009 @ 7:18am | Report comment
You go too far. Ferguson had every right to be livid. Yes, United didn’t win the game and they didn’t capitilise on the few chances they carved out but their 4-5-1 formation was never the right one to begin with but they lost because of refereeing mistakes, not because of their defending but because Drogba fouled Brown and the goal stood – Ferguson had every right to be angry as would any manager who lost games due to refereeing mistakes.
Just because Benitez didn’t go ballistic in the press that his team lost to a beach ball means Ferguson should keep his mouth shut? Yes, the Liverpool blunder was more obvious and stupid but both incidents resulted in game-winning-goals, if the goal wasn’t legitimate then whinge your heart out I say.
As for your assessment of Drogba – “He lay prone on the ground. All 189cms of him was still, except for what looked like spasms as his legs lashed out in pain and alone” and “We’ve seen this before” – Evans is 188cms and 78kg, a pretty powerful lad, I’d imagine the challenge would have hurt even Vinnie Jones so don’t indicate that Drogba was faking injury, if you saw the contact then you’d have to say that Evans deserved Red and Drogba had every right to lay on the ground, the raised boot could have done some considerable damage and yes Drogba may have been a bit of a diver before and for someone of his size he still goes down too easily but sometimes he is fouled and ends up on the wrong side of it, you have obviously pigeon-holed the man before you saw the replay.
If you want to fix the refereeing issues, overhaul the rules of the game so that players aren’t encouraged to dive – what incentive does a player to have on his feet? Look at the Welbeck incident against Everton in the FA Cup Semi last year, he was chopped in half and stayed on his feet = no pen.
Bring in extra assistants and some technology. FIFA earn squillions, it’s not like the game cannot afford it and it’s only a matter of time until a team gets relegated and hence loses some massive income due to a massive refereeing mistake in a crucial game and it will likely end up in court.
KP said | November 16th 2009 @ 8:49am | Report comment
Refereeing is a lot harder than playing, otherwise why aren’t there more referee’s? (now this is tongue in cheek guys dont get all riled about about it)
seriously tho, the game needs referee’s more than it needs whinging managers and diving idols. You rarely hear coaches saying that the referee won us the game, only that they lost it for them/he was hopeless etc… The referee’s are rarely accoladed for a good performance unlike the players. And unlike players referee’s aren’y allowed to have “off” games. Its not a simple job, get out there and referee for 2-3 seasons even in junior football and see how many fouls you miss and, apart from the canteen lady who gives you your token drink and sausage, see how many people come and say thank you.
Technology is not the answer – the great part of the game is that it is so simple and doesn’t require anything more than a ball, 2 goals and a ref. Lets not head the way of rugby (league/union) with video tries etc. The best solution is firstly understanding that referee’s, like players, will make mistakes and providing training/education to refs to help them improve.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | November 16th 2009 @ 9:46am | Report comment
When managers complain that poor refereeing won them the game then I’ll be prepared to concede that there is some objectivity in their statements. Until then I’ll treat rants with a large pinch of salt.
AndyRoo said | November 16th 2009 @ 9:50am | Report comment
Shame I can’t cheer this post
Deflect Defelect deflect….lets face it Managers talk a lot of rubish in public because they have to look after number 1.
cosmos forever said | November 16th 2009 @ 12:42pm | Report comment
90 minutes of playing time, a squad of 15 elite athletes and billions of dollars of investment at their disposal – and it’s the ref’s fault…
The player culture of cheating by diving and aggressively attempting to influence the ref (there are few other sports in the world where you are allowed to approach the ref or assistants if you are not the captain) has left them with a weakened and defenceless position.
And I can’t see that changing.
Freud of Football said | November 16th 2009 @ 5:59pm | Report comment
What sort of a comment is that? 15 elite athletes? There is 11 on the field with 7 subs? Only 15 are elite? Billions of dollars at their disposal? Where the hell did they get billions of dollars from???
What was Ferguson meant to do? I think the 4-5-1 was a mistake but he wanted, above all that Chelsea didnt take the 3 points. Did the neutrals expect him to come out in a 3-4-3 with Rooney, Berbatov and Owen up front? Do people actually think about the situation or the tactics or just shoot their mouth off because United lost 1-0 and the referee screwed up?
cosmos forever said | November 16th 2009 @ 6:32pm | Report comment
If only the refs were as smart as you
Freud of Football said | November 17th 2009 @ 2:13am | Report comment
Well cosmos I thank the powers that be that the refs aren’t as stupid as you. Wouldn’t we have a splendid time watching the “15 elite athletes” run around the pitch that has been created from the “billions of dollars of investment at their disposal”?
Mushi said | November 16th 2009 @ 5:37pm | Report comment
I’m yet to see a referee in any sport with a higher error rate than the teams they govern.
We don’t expect the multi millionare players to be flawless yet the referees oh well they should be
Freud of Football said | November 16th 2009 @ 6:00pm | Report comment
Players get dropped or sold for not tracking back, for not playing to the team ethos. What happens to referees? They have to allow a goal to be deflected off a beach ball before they get dropped.
Midfielder said | November 16th 2009 @ 7:33pm | Report comment
Refs make mistakes … but raely are they to blame for lossing a match… I have never heard a manager say look we will give the points backk because we got a goal that should not have been allowed..
As KB said without them the systems would fall apart..
There is a better solution IMO, pay the top referees 2 million dollars per season the next level down 1 million… then have a crack juding pannel … courses etc….A certain number of mistakes means getting send down a level… each match be judged by a pannel and a match ref … the match ref’s to be on 2.5 million per year…
As I see it the players are making massive amounts and ref’s are paid small amounts for what they do…At the above pay scales I am sure we would get a better batch of ref’s..
Midfielder said | November 16th 2009 @ 7:36pm | Report comment
Davidde
Show this to LM… http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/11/14/the-remarkable-story-of-future-socceroo-khalil-popal/
dasilva said | November 16th 2009 @ 8:35pm | Report comment
I hope he does show this to Les Murray
Les Murray does support refugee rights and supports refugee involvement in the game as he has written plenty articles about it (and admittingly some silly ones as well). Craig Foster runs and coach a charity Football club organisation to help refugees in Australia adapt and play some football.
I’m quite sure if they hear about it, they will be willing to do a story about Popal achievements
Davidde Corran said | November 16th 2009 @ 11:58pm | Report comment
Midfielder, many thanks for showing me that piece. It’s a wonderful story. I’ll go one better then just sending it to Les and in the new year I’ll endeavor to head across to Komotini to do a piece on him. You’re right it certainly is a story that deserves to be told and I’ll do my best to make sure it does. My only regret is I can’t get there sooner. I think the game is lucky to have supporters who are willing to find and then push great stories like Popal’s. Top stuff.
Midfielder said | November 17th 2009 @ 5:19pm | Report comment
Thanks Davidde
Midfielder said | November 18th 2009 @ 9:26pm | Report comment
Davidde
Another interview is in Spain another great story but this time in a News paper even if it did not amke it outside SA..
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,25849932-5006373,00.html
MEETING A-League indigenous soccer icon Travis Dodd for the first time was an inspiration for promising youngster Steven Pepper, who is now on his way to Spain on a one-year contract.
Dodd was Pepper’s Australian idol after the Adelaide United skipper created history by becoming the first indigenous player to score a goal for the Socceroos in a 2-0 win over Kuwait in an Asian Cup fixture in 2006.
Pepper said Dodd was the motivating factor in his ambition to become a Socceroo and professional footballer. The youngster took part in the recent Football Federation Australia Indigenous Football Festival, representing Wakala, in Townsville earlier this month.
“Yeah, I look up to him (Dodd) heaps,” Pepper said.
“He’s an indigenous player who has inspired me.”
Pepper, 15, was signed by one of Spain’s youth development clubs, Union Deportivo Cornella, last month. The club recently sold Spanish teenager Ignasi Miquel, 15, to Arsenal for a reported $2 million.
Pepper will have his first training session in Spain on August 16.
“I’ll be away from my family but it was fun when I was there for a month,” he said.
“It’s a dream and I think I’ll have more opportunities over there.”
Pepper started his career at Modbury Vista before joining NAB and later Campbelltown City.
The attacking midfielder has been working under the guidance of former United captain Ross Aloisi this year and has been training with Campbelltown’s Super League senior squad.
Davidde Corran said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:03am | Report comment
Midfielder you’re all over it at the moment mate! Another interesting story. Just like Jason Davidson who is in Portugal.
Getting off topic, despite the recent developments it says a lot about our youth development process if we’re still bleeding young talent to these parts of the world.
I might look him up when I’m in Barcelona next month.