We’ve only had 20 games this season and already the A-League has featured 12 different whistle-blowers, including three debutants and one second-gamer.
It was a similar tale last season, where 10 referees looked after the opening four rounds.
The season before that featured 11 referees in the opening 20 matches.
This is a trend that appears to continue throughout the season, suggesting there is somewhat of a rotation among the A-League referees, with just about all on the referee panel given an early season ‘feeler’.
While this might help increase their experience, get them into the season and build the pipeline in a notoriously under-resourced and high-attrition discipline, there must now be a few questions around whether this is best practice.
This season we had two fairly controversy-free rounds to kick off the season, before Ben Williams took control of the F3 derby in Newcastle, letting Ruben Zadkovich get away with an early crude tackle before awarding the Jets what looked a rather soft penalty.
This week, of course, we’ve had the controversy over Ben Sigmund’s red card for the incident involving Adelaide United’s Jeronimo Neumann, with Jarred Gillett again thrust into the lime-light after the controversy of his injury grand final decision last season, one I felt at the time he got right.
And the Sigmund send-off, upheld by the match review panel yesterday, wasn’t the only talking point of Saturday’s match, with Neumann seemingly offside in the build-up to Cassio’s goal.
The controversy was triggered even earlier last season when Matt Gillett, no relation to Jarred, sent off two Wellington Phoenix players in their round two win over the Newcatle Jets, earning himself a six week stint on the sidelines.
There was a similar outcry then to the one we’ve seen over the past week or so, but it turned out to be far from the only contentious moment of the season.
Some may remember red cards involving Bas van den Brink and Matthew Foschini. There were countless others.
The reality is that referees, right across the globe, are invariably going to be in the spotlight, as we saw over the weekend with a number of incidents in the EPL.
But here we must always be aiming for improvement, and this means the environment for referees has to improve, inevitably moving towards a more professional set up.
That would include not only an opportunity for more full-time whistle-blowers, but better analysis, education and assessment.
Of course, the costs of such an arrangement remain a detriment, and the pending TV deal should at least provide an opportunity to invest a little more in the craft.
But the other question that new A-League head Damien de Bohun and his referees boss, Ben Wilson, need to address is whether the current practice of rotating the referees is the best way forward.
Rather than being dropped or promoted, more often it seems most referees are being given regular games, even if performances haven’t been up to scratch.
Instead, should the better performers maintain their spots week-in, week-out?
Strebre Delovski, for example, widely regarded as the best whistle-blower, has only presided over two games this season, whereas both Jarred Gillett and Peter Green have had three each.
Meanwhile, Kris Griffiths-Jones, one of the better performers last season, has only featured once.
The counter to this argument, of course, is that two of the more accomplished performances this season have come from a couple of the most inexperienced officials, Adam Kersey and Lucien Laverdue.
The latter did the Western Sydney Wanderers’ win in Brisbane on Saturday with little fuss.
It was the same from Kersey in Wellington in round three. He issued only two yellow cards in the Phoenix’s 1-1 draw with the Roar.
How long before we see them again? Nobody quite knows.
Patently, the challenge for an evolving A-League is to ensure that the framework which produces and supports our referees is mature enough to ensure that the focus is consistently on the players and fans.
Cameron
Guest
I am replying to this post as I am unable to reply to your comment below. Everyone has their opinion and from where I was sitting, I believe Huysegems was offside. Other people, like you, may not think that.
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
Whilst watching the broadcast and the replays I had been quite satisfied with the call. Very fine margins, of course.
Cameron
Guest
Yes, I am. I believe he was offside from where I was sitting and I asked other people what they thought and they agreed with them. I am a St. John Volunteer and I was on duty there at the time and another member was side on at the time and told me when he got back to the first aid room that Wellington's goal was offside. I take it that you disagree??
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
The biggest problem is that there are no do-overs, no second chances. If a player makes a mistake and loses possession, they can chase the ball, win possession back, take steps to minimise or even reverse the mistake. If an AR makes a mistake on an off-side call that's it, play stops when s/he flags or carries on when s/he doesn't. And square-ups for a referee don't make things right, they just make things worse. That is the biggest problem with refereeing and the part that causes the most problems with supporters. Del Piero made a mistake and failed to score when his Penalty Kick against Covic and the Wanderers ... but he could pounce on the follow-up and rectify his mistake. If Strebre Delovski had made a mistake and missed the infringement that resulted in the PK, there would have been no opportunity to follow-up, that would have been it. A lot of it comes down to positioning but, like being in position to poach a goal, sometimes you'll never know where you should have been until after the incident occurs.
MV Dave
Guest
I have little doubt that the referees in Football have the most difficult officiating job of all. That includes the ARs who have to make very difficult decisions on offside which could win or lose a game for a team. On the whole this season they have done a decent job. There will be mistakes and have been mistakes but they are human after all. If you want robots or TV reviews constantly intruding into the game, to make sure every decision is 100% correct then we lose the humanity and flow of the game. I don't want the game stopped constantly to review decisions. HAL has no more or less refereeing controversies than all the big leagues around the world...just check out the match reports for Chelski vs Man Utd over the last weekend if you need proof. Doesn't mean we don't try to improve their performance but there is no crisis in the standard of refereeing in the HAL as some would have you believe.
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
You're arguing that Huysegems was offside for Wellington's first goal?
Cameron
Guest
No, I don't have it the wrong way around. I was sitting in the terraces and saw him in front of the Adelaide defenders with the ball behind him. I heard other people say the same thing. The second goal that was disallowed I think may have been offside, but didn't see it properly as people were standing up and moving in front of me at the time. From what I saw, the second goal should have been allowed and it was a great goal, but I think it may have been disallowed due to offside. Cassio from Adelaide wasn't offside.
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
You know, I don't quite remember from when I watched the game... I think the Wellington 2nd was slightly off-side, something of a line call, but the 2nd Adelaide was well offside and didn't get called. I need to sit down and re-watch, haha, have forgotten some of the details in the midst of all the other controversy.
Kasey
Guest
I thought all of Wellington's goals were valid goals, including the "goal that wasn't" that would have tied things up at 2 a-piece….why was that disallowed? Bad offside call?
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
I think you have that one the wrong way around.
Cameron
Guest
The goal that Wellington scored against Adelaide on Saturday should not have been counted as the goal scorer was clearly offside long before the ball was played to him and the ref didn't pick it up.
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
You can't just import referees. Standard of the refereeing department is the true gauge of grassroots strength because it can't be papered over. Our problem is that we are doing a terrible job of converting the throngs of junior refs into level 1 and 2 senior refs.
Hollywood
Guest
All good ideas about setting up a professional set up etc. however it may prove difficult to implement as I can only assume these referees have "day" jobs and can not devote the time for meager pay. One of the better officials works in my organization and he has said it is difficult to balance work life and the sport. He can not accept every appointment as he may be away with work or have family commitments. The answer is not an easy one .... Unless the salary to be a full time official is enticing enough for people to leave their day jobs??? On the whole the referees do a satisfactory job. If the players behaved and didn't "simulate" or "cheat" then the game would be healthier as well... We can not put the full blame of controversial decisions on the official but must apportion same to the player that "cheats". Sadly one Adelaide player got away with one -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
TC
Guest
ha ha - yes it does! much to the mirth of all concerned TC
Kasey
Guest
Is it the AFL that has its umpires sponsored by OPSM?
marlie chiller
Guest
With so many new referees up and coming the guide dog association will need to start a special breeding program.
Kasey
Guest
And in the 2008/09 Grand Final, Matt Breeze(allegedly that season’s best whistle-blower*) sent off Adelaide's Cristiano in the 10th minute(later rescinded by the MRP) but it still meant the Reds had to play with 10 men in a Championship decider for 80 minutes plus stoppage time. Every year the accepted wisdom is that the standard of play on the pitch has improved since inception. Sadly, one of the most important aspects of football, the officiating, has not kept pace. One of the things I hope for in the future is an FFA with enough money in the kitty to employ full-time referees. Professionalism has improved the players markedly, who is to say the same wouldn't occur for the officials? *It is my understanding that the reward for the best referee is to be given control of the showpiece HAL GF – but if I’m wrong on that, I’m happy to be told otherwise.