by stmichael » Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:43 pm
The root of this problem is the intolerable pressure under which referees have been placed by the all-seeing eye of the (twenty) television camera(s) and the unrelenting scrutiny of 24 hour a day sports-onsessed media. By continuing to expect referees to operate in the same traditional manner under these highly changed circumstances, the FIFA, UEFA and the FA have got their heads in the sand. They need to do the following in order to restore the credibility and authority of referees in football:
1. Accept that the professional game is a different beast to the amateur one.
2. Introduce technology-assisted decision making into the game wherever it can be done without disrupting the flow of a match (ie, goal-line technology).
3. Introduce rugby-style laws about communication with the referee. No-one can speak to the ref bar the captains, and even they must do so with scrupulos respect and good manners. Infringements of this new law should be utterly hammered with red cards, bans and fines. Initially there would be mayhem, but it would quickle settle down.
4. Adopt gridiron strategies such as refereeing teams who work together all season long, after-match interviews with the referee to allow him to explain his decisions and a full, in-depth video review of the match - by the match officials - allowing any mistakes (be they wrong or missed decisions) to be corrected.
Within one season, I'm convinced that the above would transform the game for the better, whilst still allowing for the fact that referees are humans and that humn error is prt of the game. Not only that, however: I also agree with Steve Coppell who believes tht zero-tolerance of dissent on the pitch would have a knock-on benefit for society as a whole.
I actually don't expect any of the above to happen as it's too radical. That said, some of the best law changes in the game have been even more radical and have changed it for the better. The game basically needs beter leadership. Unfortunately, I don't see it being forthcoming if the new independent chairman of the FA fails the imminent test of dealing severely with Fergie and Quieroz for calling a ref a cheat.