Given the inexplicable nature of certain refereeing decisions in a number of high profile games over the course of this season has led to a degree of understandable consternation from fans and pundits alike, it was inevitable that the referee would become the focal point of disquiet and opprobrium. But even so……
The degree to which radio and TV pundits and ex and current professionals kick off about refereeing decisions is laughable. Particularly galling is the constant clamour for refs to be docked pay, demoted to the lower leagues or removed from the list all together. Sounds superficially reasonable? Well, as long as we can apply the same logic to those who are so evidently peerless in their own chosen profession, then maybe.
I’ll gladly subscribe to sanctions for referees as long as I can apply the same logic to Alan Green every time he makes one of his many colossal commentating gaffes on Radio 5 or hyperboles his audience into a suicide watch. Perhaps we could dock his pay every time he screws up or, better still, remove him from the airwaves altogether. He makes enough mistakes to keep him off line for a year or two. Every time the ex-professional mangles the English language in his convoluted and monotonous attempt to state the extremely obvious, perhaps we could banish him to an oral skills class for the under fives. Or remind him how many mistakes he made during his playing career whilst still continuing to pick up his pay cheque every week. Every time the current footballing professional paid upwards of £100,000 makes the odd mistake and fails to score when six yards out and the ball at his feet, perhaps we could dock him his ridiculously exorbitant salary and contravene his human rights by bringing him for extra training so he can learn how to kick a football in a broadly straight line.
A referee has an instant to make decisions and sometimes gets it horribly wrong, helped immeasurably by the current professional’s propensity to fall over if the wind is blowing in from a north easterly direction or clutching his head in agony as a feather strikes his expensively coiffured head of hair. The pundit and commentator get endless slow motion replays before they bore us rigid with their considered analyses. and they still get it wrong. Oh, for a little self awareness!